High-voltage lithium-ion batteries can deliver greater energy density but often suffer from severe electrolyte decomposition, transition-metal dissolution, and interfacial degradation—particularly under elevated temperatures. Researchers have now developed a kind of polyetherimide/polyimide (PEI/PI)-coated gradient-functional separator (PAP) that actively modulates interphasial solvation structures, forming a highly stable cathode–electrolyte interphase (CEI). This innovation enables lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cells to operate at 4.6 V and 60 °C with markedly enhanced cycling stability, offering a promising pathway toward safer, high-energy-density batteries.

Physicists have now filmed skyrmion lattices melting, bringing them a step closer to developing computers that resemble our brains.

Drugs made of mRNA have the potential to transform medicine—if only they could get into cells in one piece. Now, University of Connecticut researchers show in the journal ACS Nano that packaging mRNA like a virus could smuggle it into cells safely, opening up a new way to deliver mRNA into cells to treat diseases such as cancer.

SAN ANTONIO — February 23, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute was part of an international team that demonstrated how complex organic molecules (COMs), key chemical precursors to life, could have been incorporated into Jupiter’s Galilean moons during their formation. The team’s findings have resulted in complementary studies published in The Planetary Science Journal and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, offering new insights into the potential for life in the Jovian system.

A simple palladium-catalyzed reaction system of C₂H₆-O₂-CO-H₂O that enables the selective oxidation of ethane to acetate acid, has been reported in a recent paper published in National Science Review. In the refined reaction system with the addition of sulfuric acid, it achieves remarkable performance with high ethane conversion of 15.7% and high acetate acid selectivity of 92.1%. The reaction pathway and mechanism are clearly interpreted through kinetic and spectroscopic analyses and supported by theoretical calculations. This study offers a promising pathway for the upgrading and utilization of natural gas under mild conditions.

New research from the University of Waterloo suggests that more than creativity is at play. Behind many great melodies, researchers found something surprisingly powerful: symmetry. Their work shows that advanced algebra can reveal deep musical patterns that are not always obvious by ear or even on a written score. 

The findings could help composers better understand what makes melodies work, as the study offers a recipe for generating new melodies that follow specific symmetry rules, opening new creative possibilities for composers and researchers. 

A team led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Maner at Koç University has identified the earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and single-needle knitting (nålbinding) in Anatolia at Beycesultan Höyük. Dating to c. 1915–1595 BC, the fragments were analyzed using advanced scientific methods. Published in Antiquity, the findings reveal sophisticated knowledge of plant fibers and dye chemistry in Bronze Age Anatolia and suggest the production of high-status textiles.