Images of drying blood samples are acquired using brightfield microscopy (transmitting white light through a specimen, which makes it appear dark against a bright background) and a common 4x objective lens, which magnifies samples four times. Images are acquired over time with a digital camera mounted on the microscope.

The same workflow can also be used to analyze other bodily fluids, including saliva and urine, expanding the diagnostic capacity of the workflow without the need for additional equipment.

The key takeaway is that every moment of the drying process holds valuable clues, not just the final pattern left behind. Each stage reveals how proteins, cells and other components move and reorganize within the droplet, capturing a dynamic 'story' of the sample's internal state.
By combining this time-evolving information with machine learning, the team can accurately identify subtle abnormalities in blood samples. This approach opens up a new way of thinking about medical diagnostics, one that is simple, fast and low-cost, yet remarkably informative.
The research establishes proof of concept for the team, demonstrating an effective workflow for detecting diseases such as diabetes, influenza, malaria and others, that has potential in the field. Ideally, the researchers hope to translate their methodology into a mobile and practical health-screening tool for use in developing countries.

 Anusuya Pal et al, From Droplet to Diagnosis: Spatio‐Temporal Pattern Recognition in Drying Biofluids, Advanced Intelligent Systems (2025). DOI: 10.1002/aisy.202500550

Part 2

Young donor age emerges as key factor in stem cell transplant success
Donor age significantly influences outcomes in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), with younger donors associated with improved event-free and overall survival, and reduced relapse risk, even surpassing older HLA-identical sibling donors. Gender and CMV status also affect results, and younger donor age remains beneficial in both fully and partially matched transplants.

Johannes Schetelig et al, Young unrelated donors confer a survival advantage for patients with myeloid malignancies compared to older siblings, Leukemia (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41375-025-02724-1

You must have heard about visual illusions. But have you heard about auditory illusions? 

Auditory illusions: New research discovers how our ears play tricks on us
Humans often misperceive the location of brief sounds directly in front of them, typically hearing them as coming from behind. This auditory illusion persists across various environments and sound types, likely due to similar timing and intensity cues reaching both ears. The phenomenon highlights a limitation in spatial hearing, which may have implications for individuals with visual impairments.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03010066251395028