Researchers create a soft electrohydraulic robot that adapts to terrestrial and aquatic environments

Imagine a robot that is crawling and exploring on land, as it encounters a body of water, it switches into swimming mode to keep going freely- this is not a sci-fi scenario, but the real-life capabilities of a multi-modal amphibious soft robot newly developed by a team of researchers. The highlight of this robot is its ability to switch smoothly between terrestrial and aquatic environments without any structural modifications or reconfiguration. What is more impressive is its ability to operate in extreme temperature environments, from -20°C to even 70°C.

The team published their findings in Cyborg and Bionic Systems on June 9, 2025.

In the context of global aging, aging has become a key risk factor for chronic diseases and death. It remains uncertain which of the several promising DNA methylation (DNAm)-based algorithms best captures the true state of biological aging. Recently, the team led by Li Xiangwei from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, in collaboration with the team led by Tong Tianlang from Hainan International Medical Center published an article titled "Associations of twelve DNA methylation signatures of aging with mortality" on hLife, bringing new breakthroughs to the field of aging and mortality risk assessment. Based on long-term and population-based cohorts, the team found that GrimAge2 has significant advantages over other DNAm signatures of aging in predicting mortality risk and is expected to become a powerful tool for mortality risk assessment.

A research paper by scientists at The Chinese University of Hong Kong proposed a 3D radar-based control scheme that realizes the navigated locomotion of microswimmers in 3D space with multiple static and dynamic obstacles. The new research paper, published on Jun. 2 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, presented a 3D hierarchical radar with a motion sphere and a detection sphere is firstly developed. Using the radar-based avoidance approach, the desired motion direction for the microswimmer to avoid obstacles can be obtained, and the coarse-to-fine search is used to decrease the computational load of the algorithm. Three navigation modes of the microswimmer in 3D space with dynamic conditions are realized by the radar-based navigation strategy that combines the global path planning algorithm and the radar-based avoidance approach.

Conventional polyimides (PIs) exhibit excellent thermal stability and mechanical performance, yet their dielectric properties (dielectric constant (D_k) > 3.2, dissipation factor (D_f) > 0.005 @ 10 GHz). In previous reports, the introduction of trifluoromethyl reduced the dielectric constant and dissipation factor, but it increased chain rigidity, weakened hydrogen bonds interaction, and reduced free volume, which definitely reduced mechanical performance (such as poor toughness leading to crack risks in advanced packaging). Therefore, it is necessary to design PI materials with high toughness and low dielectric properties to meet the demands of advanced packaging technologies evolving towards millimeter-wave frequencies and heterogeneous integration. A research team has developed a novel fluorinated polyimide that reduces the material's dielectric constant and dissipation factor while enhancing its mechanical properties. Their work is published in the journal Industrial Chemistry & Materials on 03 Jun 2025.

Hypertension has long affected communities across China, contributing to 60% of strokes and half of all heart attacks nationwide.

As a leading cardiovascular expert, Prof. Feng Yingqing of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital is transforming chronic disease management through innovative strategies like genetic sequencing and systematic prevention to effectively reducing cardiovascular risks.

Cirrhosis is a life-threatening liver disease that affects millions worldwide and is often accompanied by complications such as malnutrition, muscle loss, and cognitive decline. In a comprehensive narrative review, researchers from China highlight that handgrip strength measurements can serve as a powerful predictor of cirrhosis progression and mortality. This simple, non-invasive test reinforces traditional muscle mass measures and offers a cost-effective tool to guide early intervention and improve patient outcomes.

In a paper published in National Science Review, an international team of scientists provide an overview of the advances in optical two-way time-frequency transfer based on optical fiber, which is a representative of state-of-the-art clock synchronization technology. This review gives a comprehensive discussion of the field from principles, experiments, to future applications, offering a detailed insight into this advanced technology.

A new review scrutinizes recent fossil and genomic evidence to address the long-standing debate over the origin of modern birds. It highlights growing support for a Late Cretaceous origin of major avian lineages, predating the K/Pg mass extinction. This early diversification coincided with the Cretaceous Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution, a period of rapid ecological change prompting the emergence of flowering plants, insects, mammals, and ray-finned fishes. The review emphasizes the critical role of newly discovered Mesozoic bird fossils in clarifying the timing of the modern bird radiation.

Researchers have created graphene-based membranes that mimic the chemical gating effect in biological membranes, achieving record ion selectivity (>10,000) between monovalent and bivalent metal ions including Li⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions. The membrane allows adaptive ion permeation in response to certain signaling ions like Al³⁺, thus enables smart and ultrafast ion separation for applications in filtration, sensing, and energy technologies.

Monitoring the vitality of shellfish during cold storage is critical for ensuring seafood quality, yet conventional methods remain invasive, subjective, and slow.