Dogs' noses decoded: Optical sensor unveils canine brain's olfactory prowess

 A pioneering study investigating the brain activity of dogs during scent detection has unveiled crucial insights into their remarkable olfactory capabilities. Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have developed an optical sensor capable of remote sensing dogs' brain activity in three key regions—the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, and amygdala—that play a critical role in how dogs distinguish between different smells. This breakthrough could lead to the development of a compact, non-invasive device capable of interpreting and translating a dog's olfactory perceptions for human understanding.

In the study published in the Journal of Biophotonics, scientists employed a cutting-edge detection structure system using laser technology and a high-resolution camera to capture brain activity in real-time from four dog breeds.

These dogs were exposed to four distinct scent stimuli—garlic, menthol, alcohol, and marijuana. The data were then analyzed using a machine-learning algorithm revealing that the amygdala plays a significant role in scent differentiation, highlighting the emotional and memory-related aspects of odor processing.

"The findings show that the amygdala is crucial in the way dogs process and react to odors, with specific scents triggering distinct emotional and memory responses, and we are capable of optically detecting their brain activity in this region," said Prof. Zeev Zalevsky, from the Kofkin Faculty of Engineering at Bar-Ilan University. "This discovery could be the first step toward creating a device that enables us to better understand and interpret the unique way dogs perceive and differentiate smells."

The study introduces an innovative method of brain activity analysis through laser-based speckle pattern detection, a remote, non-invasive technique that has never been applied to canine brain activity. Unlike traditional methods such as fMRI or EEG, this approach allows researchers to observe brain responses without requiring the dog to be sedated or confined to bulky equipment. This opens up new possibilities for studying dogs in real-world environments, making the technique both affordable and accessible for further research.

Dogs have long been celebrated for their exceptional sense of smell, and this research further illuminates the advanced processes that occur in their brains when detecting odors. With an olfactory system far more developed than humans, dogs can detect a broader range of odors, with specialized receptors in their noses that allow them to process and distinguish even the faintest scents.

This new research offers a glimpse into the intricate workings of the canine brain as it processes different smells, presenting a promising avenue for future applications in areas such as drug detection, medical diagnostics, and search-and-rescue missions.

"Our next step is to develop a portable, Wi-Fi-controlled device equipped with a mini camera and laser system, which could be mounted on a dog's head and used to monitor its olfactory responses in real time," said Dr. Yafim Beiderman from Prof. Zalevsky's Optical Research Lab at Bar-Ilan University.

"This could significantly enhance the way dogs are used in scent detection, from detecting illegal substances to diagnosing diseases in humans, all while deepening our understanding of how they perceive the world around them. More importantly, this real-time sensing could bypass the need to train dogs to utilize their scent abilities."

The implications of this research could also revolutionize the way dogs are utilized in law enforcement, health care, and beyond. As dogs continue to be invaluable partners in scent detection, this device could provide a means of translating their highly specialized abilities into data that is useful for humans, fostering a stronger connection between the two species.

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What Is Biophoton Emission, The ‘Hidden Glow’ In Human Body That Marks Life And Death

 US researchers have done an experiment and, in a development, understood that the human body emits faint visible light that fades away gradually as the person approaches death. According to a discovery published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, this phenomenon is called ultraweak photon emission (UPE) or biophoton emission.

All living organisms, including humans, mice and plants, emit an ultra-weak light that disappears upon death, says the study conducted by researchers from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada.

A report by Science Alert highlighted the research findings, as per which the light-emitting phenomenon revealed here is known as ultraweak photon emission (UPE) or biophoton emission.

The study suggests that all living organisms on the face of the earth subtly glow during their life span before their glow fades as they die. Biophotons are faint light particles emitted by living cells as a consequence of metabolic processes, which involve the reactive oxygen species (ROS).

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Raman and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

 This article explores a tandem approach to spectroscopy that integrates Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectroscopy—can be a one-laser tag-team match, but it can also be done through data fusion with separate analytical instrumentation and several related strategies in between. In the first setup, a Nd:YAG laser (commonly operating at 532?nm) is ingeniously adapted to first deliver a high-energy pulse to create a tiny plasma for LIBS, revealing the elemental makeup of the sample. Then, either through energy modulation or beam splitting with precise timing, the same laser provides a gentler touch to excite Raman scattering, capturing the molecular fingerprint of the material.

 Complementary detection systems are employed: a fast, broadband detector (like a gated ICCD) picks up the brief but brilliant LIBS emission, while a high-resolution spectrograph with a cooled CCD zeroes in on the subtle vibrational features in the Raman spectrum. This dual-use strategy not only streamlines the instrumentation but also offers practical benefits for field and space exploration, proving that sometimes, one laser really can do double duty—with a little creativity and some well-timed pulses. When co-located Raman and LIBS spots are not needed – i.e. the sample is homogeneous - a similar approach is available through data fusion This article explores the use of Raman and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) data in tandem. These two laser-derived analyses are naturally complimentary: Raman collects information about the molecular bonds within a sample, and LIBS provides an elemental analysis. There are a wide array of potential approaches to this combination, but all of them have in common that the same sample volume is interrogated and that because of the destructive nature of the LIBS analysis, the Raman measurement comes first. This article will explore the two chief ways that these analyses are combined: with two lasers on the same optical path, and two separated detection methods, and then the more complicated case where the same laser and spectrometers are employed. The mechanically simpler data fusion method is also discussed. The principal targets for these tandem analyses in the literature are geological and materials science, but a notable biomedical analysis are included. The reviewed applications are described in some detail, with emphasis LIBS and Raman together giving a very high rate of correct classification of samples from melanoma tissues to mineral type."

NIR Spectroscopy

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) affect one in three people with diabetes mellitus, with over 10% of the cases resulting in amputations. Despite being subjective, visual assessment is the gold standard used by clinicians to monitor the healing progression of wounds. Current smartphone technologies for wound care are limited to 2D/3D wound image analysis for size/depth. We developed a smartphone-based near-infrared spectroscopic (NIRS) imaging approach or SmartPhone Oxygenation Tool (SPOT) to obtain visual and physiological measurements of tissue oxygenation in wounds. Oxygen supply to wounds is a vital factor for healing. Tissue oxygenation measurements provide a sub-clinical physiological assessment to complement clinical visual assessment. SPOT was validated via phantom and in-vivo imaging studies, and it could differentiate high-risk from low-risk DFUs with 100% sensitivity and 84% specificity. Clinical studies on DFUs also demonstrated the ability of SPOT to be used as an image-guided debridement tool, apart from assessing the healing potential of the wounds. Currently, studies are ongoing to account for skin color variations (from melanin concentrations) and tissue curvatures of the diabetic foot during NIRS imaging using SPOT.

Hyperspectral Imaging

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) holds much promise as it matures into an affordable technology. The fusion of photographic/imaging methods that spatially resolve the distribution of light energy passing through an opening with methods that spectrally resolve it will augment human perception by orders of magnitude. HSI will also increase data generation, transmission, processing, and storage requirements by orders of magnitude, while effectively reducing photonic throughput. These constraints will affect the usability of photonic instruments in challenging use-cases such as those encountered in emergency medicine. In this article, I discuss why the application of spectral imaging to real-world problems may need to incorporate, at least in the near future, adaptations found in animal visual systems to optimally balance speed/latency, detail/resolution, and bandwidth/processing power.

Fluorescence Microscopy and Microfluidics

The integration of fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics with a high-resolution and very wide field of view in a single system has revolutionized biological research by combining high-resolution imaging with precise environmental control in a compact, cost-effective platform. This innovative system enables researchers to explore intricate biological processes in greater detail, driving significant discoveries across fields such as molecular biology, neuroscience, and cell biology. By offering a broad field of view alongside high resolution, the combined system captures extensive data in a single recording - eliminating the need for multiple acquisitions or image stitching. Its applications, including neurosettes, C. elegans studies, and the Mother Machine, demonstrate its capacity for high-throughput experiments, allowing simultaneous monitoring of hundreds of cells with fine detail. With an intuitive interface, modular light design, and integrated microfluidic pumps, the system makes advanced experimentation more accessible, unlocking new possibilities for biological research.

Advancements of Quantum Sensing

Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) have long been used to measure the weak magnetic fields produced by the human body, including magnetocardiography (MCG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Though SQUIDs are commonly used in research, they have restricted value for medical diagnostics due to the need for cooling, shielded rooms, and specialized electronics. In recent years, new types of optically-probed quantum sensors have emerged that provide similar performance to SQUIDs, but with fewer practical restrictions, opening up wide-ranging opportunities in biology and medicine. However, there are gaps within the quantum ecosystem to fuel these advances, including technical, funding, and commercialization challenges. This article outlines the promise of optically-probed quantum sensors for biomagnetism research and medical diagnostics, and efforts to commercialize these sensors.

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IR Spectroscopy Could Diagnose Lung Cancer with Blood Sample

 Using FTIR spectral data, the researchers identified a single CTC based on biochemical composition, specifically within the fingerprint region (1800 cm^-1 to 1350 cm cm^-1). The researchers used immunohistochemistry to confirm that FTIR, used with a random forest classifier, reliably detected a single CTC in the blood of a lung cancer patient.

“Our team was able to detect a single lung cancer cell in a patient’s blood by combining advanced infrared scanning technology with computer analysis, focusing on the unique chemical fingerprint of cancer cells,” Sulé-Suso said.

FTIR microspectroscopy is a label-free approach to sample analysis. It does not rely on predefined surface markers or cell morphology. According to the researchers, it is more reliable than existing CTC isolation methods, which sometimes miss cancer cells completely, as the cells often change their characteristics while circulating in the blood.FTIR microsprectroscopy uses standard glass slides, just like those routinely used in pathology labs, to prepare blood samples. This makes the technique easy to integrate into everyday clinical practices, and more affordable for labs than specialized, IR-transparent substrates.

By enhancing precision and accessibility in CTC identification, FTIR microspectroscopy has the potential to redefine the techniques used for cancer diagnostics. Although further validation in larger, multi-cancer patient cohorts is required, the initial findings show that cancer diagnostics, and possibly treatment monitoring, can be performed successfully through blood-based testing with FTIR microspectroscopy.

“Contributing to research with the potential to transform early cancer detection is both a professional privilege and a deeply personal motivation,” professor Paul Roach said. “Professionally, it offers the chance to translate fundamental spectroscopy into meaningful medical impact. Personally, it resonates strongly: cancer has affected my own family and claimed the lives of friends, and helping to expand the tools available to fight this disease gives me a powerful sense of purpose.”

The team plans to test FTIR microspectroscopy in larger patient groups, with the goal of developing a rapid, automated blood test that can be integrated into NHS cancer care pathways.

The team welcomes collaborations with clinical, healthcare, and industry colleagues to support the validation, refinement, and eventual adoption of FTIR-based diagnostic tools. It is also interested in working with research groups that are developing analytical technologies, data interrogation methods, or advanced computational tools, all of which play an important role in accelerating cancer diagnostics and treatments.

“The possibility that our work could one day influence clinical practice, reduce diagnostic delays, and improve patient outcomes is a constant driving force behind this research,” Roach said.

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Time-Resolved Spectroscopy Peers in on Irreversible Phenomena

A team of researchers at the University of Ottawa developed a terahertz (THz) spectroscopy technique for recording movies in real time at 50,000 fps.

High-speed video captures and slow-motion movies allow scientists to observe the mechanical dynamics of complex phenomena in detail. When the images in each frame are replaced by THz waves, the movies make it possible to monitor low-energy resonances and fast structural and chemical transitions in sample materials. As a result, the THz spectroscopy system, developed in collaboration with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, could become a powerful tool for observing phenomena that are currently impossible to investigate because they are too fast, nonreproducible, or both.

The system combines two spectroscopy techniques — chirped-pulse spectral encoding and a photonic time-stretch technique — with fast detection electronics. The first technique imprints the information carried by a THz pulse onto a chirped supercontinuum in the optical region. The second technique stretches the pulse in time, inside a long fiber, slowing down the rate of information so that it can be recorded in real time. These steps are repeated using a train of pulses at 20-µs intervals. The pulses can be combined to make a movie of the low-energy dynamics taking place inside the sample material.

The system relies on a single ultrafast source that enables the detection of every single generated THz pulse that is emitted every 20 µs. With the single-pulse detection technique, the researchers can probe the sample at the repetition rate of the laser (i.e., 50 kHz) to obtain a series of measurements that allow them to trace microscopic dynamics that may change on a pulse-to-pulse basis.

To demonstrate the spectroscopy system, the team monitored pulse-to-pulse, submillisecond dynamics of hot carriers injected in a silicon wafer, using successive pairs of near-infrared (NIR) pump and THz probe pulses in a transient regime. Each THz wave transmitted through the sample was time-resolved every 20 µs, providing phase and amplitude information, to achieve single-pulse THz spectroscopy of the pump-induced change in the complex dielectric function.

Using a theory based on the Drude model, the researchers were able to extract the density and relaxation time of the injected carriers by analyzing the complex transmission spectrum of the THz pulse. The experimental model included dynamic effects, such as inhomogeneous carrier distribution in the sample along the THz propagation direction, spatial diffusion, and carrier density-dependent scattering time.

Although the THz spectroscopy experiments were performed at a repetition rate of 50 kHz, revealing submillisecond dynamics in silicon, the team said that the acquisition rate was limited only by the signal-to-noise ratio at higher repetition rates. Further development of the system will enable the researchers to reach acquisition rates in the megahertz range, to uncover submicrosecond processes in systems resonant to THz frequencies.

Professor Jean-Michel Ménard, who led the research, said that the compact, tabletop system could replace a technology that was previously only accessible in large synchrotron facilities.

The single-pulse, time-resolved THz spectroscopy system could enable scientists to investigate irreversible physical, chemical, and biological phenomena, such as electronic transport in semiconductors, chemical exothermic reactions, and protein folding in biological systems, for the first time, according to the researchers. Ménard said that the system could be used in experiments that trace vibrational resonances of molecules to study the role of enzymes in chemical reactions and to observe invisible changes in living organisms when they are exposed to a sudden rise in temperature.

“In condensed matter experiments, our rapid THz photonic system will be used to observe a range of nonreversible electronic or lattice reconfigurations, notably occurring during phase transitions,” Ménard said. The development is also poised to render THz spectroscopy an even more efficient characterization tool in support of discoveries in materials physics, he said.

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Paper-Based Test Scans for Multiple Biomarkers in Human Serum

 

Researchers led by UCLA professor Aydogan Ozcan developed a deep learning-enabled biosensor for multiplexed, point-of-care (POC) testing of disease biomarkers. POC biosensors provide remote and resource-limited communities with an economical, practical alternative to centralized laboratory testing.
The UCLA-developed POC sensor includes a paper-based fluorescence vertical flow assay to simultaneously detect three biomarkers of acute coronary syndrome from human serum samples. The vertical flow assay is processed by a low-cost mobile reader, which quantifies the target biomarkers through trained neural networks.

According to the researchers, the competitive performance of the multiplexed computational fluorescence vertical flow assay, along with its inexpensive, paper-based design and hand-held footprint, give the POC sensor promise as a platform to expand access to diagnostics in resource-limited settings.

“Compared to a commonly used linear calibration method, our deep learning-based analysis benefits from the function approximation power of neural networks to learn nontrivial relationships between the multiplexed fluorescence signals from the paper-based sensor and the underlying analyte concentrations in serum,” researcher Artem Goncharov said. “As a result, we have accurate quantitative measurements for all three biomarkers of interest, despite the background noise present in clinical serum samples.”

Unlike lateral flow assays, which are the most common type of POC test, assays using the vertical flow of samples through stacked paper layers enable the arrangement of sensing regions in a 2D or 3D array and can achieve multiplexing with tens or even hundreds of independent testing channels represented by different affinity capture molecules. The vertical flow design of the POC sensor from the UCLA researchers has room for multiple test regions, with up to 100 individual test spots within a single disposable cartridge.

“This design essentially allows us to integrate tens of different POC sensors into a single cassette and perform multiplexed diagnostics tests in parallel with the same low-cost paper-based sensor,” Ozcan said.

The researchers used conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) — fluorescent labels with tunable emission and excitation properties and with minimally overlapping excitation and emission peaks — to design the fluorescence vertical flow assay. The CPNs have 480-nm excitation and 610-nm emission peaks, which helped the team reduce the strong autofluorescence background from the paper substrate.

The excitation energy transfer in CPNs takes place across the whole backbone, catalyzing an amplified emission that is higher than quantum dots (QDs). CPNs are also more stable on porous paper layers, with less photobleaching, and are larger than QDs, leading to improved luminescence.

Using human serum samples to quantify three cardiac biomarkers — myoglobin, creatine kinase-MB, and heart-type fatty acid binding protein — the researchers validated the fluorescence vertical flow assay platform. The assay achieved less than 0.52 ng/mL−1 limit-of-detection for all three biomarkers, with minimal cross-reactivity.

Biomarker concentration quantification, using the assay coupled to neural network-based inference, was blindly tested using 46 individually activated cartridges and human serum samples. The results showed a high correlation between the fluorescence vertical flow assay and the ground truth concentrations obtained through standard laboratory benchtop testing, with a greater than 0.9 linearity and a less than 15% coefficient of variation found for all three biomarkers.

The simple-to-operate POC sensor, the researchers said, involves only three injection steps performed through a single loading inlet. The steps can be executed by a minimally trained technician using a custom operation kit. The assay uses 50 µL of serum sample per patient and takes under 15 minutes to complete, which is on the same scale as, for example, COVID-19 rapid antigen tests that take between 15 and 30 minutes.

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Pensievision's 3D Imaging Tech Shines at Luminate Finals Competition

Pensievision, a creator of 3D imaging technology for industrial applications and medical devices, received the Company of the Year Award at the Luminate NY Finals 2025, held this week in Rochester. Along with the title, the company received a $1 million investment from New York State through the Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

Pensievision's solution delivers 3D imaging for demanding environments, from medical diagnostics and factory floors to orbital missions. Its technology combines a miniaturized single-lens setup, artificial intelligence, and astronomy-inspired optics to enable high-precision insights in tight or complex environments where bulky, multi-lens or laser-based systems fail.

“It’s a compact, affordable camera that does very high-accuracy 3D mapping of surfaces, and it’s compact enough that it can fit on anything from a robotic arm to an endoscope that goes inside the body,” said Pensievision CTO Joseph Carson. The technology has been demonstrated in both applications, and will soon be demonstrated in an upcoming visit to the International Space Station, Carson said.

The company's platform utilizes a Corning Varioptic liquid lens to rapidly take images at varying focuses to produce a 3D image through focus mapping. AI-driven software is then used to process the messy 3D mapping into the underlying high-resolution quantitative map. The output map is precise and accurate enough to be used in mission-critical applications.

Pensievision plans to use the follow-on funding to anchor its growth in the Rochester region by engaging with local supply chains, hiring engineering talent from universities in the area, and partnering with Rochester-based design and manufacturing firms. According to Carson, there are at least three firms in the newly wrapped cohort with which he envisions Pensievision fostering relationships.

“There’s a lot of collaborative efforts between the companies in this cohort because they’re working in similar fields with different technologies,” said Luminate’s managing director, Sujatha Ramanujan. “It’s been a nice outcome.”

amPICQ, originally from Hyderabad, India, and now located in Rochester, was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Award and $500,000 in follow-on funding. Its team is designing and developing PICs to make quantum-safe security both practical and accessible across quantum communications, datacom, and telecom industries.

For the first time, three companies tied for the Distinguished Graduate Award, with each being earning $200,000. Oblate Optics, from San Diego, produces ultra-thin lenses that keep laser beams in perfect focus — even on curved or uneven surfaces — without the need to move or refocus the optics. Münster, Germany based Pixel Photonics uses its waveguide-integrating design for superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to support OEM integration across quantum communications, microscopy, medical diagnostics, and advanced sensing. SNOChip, from Princeton, N.J., is a developer of on-chip optical components, such as microlens arrays, computer-generated holograms, and metasurfaces, designed for seamless integration with semiconductor lasers and sensor chips.

Event attendees voted LirOptic as the Audience Choice, and the company earned $10,000 in follow-on funding.

The investments were presented after a panel of judges from the optics and photonics industry and venture capital community scored the participating companies based on their business pitches and due diligence completed during the seven-month accelerator program. The finals event marks the completion of the eighth year of the cohort-based program, which now includes more than 80 portfolio companies, carrying an estimated combined market value of $700 million. As required by the award, all winners of the competition will commit to establishing operations in the region for at least the next 18 months.

Since its inception, Luminate NY has invested $21 million in 85 startups. Collectively, they have created more than 210 jobs in New York State and spent $21.6 million on more than 140 projects with regional design, manufacturing and supply chain companies. Twenty-two international companies have relocated to New York, and 41 portfolio companies have women in the C-suite.

Applications are now being accepted for round nine, through Jan. 12, 2026. Teams will receive $100,000 in funding upon program start, with the expectation that $50,000 will be used to engage resources in the Finger Lakes region.


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