A research team led by Prof. Zhen Gao at Southern University of Science and Technology has achieved the first experimental observation of the three-dimensional (3D) photonic quantum Hall effect of Fermi arcs and its hallmark feature, the one-sided chiral hinge states, in a 3D inhomogeneous magnetic Weyl photonic crystal.

A research team at Peking University proposed an optoelectronic distributed computing system based on an on-chip all-optical supernode. By integrating high-speed silicon photonic transceiver chips, low-loss optical circuit switching (OCS) chips and multiple computing nodes, the system enables intermediate data between different layers of a deep neural network to be directly transmitted and switched through an on-chip high-speed all-optical supernode. This approach reduces latency overheads associated with conventional data movement, packet scheduling and buffering.

As artificial intelligence expands from cloud computing into robots, autonomous vehicles and other real-world systems, conventional electronic architectures face increasing challenges in latency, bandwidth and energy consumption. Researchers from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology propose Brain-like Optical Computing (BOC), a new photonic framework integrating sensing, memory and computation for future edge and embodied intelligence.

Degraded soils and the burgeoning challenge of agricultural waste pose significant hurdles to global food security. A recent study, published in Carbon Research, unveils a promising solution: using solar radiation to enhance hydrochar, a carbon-rich material derived from biomass, to create a more effective soil amendment. This innovative approach offers a low-energy pathway to transform materials like pig manure and mandarin peels into powerful tools for soil remediation.

The research team prepared hydrochars under varying hydrothermal carbonization temperatures (180 °C and 260 °C), then subjected them to simulated solar aging for 200 hours, including periodic wetting. Comprehensive characterization using advanced techniques such as FTIR, XPS, 3D-EEM, and ESI-FT-ICR MS was employed to track changes in the hydrochar's physicochemical properties and the composition of its dissolved organic matter (DOM). Soil microcosm experiments further evaluated the impact of these modified hydrochars on paddy soil for 45 days, assessing changes in soil properties and microbial communities.

Managing agricultural waste presents a dual challenge: controlling harmful ammonia (NH₃) emissions and preventing the spread of toxic metals from manure. Scientists have now devised a sustainable approach that converts coal tailings, a common industrial byproduct, into a highly effective adsorbent. This innovative material, created through a catalytic oxidation process using silver and titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO₂), simultaneously captures ammonia and neutralizes hazardous metals, offering a cost-effective solution for sustainable farming.

A team from The University of Melbourne, Australia, pioneered the method, modifying coal tailings at a modest 250 °C. Unlike conventional high-temperature treatments, this catalytic process is exothermic, generating its own heat, which significantly reduces energy consumption and leads to lower CO₂ emissions. The core material harnesses Ag/TiO₂ to produce reactive oxygen species that functionalize the coal tailings, creating a network of ultramicropores and oxygen-containing chemical groups on its surface.

Microplastics, the persistent pollutants already known to threaten ecosystems and human health, have a previously unrecognized dark side inside the world's urban sewer networks.

A recent study led by Professor Zhao Lichun（赵立春）from the Research Center of Trace Elements and Health Development at Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was published in the World Journal of Integrated traditional and western Medicine (WJIM), entitled “Theoretical Framework and Hypothesis on the Association Between Rubidium Ion Metabolic Dysregulation and Parkinson’s Disease.” This work, grounded in ionic homeostasis imbalance as a fundamental biophysical process, proposes an integrated theoretical model spanning “ion regulation-cellular dysfunction-neurodegeneration,” thereby providing a novel interpretative dimension and potential intervention perspective for the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD).