Klebsiella pneumoniae can cause severe infections, and its protective capsule is a key marker for tracking virulence, drug-resistance risks, and transmission. Yet capsule typing remains slow or limited when it relies on antisera, PCR panels, or genome sequencing. Researchers developed a modular bioluminescent reporter phage platform that converts capsule recognition into a rapid light signal. By inserting NanoLuc into a K2-specific phage and swapping receptor-binding proteins, the team generated reporter phages for clinically important K1, K2, K47, K57, and K64 capsular types. The system rapidly detected target strains in culture, synthetic urine, and polymicrobial urine-like samples, while directed evolution further improved phage adsorption and detection sensitivity. In synthetic urine, the assay produced signals at clinically relevant bacterial loads, and it retained specificity in mixtures containing other common uropathogens. The platform could support faster surveillance and help guide more precise antimicrobial or phage-based interventions.

Electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers with strong attenuation over a broad frequency range are critical for radiation protection and military stealth. However, magnetic alloys with high dissipation capacity remain challenging to achieve satisfactory impedance matching and enhanced high-frequency magnetic loss due to the scarcity of rational design for the distribution and size of magnetic particles. Herein, we design Prussian blue analogue (PBA) derived FeCo magnetoelectric composite nanocages by confinement engineering, achieving strong absorption capacity of -47.4 dB and broad bandwidth of 7.10 GHz at a small thickness of 1.9 mm. This work not only sheds light on the fabrication of FeCo magnetoelectric composite nanocages as efficient and wideband EM wave absorbers, but also propose a confinement engineering strategy for rational design of functional nanocomposites in multiple fields such as electromagnetics, electronics and optoelectronics.

Researchers have developed a programmable, multi-responsive soft actuator based on MXene materials that can reversibly deform under humidity, light, and magnetic fields. By introducing micro-ridge structures into a bilayer MXene/paraffin wax composite, the actuator enables controllable and complex shape transformations, offering new possibilities for soft robotics and intelligent devices.

The defect-rich Zn₂SnO_4-x/SnO_2-x heterostructure was designed as a bi-functional material for both sulfur cathode and lithium anode to regulate its electronic structure, accelerate the charge transfer and create more anchor sites for polysulfides, which could concurrently expedite sulfur conversion reactions and inhibit lithium dendrite growth.

Producing clean fuels from water using electricity or sunlight hinges on how efficiently catalysts can drive the oxygen evolution reaction, yet scientists have struggled to see where and how this reaction actually happens on a material’s surface. In a new study, researchers have introduced a spatially, temporally, and chemically multi-resolved in situ imaging technique that makes these hidden processes visible in real time, revealing how atomic defects and charge carriers control catalytic behavior in two-dimensional semiconductors. By directly comparing reactions under dark and illuminated conditions, the work explains why some defects boost electrocatalysis while others preferentially enhance photoelectrocatalysis, offering practical guidance for designing more effective catalysts for solar energy conversion.

A research team from South China University of Technology has discovered that water molecules within sub-nanometer porous organic nanocages (POCs) act not merely as fillers, but as a critical "switch" regulating material properties. This study reveals how water drives the transition of POCs from a brittle glassy state to a flexible rubbery state, demonstrating immense potential for applications in biomimetic anti-freeze materials and high-performance solid-state lithium-ion battery electrolytes.

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, yet once damaged, it cannot regenerate naturally. To overcome this limitation, scientists are investigating the biology of enamel-forming cells and the molecular signals that guide their development. In a new study, researchers combined cutting-edge stem cell and organoid technologies to explore these mechanisms, generating insights that could help pave the way for future biological approaches to tooth repair.

Macrophages, evolutionarily conserved from primitive organisms, have long been overshadowed by T cells in transplant immunology. However, these versatile innate immune cells are now recognized as central drivers of chronic allograft rejection through their roles in vascular intimal hyperplasia, tissue fibrosis, and immune dysregulation. A new review summarizes current understanding of macrophage origins, heterogeneous subsets, and functions in allograft injury, and highlights emerging therapeutic strategies targeting key signaling pathways, moving beyond conventional T cell-centered immunosuppression.

Astrocytes, once viewed mainly as support cells in the brain, are now emerging as central regulators of mood disorders. Recent review highlights how astrocyte subtype changes influence neuroinflammation, synaptic signaling, metabolism, and blood–brain barrier stability in depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. The researchers describe how inflammatory pathways, ion channels, and glial interactions shape astrocyte behavior and highlight astrocyte-targeted therapies as promising future strategies for preventing neurodegeneration, restoring neural plasticity, and improving long-term psychiatric outcomes.