Biomolecular condensate function
Cells concentrate molecules in membraneless compartments. What makes their changing composition and material behavior useful for particular tasks?
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Mitotic spindle self-organization
Spindles organize filaments to separate chromosomes. How do chromosome-attached bundles integrate with the spindle’s collective organization?
Mammalian replication origins
Mammalian DNA replication can begin at many licensed sites. What determines which sites actually start copying in a given cell?
Granulophagy
Most stress granules disperse when stress ends. How does autophagy recognize and remove the granules that persist?
Visual crowding
A visible object can become hard to recognize when surrounded by other objects. Why does the arrangement of the whole scene change that interference?
Amodal completion
We perceive whole objects even when part is hidden. How does the brain combine visible geometry with knowledge of what the object might be?
Color constancy
An object can look similarly colored under different lighting. How do visual circuits separate surface color from illumination?
Binocular rivalry
When the eyes receive incompatible images, perception can alternate between them. How do eye and pattern competition produce those switches?
Working memory maintenance
We can hold information briefly after it disappears. Which neural processes keep it available for the next action?
Biological credit assignment
A behavioral outcome depends on many neurons. How does learning change the particular cells and connections responsible for it?
Interval timing
Brains judge durations and time actions over fractions of a second to seconds. How are those intervals represented and flexibly adjusted?
Attentional blink
A second target can be missed when it follows another by a few hundred milliseconds. How do processing and response competition create that brief limit?
Direct seawater electrolysis
Can hydrogen production work reliably in the changing conditions of the open ocean?
Low-iridium PEM electrolysis
Can acidic water electrolysers retain efficiency and long operating life while using much less iridium?
All-photonic quantum repeaters
Can photonic repeaters distribute useful entanglement over many links without long-lived matter memories?
Neural-implant lifetime testing
Can short laboratory tests predict how implanted brain electrodes will fail over years?
Noninvasive continuous glucose monitoring
Can a skin-worn sensor track glucose reliably over everyday life without repeated invasive calibration?
Small-diameter vascular grafts
Can a readily available artificial small artery remain open and remodel safely for long-term human use?
Deep-tissue sound printing
Sound can form injected materials inside tissue. How can a printer keep its pattern in the right place as deep tissue moves?
Wearable cardiac ultrasound
Wearable ultrasound can track deep tissues. How can heart measurements stay calibrated when a flexible array bends and its contact changes?
Closed-loop lower-limb neuroprostheses
Can an artificial leg return useful sensation and respond naturally to its user during unexpected movement?
Fully implantable speech neuroprostheses
Can a fully implanted wireless interface provide dependable everyday speech communication?
High-precision analog in-memory computing
Several methods correct errors in analog memory calculations. How should they be combined when inputs, noise and conversion costs change?
Grain-structure control in metal 3D printing
Can laser printing reliably produce a chosen grain structure without cracking the alloy?