A comprehensive review paper has brought new insights into the derivation of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) for cancer research, focusing on a comparative analysis of mechanical dissociation and enzymatic digestion techniques. It delves into how these methods influence key organoid properties such as stemness, heterogeneity, and their ability to be cultured long-term. The findings are instrumental in informing the selection of dissociation techniques based on tissue type and research objectives, with far-reaching implications for drug screening, cancer modeling, and the optimization of organoid production for more effective cancer research.

Wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors hold great promise for in-situ, real-time monitoring and accurately assessing the health status of hot-end components. However, the thin-film electrode as the SAW sensor core unit with excellent high-temperature conductivity, stability, and oxidation resistance is still a challenge, especially in ultra-high temperature harsh environments. Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) method has attracted great attention because of the advantages of rapid preparation of film and adjustable thickness of film. PDC SiHfBCN ceramics have been proved promising ceramics for ultra-high-temperature applications due to excellent high-temperature stability and oxidation resistance up to 1500 °C. However, the high-temperature electrical conductivity of PDC SiHfBCN ceramic coating, especially above 1000 °C, have not been reported yet. The relationship between microstructure and electrical conductivity at high temperatures was established to explain the conductive mechanism for the first time.

Hydrogen peroxide is an environmentally friendly and powerful oxidant that is used in a variety of industries. At industry-scale, it is currently manufactured using a process called anthraquinone oxidation-reduction process, but researchers are searching for a better way. An electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a safe, clean, and reliable method, but an effective catalyst has yet to be identified and adopted widely because of low selectivity.

Computer vision is used in many sectors for its ability to monitor and analyze visual data in ways that extend past what human vision can do. This includes the medical, agricultural, and industrial sectors where, for example, early tumor detection, early pest detection and fine quality control can save both money and, most importantly, lives. For computer vision one of the most challenging functions is camouflage object detection (COD), the ability to recognize, identify and analyse an object in an image or video that is difficult to differentiate from its background. Since 2023 there has been a surge in research on COD in conjunction with the use of deep learning, a type of machine learning. This has created a large pool of research that has not yet been surveyed. To address this a research group at Duke University and Tsinghua University has undertaken an extensive review of the COD literature to catalogue, review and analyze the current state of the field. 

Cortinarius species are widely distributed in the world and constitute a diverse group of ectomycorrhizal fungi that are associated with a broad range of plant hosts. The species diversity of this genus has been investigated in China, but it remains poorly understood, especially in subtropical regions. In this study, one new section, six novel species, one new combination, one new name, and one new record of Cortinarius are reported from subtropical China based on the morphological and molecular evidences. Cortinarius lilacinicarpus, C. sinocalaisopus, C. sinosalor, and C. vividus spp. nov., C. orientisalor nom. nov., and C. illibatus are typical species of the section Delibuti. Cortinarius macroflavicapus sp. nov. belongs to Macroflavicapi sect. nov., a new section in the subgenus Dermocybe. Cortinarius tianbaoyanensis sp. nov. and C. dryadicola comb. nov. belong to section Spilomei. Detailed descriptions, basidiocarps, and microscopic photographs are provided for these species. In addition, C. leptospermorum comb. nov. in section Pauperae, subgenus Dermocybe is proposed.

A new study published in Forest Ecosystems highlights the growing wildfire risk posed by standing dead trees in Yellowstone National Park. Using advanced machine learning and spatial analysis, the researchers mapped tree mortality and assessed the vulnerability of nearby infrastructure, offering valuable insights for fire management and wildfire mitigation efforts in high-risk areas.

In this issue of hLife, the team led by Prof. Min Wang from Ocean University of China systematically mined and characterized the diversity of viral reverse transcriptases from global metagenomic datasets. Viral reverse transcriptases are not only encoded by pathogenic retroviruses; their vast diversity is hidden in the genomes of ubiquitous bacteriophages, which are widely distributed in the human gut microbiomes and various ecosystems on Earth. This study is expected to shed light on their critical roles in microbial ecology and evolution, offering valuable insights for future antiviral strategies and biotechnological applications.

For reusable rockets, the precision landing on Earth is very challenging. In atmospheric reentry flight, the rockets are subjected to disturbing conditions, mainly including engine thrust fluctuation, aerodynamic uncertainty, and winds, which severely decrease landing accuracy and fuel efficiency. Although the reusable rockets have achieved successful landing and recovery in recent years, the disturbance rejection issue of endoatmospheric powered descent guidance has not been systematically addressed in the field of advanced guidance and control, highlighting an important aspect of ongoing research.