Achieving unidirectional signal flow—where information travels in only one direction—is vital for next-generation communication systems.

Flexible organic near-infrared (NIR) sensors are gaining significant attention across various applications, particularly in clinical settings, where they hold the potential to significantly enhance human wellbeing. This review highlights recent advancements in flexible organic photodetectors (OPDs) and examines the opportunities and technical challenges in diverse fields such as environmental pollution monitoring, bioimaging, food testing, automotive applications, healthcare, artificial vision, wearable electronics, and optical communication.

Researchers have unveiled the first comprehensive analysis of China's urban expansion from 1990-2020, revealing how cities have adapted to their environments and faced varying disaster risks. The study found that while 83% of urban development occurred in suitable areas, 14% expanded into high-risk zones, with eastern regions facing water-related disasters, western regions threatened by earthquakes, and northeastern areas vulnerable to extreme cold.

In a paper published on aBIOTECH, the authors identified resistance-breaking Potato virus Y (PVY RB) isolates and emerging potyviruses (TVBMV and ChiVMV) in Yunnan tobacco fields, and revealed that combined inactivation of eIFiso4E-T in the va (lacking eIF4E1-S) genetic background confers durable resistance to PVY, while knockout of eIFiso4E-S in the va genetic background confers resistance to TVBMV and ChiVMV; pyramiding mutations in these genes achieved broad-spectrum potyvirus resistance without compromising plant growth, offering a novel strategy for engineering resistance crops.

Spin photonics enables precise optical manipulation but faces bandwidth constraints. Researchers in China developed a folded-path metasurface platform that achieves independent dispersion and phase control of two opposite spin states, overcoming this fundamental barrier. This innovation realizes achromatic focusing, spin Hall effects, and spatiotemporal vector fields using a single metasurface, opening new avenues for a wide range of innovations, from dynamic control of light-matter interactions to the development of next-generation spin-photonic devices.

Optical neural networks hold promise as future hardware for energy-efficient artificial intelligence tasks. The implementation of nonlinear functions in photonic integrated circuits is required for optical neural network design and performance calculation. A European scientific collaboration has experimentally demonstrated a novel optical nonlinearity arising from the hydrodynamic behavior of electrons in doped semiconductors. These results could enable advanced photonic integrated circuits using mature microfabrication processes, paving the way for scalable, high-performance optical computing.

In a study published in aBIOTECH, researchers identified GmSSBG1, a soybean β-glucosidase, as a key regulator of soyasaponin metabolism that enhances resistance to the destructive soybean pod borer (Leguminivora glycinivorella)

In a paper published on aBIOTECH, the authors constructed G protein mutants using CRISPR/cas9 technology and investigated the biological functions of G proteins in growth, development, and symbiotic nodulation in Medicago truncatula.

In this work, an innovative molecular engineering approach for the bonding of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with the diamine monomer of polyetherimide (PEI) is presented, leading to the integration of high electrical insulation and high thermal conductivity in hybrid dielectrics (PEI-NH₂-CQDs). This work represents the first example of utilizing CQDs in polymer dielectrics to simultaneously improve energy storage performance and thermal conductivity.

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have attracted significant attention due to their high theoretical energy density and low-cost raw materials. However, LSBs still face various challenges in practical applications, particularly the shuttle effect, electrode passivation, and slow kinetics. In recent years, trisulfur radicals (TRs), important intermediates in LSBs, have emerged as a promising and beyond-traditional solution to these problems, which serves as a mediated catalyst to improve the electrochemical performance of LSBs. As a system that is inconsistent with the catalytic conversion process discussed in the traditional LSBs, this review focuses on the generation, detection, promotion, and catalytic roles of TRs, especially emphasizing the formation of TRs in solid-state lapis lazuli analogs and discussing the pros and cons of high donor number solvents and/or their co-solvents in stabilizing TRs. Strategies involving homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysts are discussed for increment of TRs and enhancing catalytic reactions in LSBs. Ultimately, given TRs’ significant potential as a key factor in enhancing the performance of LSBs, future perspectives and outlooks are provided to guide the further development of TRs in LSBs. This review provides valuable insights into the design of electrolytes and catalysts for increment of TRs, paving the new practical direction and way for advanced LSBs.