Researchers from Zhejiang Normal University and collaborating institutions in China have revealed how crown architecture mediate neighborhood interactions and growth strategies across a shade tolerance gradient. By analyzing nearly 3,600 trees in a subtropical forest, they show that light-demanding species compete mainly through crown trait dissimilarity among neighbors, while shade-tolerant species are more influenced by neighbor density, offering new insights for forest dynamics models.

 A new study in the Journal of International Ceramic Studies reconstructs Queen Elisabeth Farnese's renowned collection of Chinese and Japanese porcelain in Bourbon Spain. Drawing on the 1746 and 1766 palace inventories, it traces how around 3,000 objects shaped chinoiserie interiors at La Granja de San Ildefonso, and how wars, political upheavals and the 1918 fire reduced what survives today. The article highlights Blanc-de-Chine figures from Dehua, as well as monumental 'soldier vases' and enameled baluster jars from Jingdezhen, which are now preserved at La Granja and Madrid's Royal Collections Museum.

Hydrogen is widely seen as a key player in the net-zero energy transition, but its large-scale use faces a hidden barrier: underdeveloped insurance. New article in Engineering points out unique risks of hydrogen systems—from flammability and embrittlement to supply chain delays—that insurers struggle to quantify. With few tailored policies available, projects risk higher costs and limited funding. Closer cross-sector cooperation and innovative insurance tools could help unlock hydrogen’s full potential.

Researchers have developed an electricity-driven catalytic system that converts lignin, an abundant plant-based aromatic polymer, into valuable phenolic chemicals and fuel-related molecules with high efficiency. By combining a Ru@Bi/N-C catalyst with a HPW-HFIP electrolyte, the system directs active hydrogen toward useful reactions while suppressing hydrogen gas formation, offering a greener route for upgrading biomass into sustainable chemicals and aviation-fuel precursors.

Discarded ABS plastic is hard to recycle cleanly due to its nitrogen content. A new study in Engineering presents a green two-step hydrothermal method that removes nearly all nitrogen from ABS and turns it into high-energy aromatic oils. The process works efficiently under mild conditions, producing low-nitrogen fuel-like oil that can be directly used or refined, making plastic waste recycling safer and more sustainable.

Nylon‑6,6 is widely used but hard to recycle, and most waste ends up in landfills. A new study in Engineering introduces an eco‑friendly way to break down nylon‑6,6 using iron‑based Lewis/Brønsted acidic deep eutectic solvents at 180 °C for 5 h. It efficiently recovers monomers with high yield, works for both new and used nylon products, and shows competitive environmental performance, offering a practical path for circular polymer recycling.

Infected wounds can lead to delayed healing, suppuration, and potentially life-threatening complications, making their management critically important. An ideal wound dressing should possess key characteristics such as high protective function, comfortable user experience, and effective antibacterial efficiency. However, a single dressing that integrates all these functions is rarely achieved. Herein, we developed a “bionic cooling skin” for infected wound management based on hierarchical nanofiber construction. This was achieved by integrating solvent welding technology with single-sided metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) that generate visible light-responsive reactive oxygen species (ROS, band gap = 2.56 eV). The designed bionic skin promotes rapid healing of infected wounds, and the healing mechanism has been confirmed by gene analysis. This advanced dressing closely mimics natural skin, exhibiting similar mechanical properties (σ_max = 21.6 MPa; ε_max = 54%), and high air and moisture permeability (> 1.8 mL s⁻¹ and > 12.5 kg m⁻² d⁻¹), respectively. Furthermore, the bionic cooling skin reduces the local temperatures of wounds exposed to sunlight by 4 °C, mitigating heat gain through high mid-infrared emissivity. This innovative bionic wound dressing not only enhances comfort and healing efficacy but also advances our understanding of wound repair mechanisms, holding significant promise for future wound care and biomedical material design.