A new study from the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), in collaboration with Uppsala University (Sweden) and AstraZeneca, shows how computational chemistry and supercomputers can help scientists better understand the fundamental mechanisms of life, specifically those of human cells. This research was conducted by the Molecular Modeling and Drug Discovery Unit, led by Marco De Vivo at IIT in Genoa, and was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study focused on splicing, an essential process that enables cells to read genes and function properly, by simulating the functional dynamics of a very large and realistic model system (~2 million atoms). The results provide a more precise understanding of splicing and help explain previously difficult-to-interpret data on splicing. This research could support the development of molecules capable of controlling this process, paving the way for new treatments for diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders

Hiroshima University researchers develop a new experimental method to demonstrate that interference physically delocalizes each photon.

According to calculations by researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Europe could meet all of its road transport fuel needs with renewable sources by 2040, and more than half by 2030. The European Union has enough residual and waste materials to supply climate-neutral liquid fuels for all of its road transport needs. For their project, the researchers analyzed the amounts of biogenic raw materials (plant-based residues, wood scraps, or organic waste) available in Europe, how they can be converted by technical means to renewable fuels, and the future fuel requirements of road transport. (DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000191586)

Solid materials for carbon capture can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but many existing systems remain energy-intensive and costly, because releasing captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) typically requires high temperatures. Recently, researchers from Japan developed three kinds of 'viciazites', a new type of carbon-based material with precisely positioned nitrogen-containing functional groups. Through tight molecular control, these materials can release captured CO₂ at temperatures as low as 60 °C, paving the way for efficient carbon capture.

Researchers have created a high-performance infrared detector that operates at room temperature without requiring external power or cooling. By growing high-quality lead sulfide films and using an asymmetric electrode design, the device achieves fast response and clear imaging, paving the way for affordable, compact infrared cameras in smartphones, automobiles, and security systems.

Ghost forests serve as powerful, visible warnings of climate change. Encroaching ocean waters are poisoning salt-intolerant trees, leaving behind eerie skeletal remains. Researchers from the University of Delaware are wading through these surreal landscapes along the mid-Atlantic coastline to determine the environmental impact of this climate-driven phenomenon. The researchers will present their results at ACS Spring 2026.

U-M researchers find that gloves may unintentionally contaminate lab equipment used to measure microplastic pollution.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have proposed a compact LED design that directly emits circularly polarized light using a nanoscale GaN metasurface integrated onto the device. This design removes the need for bulky optical components traditionally used to create polarized light and could help enable smaller optical systems for applications such as 3D displays, augmented reality, and photonic technologies.

Rivers do not just move water; they act as nature's hard drives, saving a permanent record of what happens on the surface. When toxic chemicals settle into the mud at the riverbed, they create a chronological diary of human activity. Recently, a detailed investigation published in Carbon Research has opened up one of these geological diaries in Mongolia’s Orkhon River Basin, revealing exactly how economic booms and traffic jams translate into chemical fallout.

The detective work was spearheaded by corresponding author Jing Chen from Beijing Normal University. Drawing on the analytical power of the State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control and the Center for Atmospheric Environmental Studies, Chen's team extracted sediment cores to trace the history of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—a notoriously stubborn class of toxic pollutants created by burning fuel and organic matter.