Researchers at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics engineered a new desalination method that produces drinking water from seawater without chemical additives. In a study in Light: Science & Applications, Professor Chunlei Guo and his collaborators describe how their solar-powered system uses specially engineered black metal to absorb sunlight. Its self-cleaning surface separates and collects salts, instead of dumping them as harmful brine waste, and from the salts, the system can extract lithium, a key material for rechargeable batteries. The approach could help address global water shortages and growing mineral demand.

A research team led by Prof. CHEN Ping from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy ofSciences (CAS) developed the world's first gas-solid hydride ion prototype battery, which uses hydrogen gas and a metal asthe electrodes. The battery not only powers electrical equipment, but also enable highly efficient hydrogen storage under ambient temperature and pressure through an innovative hydrogen-electricity co-storage mechanism.

Vortices in superconductors have so far been considered a disruption, as they can impair the superconducting properties. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) proved now in experiment that magnetic vortices can be used as controllable quantum systems in certain materials. This means that a previously unwanted phenomenon is becoming a potential resource in quantum technologies, opening up new avenues for the development of quantum computers, highly sensitive sensor systems, and innovative approaches in materials research. The results have been published in Nature.  (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10441-7)

EU-funded researchers have completed the most comprehensive assessment ever of Europe's "urban mine" — the critical raw materials embedded in waste streams including electronics, batteries, vehicles, wind turbines, and demolition debris. The  FutuRaM (Future Availability of Secondary Raw Materials) project mapped 42 critical elements across seven waste categories in 31 countries, finding that annual recovery could reach 4.1–5.7 million tonnes by 2050, potentially substituting up to 56% of primary material imports. Recovery of key metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel could grow dramatically, reducing dependence on China and other suppliers. The project's Urban Mine Platform makes all data publicly accessible to guide investment and policy decisions.

New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) provides structural insights into how cancer cells thwart targeted RAS therapies; uncovers promising combination therapies for a rare childhood brain tumor; uses organoids to provide important clues about what drives pancreatic cancer; takes aim at appendix cancer with new laboratory models; and a develops a new precision tool for targeting cancer’s energy factory.

The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration has today released its latest catalog of gravitational-wave detections. The data analysed for this update were collected by the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors and the Virgo detectors. They are the world’s premier observatory of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime. 

Living systems such as cells rely on membrane pores and channels to transport molecules, exchange signals, and organize biochemical reactions. These functions emerge from dynamic interactions between molecular components. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have used DNA nanotechnology to develop a synthetic membrane architecture that mimics such interactions. The new platform enables coordinated molecular transport and programmable biochemical reactions inside an artificial compartment. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, and has been published in the journal Nature Chemistry.