In recent years, rapidly advanced space technology has resulted in a growing number of objects in orbit, including both operational and decommissioned spacecraft, as well as space debris, which pose potential threats to China’s on-orbit spacecraft. To ensure the safe operation of spacecraft in near-Earth and high-orbit environments, a key research focus in the field of space technology is the high-resolution and high-accuracy detection and perception of environmental objects under strong backlight conditions. Such capabilities are critical for providing timely early warnings to on-orbit spacecraft. However, a plethora of studies have demonstrated marked challenges in imaging dark and weak targets under strong light backgrounds. It is essential to analyze the challenges of current backlight imaging technologies, summarize the working principles of existing backlight detection methods, and explore future development trends.

Achieving regioselective C–H functionalization is a particularly difficult issue in organic chemistry when these C–H bonds have similar reactivity. Although significant progress has been made in regioselective C–H functionalization at one specific site, the tunable version of such processes is rarely documented. Here we describe a tunable meta- and para-selective C–H borylation of aryl and benzyl phosphonates, in which the regioselectivity can be switched by bifunctional ligands. A broad range of substrates are compatible and exhibit good to excellent regioselectivity under mild reaction conditions. Benzyl phosphonates can be conveniently transformed into styrene derivatives via Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons olefination. Gram-scale preparation and derivatization of borylated products demonstrate the important application of our method in synthetic chemistry. The orthogonality of two functional Bpin and phosphorylmethyl groups provides ample opportunity for increasing the diversity of styrene derivatives with precise site-control.

As the world faces new and often untreatable viral threats, Simon Fraser University researchers have found a way to cut years off the time it takes to discover antiviral drugs. The research enables scientists to quickly create large libraries of nucleoside analogs (NAs), compounds that mimic the building blocks of DNA and RNA and are widely used to treat cancer and viral infections such as HIV and hepatitis.

 Researchers have uncovered the initial adaptive mechanisms of Bacillus velezensis C5 when exposed to polyethylene microplastics. Using comparative transcriptomics, the study revealed a robust, polymer‑specific transcriptional program distinct from general starvation or surface‑contact responses. Exposure to polyethylene triggered massive upregulation of genes involved in biofilm formation and sporulation, while genes associated with canonical degradation were not induced. The bacterium remained viable without growth, formed dense biofilms, and increased surface hydrophilicity but caused only subtle physicochemical changes to the plastic. This survival‑first strategy represents a critical initial phase that must be overcome to enable efficient biodegradation.

Researchers have developed a hierarchical catalyst (NiNP‑BCN@C) featuring nickel nanoparticles encapsulated within a nitrogen‑doped carbon shell on a hollow‑rod carbon substrate. The hollow architecture maximizes exposure of Ni nanoparticles, while the carbon shell suppresses the competing hydrogen evolution reaction and promotes CO₂ activation. The catalyst achieves a CO Faradaic efficiency exceeding 90 % in an H‑cell and >98 % at 300 mA·cm⁻² in a flow cell, with a turnover frequency of ~93,579 h⁻¹ and stable operation over 32 h. In situ FTIR confirmed enhanced *COOH and COO⁻ intermediates, highlighting superior CO₂ adsorption and activation.