mirror life noun [U]
UK /ˈmɪr.ə ˌlaɪf/ US /ˈmɪr.ɚ ˌlaɪf/
a form of life based on molecules whose structure is the reverse of those found in life on Earth

Efforts to create ‘mirror life’ – life whose building blocks have the opposite handedness to life on Earth – should be halted, an international group of experts has recommended. While the ability to create such lifeforms is likely many years away, the researchers say that work towards making them should be stopped until there is ‘compelling evidence’ that they won’t cause harm.
[chemistryworld.com, 18 December 2024]

electric plastic noun [U]
UK /ɪˌlek.trɪk ˈplæs.tɪk/ US /ɪˌlek.trɪk ˈplæs.tɪk/
a type of plastic that can conduct electricity

Finding ways to connect the human body to technology could have broad applications in health and entertainment. A new “electric plastic” could make self-powered wearables, real-time neural interfaces, and medical implants that merge with our bodies a reality.
[singularityhub.com, 25 October 2025]

jelly battery noun [C]
UK /ˈdʒel.i ˌbæt.ər.i/ US /ˈdʒel.i ˌbæt̬.ɚ.i/
a type of battery that is soft and stretchy because it is made of a gel-like substance

Researchers from our department have developed soft, stretchable ‘jelly batteries’ that could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy. The self-healing jelly batteries can stretch to over ten times their original length without affecting their conductivity – the first time that such stretchability and conductivity has been combined in a single material.
[ch.cam.ac.uk, 17 July 2024]

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