Osaka Metropolitan University researchers developed yeast that efficiently adsorbs targeted rare earth elements.

We present a nanophotonic-engineered thermal protective window (NTPW) strategy that incorporates a visible-light transparent broadband directional thermal emitter and a low-emissivity (Low-E) coating into commercial polycarbonate windows. This NETPW can provide users with thermal protection and personal thermal comfort in complex high-temperature working environments. The team demonstrated this approach enables simultaneous control of the thermal emission spectrum and direction, allowing for customized radiative energy exchange in high-temperature environments.

Physicists at Peking University have uncovered a new way to confine light far beyond conventional limits — without relying on metals and their inherent energy dissipation. By formulating the singular dispersion equation, the team discovered narwhal-shaped wavefunctions that trap light at deep-subwavelength volumes in purely dielectric materials. The advance, dubbed singulonics, could pave the way for ultra-efficient photonic chips, new quantum technologies, and imaging tools with unprecedented resolution.

Restoring degraded peatlands could play a vital role in tackling climate change, according to a new study led by researchers from Bangor University and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The study shows that combining rewetting with biochar and iron sulphate additions can significantly slow down carbon loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from drained agricultural peat soils.

A team led by Associate Researcher Zhaoming Zhang and Researcher Xuzhou Yan from Shanghai Jiao Tong University introduced pseudorotaxane end groups of varying sizes and utilized their steric hindrance to modulate the dissociation kinetics of supramolecular crosslinks, thereby achieving control over the mechanical properties of supramolecular polymer networks (SPNs). This study systematically elucidated the relationship between supramolecular structure, dissociation kinetics, and macroscopic mechanical properties of the network, providing new insights into the development of high-performance SPNs.

A new species of bacteria has been discovered off the coast of Oʻahu, shedding light on how unseen microbial life connects Hawaiʻi’s land and sea ecosystems.