What is it about?
Microwave signals used in telecommunications may warm deep tissue, but it is hard to measure this inside the brain. We use biocompatible nanoparticles that glow in near-infrared light and act like tiny thermometers placed within tissue. Instead of measuring brightness, we read how long the glow lasts, which gives a reliable absolute temperature. In living experiments, we track brain temperature in real time and observe increases of up to ~4 °C under 3-GHz exposure.
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Why is it important?
It provides direct, quantitative evidence of deep brain heating during telecom-frequency microwave exposure, not just indirect estimates. The “glow-lifetime” readout is less vulnerable to common artifacts than intensity-based methods, improving trust in the numbers. Linking exposure conditions (power, time, frequency) to measured temperature rise supports better models and safety assessment. This is timely as wireless technologies expand and there is strong demand for rigorous, in-tissue measurements. The same approach can be adapted to other deep organs where noninvasive temperature sensing is needed.
Perspectives
For me, the most valuable aspect of this work is the ability to measure what is actually happening inside deep tissue in real time. Using glow lifetime rather than brightness feels like the key step that makes the measurements robust in complex biology. I also appreciate how the study combines nanomaterials, optical readout, and careful control of the microwave field as one system. I see this as a foundation for testing a wider range of exposure scenarios that better match real-world conditions. More broadly, it opens a practical route to monitor subtle heating in places where conventional thermometers cannot reach.
Dr Daniel Ortega
Universidad de Cadiz
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Near‐Infrared Lifetime Nanothermometry Detects Microwave‐Induced Brain Heating, Advanced Optical Materials, November 2025, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/adom.202502319.
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