Delivering specific patterns of electrical activity to the median nerve of the arm triggers reliable sensations of texture, suggesting that it may ultimately be possible to restore complex tactile information to users of prosthetic limbs.

A method combining optimised genetic code expansion and optogenetics allows dissection of neural circuits with single-cell precision in freely moving animals.

Electrical microstimulation of human somatosensory cortex elicited purely naturalistic proprioceptive and cutaneous sensations, with proprioceptive sensations more prominent at higher current amplitudes suggesting a relationship between amplitude and sensation type.

Flowers of different plant species show distinct and highly diverse patterns of temperature across their surfaces, and bumblebees are able to differentiate between these previously unnoticed but widespread floral cues.

Pleasant touch perception in humans is unaffected by spinothalamic disruption indicating integrated spinal processing of hedonic and discriminative tactile inputs rather than privileged C-tactile-lamina I-spinothalamic projections.

Artificially activating certain neurons in the cortex can make a tetraplegic patient feel naturalistic sensations of skin pressure and arm movement.

A chemical activator of the mechanosensitive Piezo1 ion channel has been identified.

Elucidating the contribution of augmented artificial skin-stretch stimulation to the fingertips to the immediate illusion of a higher stiffness and to an increased predictive grip force control.

The brain continuously updates the learned temporal relationship between motor commands and their associated somatosensory feedback, which determines the perceived intensity and ticklishness of self-touch.

Primary trigeminal neurons encode rotational forces in awake mice as they explore an object with their whiskers, allowing accurate prediction of spiking during behaviour.