Remigijus Šimašius has been named Optica’s 2026 Advocate of Optics

Indigenous people have long added crushed shells to sand to keep coastal ecosystems healthy. A UC Davis study reveals why it works and how it helps buffer clams, oysters and mussels from ocean acidification.

Researchers have revealed that a small mechanical squeeze can change magnetic behavior of an emerging in altermagnets.

Chemists from Fuzhou University have reported a copper-catalyzed strategy for making chiral α-perfluoroalkyl organoboron compounds that contain adjacent boron- and carbon-centered stereogenic elements. The method, published in Chiral Chemistry, offers a new way to access structurally distinctive fluorinated molecular building blocks with high stereocontrol.

November 2–4 | Shanghai

Dr. Jue Wang, Head of Global Business Development at Insilico Medicine, has been invited to attend the China Healthcare Summit in Shanghai.

November 4–5 | Shanghai

Dr. Feng Ren, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, has been invited to attend the 2026 Future Healthcare Investment Market (FHIM) annual conference at the Shanghai International Convention Center

November 5–10 | Shanghai

Insilico Medicine has once again been invited to exhibit at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), located at Booth C1-01, Hall 2.2.

November 6–8 | Nanchang

Dr. Feng Ren, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, has been invited to attend the 2026 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (CMCS2026) in Nanchang.

November 7–10 | Dubai

Dr. Alex Aliper, Co-Founder and President of Insilico Medicine, has been invited to attend the Next Generation Medicine Congress 2026 in Dubai.

Quantum information is notoriously fragile, making the development of large-scale quantum networks a formidable challenge. Now, Penn Engineering researchers have demonstrated that a distinctive pattern of light, known as a quantum skyrmion, can retain its defining topological property even when quantum entanglement disappears. The discovery, made possible by a miniature photonic chip, suggests a potential new approach to protecting quantum information.

A tiny glass chip developed by researchers at Heriot-Watt University has linked two telescopes together to enable them to act as a single powerful instrument, marking an important step towards a new generation of astronomical technology.

The CHARA Array is one of the world's leading facilities for high-resolution astronomy and consists of six telescopes that can be linked together to study celestial objects in extraordinary detail. To make this possible, the light collected by each telescope must be combined with extreme precision. The photonic chip – which guided light through thin glass channels in the manner of integrated circuits guiding electrons – has been successfully used for the first time in on-sky observations at the CHARA Array in California. The results show that the technology, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, can perform a task that has traditionally required much larger and more complex optical systems.

The achievement could help transform the way future astronomical instruments are designed, making them smaller, more robust and easier to upgrade while still delivering the precision needed to study distant stars and planetary systems.

The study appears in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), one of the most respected journals in astronomy.

Nitrogen dioxide is a harmful gas that requires sensitive detection. Researchers used intense light pulses lasting 10 milliseconds to make molybdenum disulfide flakes and anchor isolated metal atoms in one step. Adding platinum improved the material’s room-temperature response to nitrogen dioxide, reaching 100.8% at 400 parts per billion and a detection limit of 17.2 parts per billion. This approach could support advanced gas sensors and applications in catalysis and energy technologies.

Sodium metal batteries (SMBs) offer a cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries but suffer from critical safety and stability issues. To resolve them, researchers have now developed a new polymerizable deep eutectic solvent electrolyte that is not only non-flammable and leakage proof but also enhances long-term stability of SMBs. The electrolyte also allows the battery to be folded or cut, while still delivering consistent power. This electrolyte design can contribute to the development of practical SMBs.