A new study reveals that probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis A6 alleviates depression symptoms in patients with comorbid constipation and depression, while also uncovering its role in regulating gut-brain interactions through tryptophan metabolism.

This study presents a novel CuO/MgO catalyst for electrochemical CO₂ methanation, achieving high activity, selectivity, and stability. The catalyst exhibits a Faradaic efficiency of 82.3 % and a current density of 568.2 mA cm^-2 at -1.0 V vs. RHE. In-situ characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that strong electronic metal-support interactions stabilize Cu²⁺ sites and optimize the adsorption of key intermediates, promoting methane production while suppressing C-C coupling pathways.

Researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have pioneered a groundbreaking experimental method to calibrate the sensitivity of non-destructive Schottky detectors. This innovation enables precise counting of highly charged ions in heavy ion storage rings, significantly expanding the capabilities of storage mass spectrometry and advancing the study of rare isotopes.

In the field of nursing, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the patient experience, the role of healthcare professionals, and the cultural and social factors in the healthcare environment. While traditional research methods have limitations in revealing these complex phenomena, autoethnography is emerging as an emerging research method. It skilfully combines personal experiences with cultural analyses, opening up new perspectives for nursing research.

Researchers from the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have built the Chinese Seed Trait Database (CSTD), which has been published in New Phytologist. This innovation overcomes longstanding language barriers (e.g., Chinese-to-English data translation) and enhances the completeness of global seed trait data, providing an invaluable resource for advancing large-scale plant science research.

Large yellow croaker is one of the species with the highest production of marine fish culture in China. Germplasm resources are the indispensable material basis for the healthy and sustainable development of large yellow croaker aquaculture industry. It is of great significance to systematically carry out the collection and preservation, identification and evaluation, and germplasm innovation of large yellow croaker germplasm resources.

The commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has garnered worldwide attention and many efforts were devoted on the improvement of efficiency and stability. Here, we estimated the cost effectivities of PSCs based on the current industrial condition. Through the analysis of current process, the manufacturing cost and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of PSCs is estimated as 0.57 $ W^-1 and 18–22 US cents (kWh)^-1, respectively, and we demonstrate the materials cost shares 70% of the total cost. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the improvement of efficiency, yield and decrease in materials cost significantly reduce the cost of the modules. Analysis of the module cost and LCOE indicates that the PSCs have the potential to outperform the silicon solar cells in the condition of over 25% efficiency and 25-year lifetime in future. To achieve this target, it is essential to further refine the fabrication processes of each layer in the module, develop stable inorganic transport materials, and precisely control material formation and processing at the microscale and nanoscale to enhance charge transport.

Soft electronics, which are designed to function under mechanical deformation (such as bending, stretching, and folding), have become essential in applications like wearable electronics, artificial skin, and brain-machine interfaces. Crystalline silicon is one of the most mature and reliable materials for high-performance electronics; however, its intrinsic brittleness and rigidity pose challenges for integrating it into soft electronics. Recent research has focused on overcoming these limitations by utilizing structural design techniques to impart flexibility and stretchability to Si-based materials, such as transforming them into thin nanomembranes or nanowires. This review summarizes key strategies in geometry engineering for integrating crystalline silicon into soft electronics, from the use of hard silicon islands to creating out-of-plane foldable silicon nanofilms on flexible substrates, and ultimately to shaping silicon nanowires using vapor–liquid–solid or in-plane solid–liquid–solid techniques. We explore the latest developments in Si-based soft electronic devices, with applications in sensors, nanoprobes, robotics, and brain-machine interfaces. Finally, the paper discusses the current challenges in the field and outlines future research directions to enable the widespread adoption of silicon-based flexible electronics.

As an emerging memory device, memristor shows great potential in neuromorphic computing applications due to its advantage of low power consumption. This review paper focuses on the application of low-power-based memristors in various aspects. The concept and structure of memristor devices are introduced. The selection of functional materials for low-power memristors is discussed, including ion transport materials, phase change materials, magnetoresistive materials, and ferroelectric materials. Two common types of memristor arrays, 1T1R and 1S1R crossbar arrays are introduced, and physical diagrams of edge computing memristor chips are discussed in detail. Potential applications of low-power memristors in advanced multi-value storage, digital logic gates, and analogue neuromorphic computing are summarized. Furthermore, the future challenges and outlook of neuromorphic computing based on memristor are deeply discussed.

The origin of near-infrared (NIR) emission by Mn²⁺ has sparked intense academic debates for decades. However, to date, none of the proposed hypotheses have garnered widespread consensus. This study validates that Mn²⁺ positioned within a 6-coordinate octahedral lattice, exhibiting a strong crystal field akin to the AlO₆ site, possesses the capability to produce NIR emission. The results of this study offer a novel perspective for the progress of efficient Mn²⁺-doped NIR phosphors.