The quark–gluon plasma, thought to have filled the universe shortly after the Big Bang, is usually studied in large nuclear collisions. Now, researchers from Japan show that oxygen–oxygen collisions produce a mixture of equilibrated and non-equilibrated matter. Once particle multiplicity exceeds about 20, the equilibrated component becomes dominant, yet approximately 30% of the matter remains non-equilibrated even in the most central collisions, revealing that these intermediate-sized systems do not fully reach thermal equilibrium.

Researchers at the University of Osaka developed a catalyst that uses ultrasonic vibration to convert CO₂ into CO. By modifying the catalyst with a metal–organic framework (MOF) incorporating isolated copper atoms, the catalyst is designed to concentrate CO₂ near copper reaction sites and make better use of piezo-induced charges generated by vibration. It achieved a CO production rate of 114 μmol g^-1 h^-1, nearly five times that of pristine BaTiO₃. The findings provide a new strategy for using mechanical energy to support more efficient carbon recycling.

Researchers at the University of Osaka developed chiral hole-transport materials that selectively conduct electrons according to spin. Across three classes of materials, molecular handedness consistently determined the direction of spin polarization. The homochiral material also showed nearly threefold higher hole mobility and improved charge extraction and surface passivation in perovskite solar cells, highlighting new possibilities for controlling spin, charge transport, and interfaces through molecular design.

For the first time, researchers have used data from narwhals to document how Atlantic water reaches deep into fjords along Greenland’s east coast. A new study from the University of Copenhagen sheds light on a poorly studied region, and the findings could have important implications for understanding and predicting climate change.

A new award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) totaling $19.5 million over four years will expand robotic systems, analytical instrumentation and dedicated staff at the Automated Synthesis Facility at Scripps Research by supporting a collaborative effort among Scripps Research, UCLA and Sunthetics (an AI-for-chemistry company) to establish a nationally accessible, fully automated chemistry laboratory. This “Chemistry Node” will be one of 20 AI-enabled NSF Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratory (NSF PCL) nodes across the United States, which will test, scale and demonstrate new methods and tools that advance automated science and engineering, driving discoveries across a wide range of fields. 

Binghamton University welcomes four Simons Empire Faculty Fellows in mathematics and physics. The Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International established the fellowship program to stimulate faculty hiring in mathematics and the sciences across New York state

Manchester researchers have shown that naturally occurring channels inside vermiculite clay can respond to pressure, voltage and pH, controlling ion flow through spaces only a few angstroms high. The findings suggest common layered materials could help researchers study and control ion transport at extremely small scales.