This review examines how indigenous water-harvesting systems have helped dryland communities manage scarce water for centuries. It shows that many are now declining due to groundwater pumping, migration, climate change, policy shifts, weak maintenance, urbanization and natural disasters. The authors argue that revitalizing these systems can improve water access, agriculture, livestock production, groundwater recharge and flood control, while preserving traditional knowledge. Combined with appropriate modern technologies and supportive policies, these systems can strengthen water resilience in arid and semi-arid regions.

 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.

Vaccination has saved millions of lives and is regarded as one of modern medicine's most important successes. Effective vaccination programs should be based on risk assessment that considers demographic and occupational factors. When developing a vaccination program, it is essential to identify the target groups, including travelers, infants, high-risk workers, and those in critical roles such as farming and agriculture. In biosafety and biosecurity, vaccines are a key component of measures designed to protect laboratory personnel, the community, and the environment. Guidelines from global health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tailored to specific pathogens and depend on the type of work performed and the associated risk. These guidelines are continuously revised and updated to ensure the effectiveness of vaccination programs. Vaccines also play a role in One Health approaches that are focused on the interconnectedness of animals, humans, and the environment. Targeted vaccination strategies for both domestic animals and wildlife are necessary to maintain animal health, improve livestock productivity, and prevent the spread of zoonotic and foodborne diseases to humans. In this paper, we aimed to provide an overview regarding the crucial roles of vaccines in biosafety, biosecurity, and One Health approaches, as well as to highlight the importance of targeted and personalized strategies to improve the effectiveness of vaccination programs. Herein, we also discuss various vaccines aimed at specific target groups as recommended by global health organizations, with a particular emphasis on laboratory workers and the vaccines necessary to reduce laboratory-acquired infections. Finally, we discuss animal vaccines and targeted strategies for vaccinating domestic and wildlife populations.

Single-nucleus RNA-seq atlas of equine skeletal muscle reveals donkey and horse distinct cell types, with species-specific age-related shifts in muscle fiber composition. The conserved upregulation pattern of LDHA reveals the critical role of propanoate metabolism in energy supply for equine locomotion. Cross-species transcriptomic comparison delineates a highly conserved atlas of skeletal muscle cell types.

Researchers have developed an ultrathin yet ultrastrong hydrogel membrane that enables robust and conformal integration between electronic devices and biological tissues. The ~10 μm-thick material combines high strength, exceptional toughness, and tissue-like softness through a biomimetic microfibrillar network design. It supports multimodal sensing and stimulation while maintaining stable contact with complex 3D tissues, offering new opportunities for wearable and implantable bioelectronics.

A review of 56 field studies reveals that vegetative barriers reduce agricultural runoff by 40% and sediment loss by 63% on average, with even stronger performance in dry climates. Woody barriers outperform grass-only strips, but high variability across sites means effectiveness is hard to predict using simple design rules alone. The researchers offer a probabilistic model to help farmers and land managers make better decisions, positioning vegetative barriers as a practical alternative to cover crops in water-limited regions.