Engineered “biochar” made from waste wood and natural clay minerals could help buildings stay comfortable while cutting energy use for cooling by nearly a quarter, according to a new study in the journal Biochar.

A new photocatalyst that combines sunlight and a common water-treatment oxidant can rapidly strip dangerous organic matter from water, offering a promising tool for safer drinking water and cleaner natural waterways.

Biochar, a charcoal like material made from plant and organic waste, is often promoted as a climate and soil “wonder solution,” but a new commentary warns that the reality is far more complex and that smarter deployment is urgently needed. The authors argue that biochar will only move from the margins to the mainstream if treated as part of a larger system that links technology, economics, and public policy.

Petal size is a defining trait of ornamental flowers, directly shaping visual appeal and commercial value. 

Triterpenoid saponins are key bioactive compounds responsible for the medicinal value of many plants, yet how plants regulate the balance between saponin production and sterol biosynthesis has remained unclear. 

A research team of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has achieved a revolutionary breakthrough in smart materials, successfully developing soft magnetorheological textiles that can flexibly deform and modulate their mechanical properties under a human-safe magnetic field. Driven by electricity and programmable control, these new materials combine lightweight, flexible and breathable textile characteristics, making them widely applicable in smart wearables, soft robotics, virtual reality and metaverse haptic experiences.

The mechanism underlying how seasonal allergies recur year after year with precise timing remains largely unknown. An international team led by Professor Rudolf Valenta has identified a specific type of immune cell—the IgE-positive plasmablast (IgE⁺ plasmablast)—as the central player responsible for the seasonal recall of allergy symptoms. This discovery not only provides evidence for understanding the pathogenesis of allergy, but also points the way toward targeted, on-demand therapies.

Across Africa, education reform is shaped as much by global partnerships as by classroom realities. Drawing on studies of China–Africa cooperation, teacher development, university collaboration, and student leadership, this feature explores how policy ambitions are translated into practice. Together, these perspectives frame education as a human process, where confidence, voice, and locally rooted institutions determine whether international initiatives deliver lasting, equitable change across diverse African contexts.

Researchers report a room-temperature organic microcavity where two different forms of spin–orbit coupling act together to produce the optical spin Hall effect (OSHE), a way to route light based on its polarization “spin”. By tuning photon momentum (viewing angle), they observe two coexisting spin textures in one device: a quadrupole pattern at high momentum and a mirror-symmetric pattern at low momentum. The hybrid effect also sustains a long-lived polarization bias of about 300 picoseconds, pointing to robust polarization control for future spin-photonic and topological photonic technologies.