A perspective article by international scientists underscores a critical new dimension to the global plastic crisis: Plastic pollution is not just harming wildlife and human health, but also disrupting the Earth’s carbon cycle in profound and lasting ways.

A new comprehensive study highlights the remarkable potential of engineered biochar, a carbon-rich product derived from plant and waste biomass, for addressing one of the world’s most stubborn environmental problems: the co-contamination of water by heavy metals and organic pollutants. This joint effort, led by researchers at Guizhou University with collaborators from across China, reveals how strategic modifications to biochar’s structure dramatically expand its ability to capture and remove hazardous substances from wastewater, making it a viable, sustainable solution for water treatment in diverse settings.

A team of researchers in China has developed a promising biotechnological approach that could help communities worldwide tackle the challenge of wastewater contamination by hormone-like pollutants. Their study reveals how microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) can adapt and efficiently degrade estriol, a common endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC), under environmentally relevant conditions.

The rising traffic density and heavier loads on the city’s vast network of bridges and highways have posed challenges to establishing an efficient and reliable inspection system for road safety. Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed an innovative intelligent model with a multi-tier design to advance the inspection and evaluation process for surface and subsurface defect detection and safety for concrete bridges, contributing to a more sustainable public infrastructure.  

The research group led by Prof. Young-Jin Kim has demonstrated a nanometer-resolution displacement sensing methodology by actively modulating deep-UV beams generated via third-harmonic conversion of an 800 nm femtosecond laser. Instead of manipulating the deep-UV beam directly, the fundamental near-IR beam was pre-modulated and its phase profile was coherently transferred to the generated deep-UV harmonic, enabling stable and real-time control in an absorption-dominated wavelength region where conventional modulators do not operate. The team further realized high-visibility periodic beam patterns and tuned their pitch and orientation to induce moiré amplification against semiconductor periodic patterns, detecting displacement signals that were invisible to direct optical imaging. The demonstration provides a first practical route to active beam modulation-based precision metrology in the deep-UV band and is expected to extend toward EUV and X-ray regimes for future 3 nm node linewidth metrology, attosecond science, and real-time bio-imaging applications. This study has been published in PhotoniX (Q1, IF 19.1) on November 6 and supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

Carbon fibers (CFs) are advanced materials that benefit various applications, including light-weight components for aircraft, automobiles and wind turbine blades. At present, the predominant feedstock is expensive polyacrylonitrile. A team of scientists used cheap coal and waste plastics to produce liquefied coals, which were subsequently fabricated into general-purpose and high-performance carbon fibers. This process has the potential to decrease the price of CFs and contribute to environmental and economic sustainability. Their work is published in Industrial Chemistry & Materials on October 3, 2025.

Researchers from the South China University of Technology, Jihua Laboratory, and Jilin University have developed a new way to make deep-blue OLED (organic light-emitting diode) devices more efficient without compromising on color quality.

Antibiotic resistance is quietly spreading worldwide. According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) report, one in six common bacterial infections worldwide could no longer be treated effectively with antibiotics in 2023, especially in areas with weaker health systems.

Targeted high-throughput sequencing technology can provide crucial support for infection prevention and guide precision treatment—helping to reduce antibiotic resistance that often arises from limited diagnostic capacity.

A 15-year retrospective study in adults admitted to the intensive care department at Donostia University Hospital has revealed crucial insights into invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (iGAS) infections. While the prevalence of the toxic M1uk strain has grown in Western Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality rates due to M1uk were not significantly higher. Timely treatment with clindamycin significantly reduced mortality rates, underscoring its importance in containing iGAS.

Liver fibrosis is a major health threat, and current therapies remain limited. To advance treatment options, researchers at Yangzhou University studied how dihydroartemisinin affects liver fibrosis. Their analysis revealed that dihydroartemisinin upregulates CHAC1 transcription via H3K9 acetylation, prompting ferroptosis in hepatic stellate cells and slowing fibrosis. These findings point to promising new molecular targets for combating liver fibrosis and improving patient outcomes.