For decades, global soil moisture monitoring from space has depended on reference datasets. Satellite observations, while indispensable, are rarely used alone; instead, their retrieval algorithms are typically calibrated or constrained using external soil moisture products derived from other satellites, models, or reanalysis systems.

Scientists in China have developed a metasurface platform that realizes true three-dimensional (3D) vectorial holography by independently engineering the intensity and polarization of light along the propagation direction. By encoding volumetric information into structured beam arrays, the system enables high-fidelity 3D reconstruction and a new physical-layer optical encryption strategy based on the depth and polarization keys. This compact technology opens promising opportunities for secure communication, optical storage, and next-generation 3D displays.

III-V photonic crystal (PhC) lasers are potential ultra-compact and power-efficient light sources for future on-chip optical interconnects. While PhC lasers fabricated via conventional vertical epitaxy have achieved excellent performance, they require substrate undercut or transfer technic to form PhC membranes, resulting in poor mechanical resistance to external impacts. Moreover, etching air holes through horizontal quantum well (QW) layers across the entire cavity significantly increases non-radiative recombination and limits pumping efficiency. To overcome these limitations caused by conventional vertical epitaxy, the research team led by Yu Han and Siyuan Yu from Sun Yat-sen University rotated the growth orientation by 90 degrees. They employed selective lateral heteroepitaxy to directly grow InP membranes with embedded vertical QWs, precisely positioning the QWs at the intensity maximum of the laser cavity mode without being penetrated by the parallel air holes. Consequently, they demonstrated monolithically integrated PhC lasers in the telecom band on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, which is coplanar with the Si waveguide layer on SOI. This work establishes an innovative methodology for fabricating monolithically integrated III-V lasers, providing an elegant solution for future high-density on-chip optical interconnects with monolithic and high-efficiency PhC lasers.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the National University of Singapore, and A*STAR (Singapore) have developed a clinically defined and translatable hydrogel system using physiological proteins. A base hydrogel, termed “Alphagel”, supported the culture and trilineage differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in a three-dimensional environment and demonstrated biocompatibility in vivo. They then engineered a liver-optimised hydrogel, “Hepatogel”, which was shown to improve the retention of hPSC-derived hepatocytes upon direct transplantation into murine livers.

Attosecond pulses enable sub-femtosecond studies of ultrafast electron dynamics. Since 2001, pulse durations have shortened from ~650 as to 43 as, alongside gains in photon flux, photon energy, and repetition rate. Yet further advances in HHG-based sources are largely limited by the accessible parameters and scalability of the driving ultrafast laser. This Review surveys driving-laser technologies across pulse energy, duration, wavelength, and repetition rate, and highlights key bottlenecks.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have identified a protein called tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) as a potential “switch” that can modulate a type of cancer cell death known as immunogenic cell death (ICD). A research team led by Professor ANG Wee Han from the NUS Department of Chemistry has discovered two platinum-containing compounds, namely Pt-NHC and PlatinER (Pt-ER) that can trigger ICD. In their research model study, tumour cells treated with these compounds were effective in helping to develop immunity protection against colorectal cancer. This work was carried out in collaboration with Associate Professor Maria BABAK from the City University of Hong Kong.