A team of researchers led by a physics graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently made the surprising discovery of what they call a “shape-recovering liquid,” which defies some long-held expectations derived from the laws of thermodynamics. The research, published in Nature Physics, details a mixture of oil, water and magnetized particles that, when shaken, always quickly separates into what looks like the classically curvaceous lines of a Grecian urn.

From seat cushions to mattresses to insulation, foam is everywhere — even if we don’t always see it. Now, researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas have fused chemistry with technology to create a 3D-printed foam that is more durable and more recyclable than the polymer foam found in many everyday products.

Here, researchers from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics propose to control thermal stress at coating interfaces during laser induction processes and demonstrate a novel process for precisely graphenizing ultra-thin diamond coating surface through laser induction and mechanical cleavage, without damaging the substrates.

Their work provides an effective and cost-efficient avenue to overcome application bottlenecks in engineered diamond surfaces, expanding their use in friction pairs such as cutting tools, bearings, and mechanical seals. Moreover, it may facilitate advancements in multicarbon heterostructures and their preparation methods, supporting potential applications in electronics, aviation, and biomedicine involving diamond, graphene, and all-carbon devices.

In a paper published in National Science Review, a research team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, reveal differences in the near and far side lunar space environment from Chang’e-6 sample-based evidence. The Chang’e‑6 samples, from the Moon’s far side, lack the vapor deposited layers commonly generated by micrometeorite impacts, which are typically observed in samples from the Moon’s nearside and asteroids. The differences could mainly be driven by the specific space environment of the near and far side of the Moon.

A new study, published today in Nature Chemistry by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University, shows how common gut bacteria can metabolize certain oral medications that target cellular receptors called GPCRs, potentially rendering these important drugs less effective.