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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Nov-2026 23:15 ET (3-Nov-2026 04:15 GMT/UTC)

23-Oct-2026

Copper d-orbital regulation enables direct coupling of CO2 with NO2 for selective urea electrosynthesis

Researchers have developed a titanium carbide-supported copper single-atom catalyst that enables carbon dioxide to couple directly with a nitrate-reduction intermediate for urea electrosynthesis. Strong copper–titanium carbide interactions regulate Cu 3d-orbital occupancy, directing partial electron transfer to CO₂ and stabilizing the *CO₂^δ– intermediate instead of driving further reduction to *CO. Meanwhile, neighboring Ti sites generate *NO₂ from nitrate, enabling direct C–N coupling between *CO₂^δ– and *NO₂. The catalyst achieves 97.8% carbon selectivity and 50.1% Faradaic efficiency.

Journal: Science Bulletin

23-Oct-2026

Bioinspired surface combines sunlight and electric heating for all-weather anti-icing and de-icing

Science China Press

Researchers have developed a bioinspired photothermal-electrothermal superhydrophobic surface that combines passive ice resistance, solar-driven heating and low-voltage electrothermal heating. The surface maintains anti-icing and de-icing capability under changing illumination conditions and also provides flame retardancy and electromagnetic shielding, offering a multifunctional approach for protecting infrastructure in harsh environments.

Journal: Science Bulletin

23-Oct-2026

Plant chromatin is not fixed: How histone variants link development, stress responses and crop improvement

Science China Press

DNA in plant cells is wrapped around histone proteins to form chromatin, but this packaging is not static. A review by researchers at South China Agricultural University brings together evidence on how histone variants—alternative forms of histones—are deposited at particular genomic regions and influence chromatin organization, gene activity, plant development and responses to environmental stress. The review highlights variants including H2A.W, H2B.8, H3.14, H4.V and H1.3, and proposes “pangenomic chromatin alleles” as a testable framework for investigating natural chromatin variation in crops. The authors emphasize that predictive models and potential breeding applications require rigorous experimental validation.

Journal: Science Bulletin

23-Oct-2026

Article collection: Cancer diagnosis and therapy

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

This collection features articles on “Cancer diagnosis and therapy” published in Bioactive Materials. All articles are free to read and download.

Journal: Bioactive Materials

22-Oct-2026

Advancing wind turbine structures for China’s challenging environments

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

Taller wind turbines need structures that can withstand demanding conditions on land and at sea. A review from Chongqing University highlights advances in steel–concrete towers, offshore infrastructure and vibration control. These include a hybrid tower system deployed in more than 3,200 turbines across China, alongside research priorities for supporting larger turbines and improving long-term structural reliability.

Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China

20-Oct-2026

TaGeBPL-4B, a novel gene that regulates grain number per spike in wheat

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

Researchers in China identified that the TraesCS4B02G044100 (TaGeBPL-4B) is a candidate gene of the GNS using QTL mapping and GWAS. Knockout and overexpression studies showed that TaGeBPL-4B participates in the positive regulation of the GNS. The RNA-seq and DAP-seq analyses revealed that TraesCS5B02G120800 (TaAAP-5B) is a direct downstream target gene of TaGeBPL-4B. We further confirmed this regulation by Y1H, Dual-Luc and EMSA. TaGeBPL-4B activates the expression of TaAAP-5B and modulates amino acid contents, which possibly influence wheat spike development and GNS.

Journal: The Crop Journal