The F1 hybrid between Black king crayfish and wild-type crayfish exhibited a chimeric variant. Its internal organs contained an irregular mixture of cells with two distinct genetic components that derived from the two parents respectively; however, this chimerism was not reflected in its external body coloration and patterning, which were symmetrical.

A team of astronomers from the Einstein Probe (EP) collaboration has uncovered a previously hidden stage in the aftermath of one of the Universe’s most violent events—the merger of two compact stars. Designated EP250704a/GRB 250704B, the fleeting cosmic explosion was jointly captured by the China-led EP mission, the SVOM, and the Insight-HXMT, enabling astronomers to follow this transient simultaneously in gamma rays and soft X-rays from the very onset of the emission. Led by the EP fast extragalactic transients working group, a study published in Science Bulletin reports that, although the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) produced by the compact star merger lasted only about half a second, the source continued shining in soft X-rays for nearly ten minutes after the gamma-ray flash had faded. The discovery reveals that the merger remnant releases substantial energy well beyond the initial short GRB traditionally used to identify these events, allowing compact star mergers—the same cosmic collisions that also produce gravitational waves—to appear as minute-long fast X-ray transients. These X-ray transients therefore provide an electromagnetic counterpart to gravitational-wave events, offering a new probe for multi-messenger astronomy.

In the review, researchers summarize the latest advances in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) fibers for self-powered sensing in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). These fiber- and fabric-based sensors are flexible, breathable, and comfortable, converting the wearer's movements and physiological signals directly into electrical signals that drive immersive human–computer interaction. The authors survey TENG fiber structures, scalable production and integration methods, strategies to boost electrical output, and key VR/AR applications—from wearable virtual buttons to gesture recognition and virtual-character control—while outlining the remaining challenges on the path to practical, commercializable products.

A review traces One Health from historical disease-control lessons to today’s interconnected threats and proposes an “interface-resilience” model. The model links spillover pressure, microbial community stability and governance connectivity to systemic health risk, offering a framework for earlier warning, cross-sector surveillance and preventive, data-driven health governance.

Emerging Contaminants is a leading platform for research addressing the potential ecological and human health risks associated with environmental contamination from emerging contaminants.

This article collection features papers published in Environmental Surfaces and Interfaces since 2025 on the theme of materials-driven environmental pollutant removal. It focuses on the development of novel materials and their practical applications in environmental pollutant remediation. All articles are freely available for reading.