This study presents a comprehensive exploration of fermented oats (FO) as a next-generation skincare ingredient with dual anti-inflammatory and skin barrier-restoring functions. By utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation, the authors successfully enhanced the bioactive composition of oats, significantly increasing β-glucan, proteins, flavonoids, amino acids, and their derivatives. These biochemical improvements translate into potent biological activity, positioning FO as a multifunctional soothing and repairing ingredient for sensitive and photodamaged skin. A major highlight of this research is its multi-model validation across cellular assays, zebrafish embryos, and 3D reconstructed skin. FO demonstrated a marked ability to modulate inflammatory pathways, including a 79.87% inhibition of TNF-α/TNFR1 binding, suppression of LPS-induced nitric oxide release, and reduction of neutrophil recruitment. These results collectively establish FO as a robust anti-inflammatory agent capable of suppressing both cytokine- and TRPV1-mediated inflammatory responses. Equally noteworthy is FO’s impact on skin barrier repair. In UVB-irradiated 3D skin models, FO significantly upregulated key structural proteins—including loricrin, filaggrin, transglutaminase 1, and caspase-14—which are essential for epidermal reinforcement, differentiation, and natural moisturizing factor formation. The ingredient also enhanced hydration by increasing both skin moisture content and AQP3 expression.

Overall, this study highlights fermented oats as an innovative, solvent-free, bioactivated skincare ingredient that simultaneously alleviates inflammation, repairs barrier damage, and improves hydration. Its strong mechanistic support and multi-level experimental confirmation underscore its potential as an effective soothing and repairing ingredient for sensitive skin formulations.

Dr. Jongkil Park and his team of the Semiconductor Technology Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have presented a new approach that mimics the brain's learning principles. The team engineered the principle of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), in which the brain adjusts the strength of connections based on the order of signal firing between neurons. This allows them to learn the connectivity in a brain's neural network in real-time without having to store the activity of all the neurons.

Professor Tonggang Jiu's team at Shandong University achieved a significant improvement in the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells by regulating the NiO_x/perovskite interface chemistry by introducing a novel self-assembling molecule, (4-(2,7-dibromo-9,9-dimethylacridin-10(9H)-yl)butylphosphonic acid (2Br-4PADMAc), into the NiO_x/perovskite interface. This effectively suppressed Ni^>3+ generation and interfacial redox reactions, optimized energy level matching, and promoted high-quality film crystallization. Compared to the traditional molecule 2PACz, 2Br-4PADMAc exhibits stronger interfacial anchoring and a larger molecular dipole moment, which can improve hole transport efficiency and reduce PbI₂ accumulation. The inverse perovskite solar cell modified with this molecule achieved a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25.28% and excellent stability. This research provides a new strategy for optimizing the efficiency and stability of NiO_x-based perovskite solar cells through interfacial molecule design. The article was published as an open access research article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

A research team from Harbin Institute of Technology has developed a new solar driven photocatalyst that uses industrial sulfite waste to rapidly break down toxic dyes in wastewater. The study demonstrates a sustainable approach that improves water quality while transforming an abundant industrial by product into a valuable resource.

In a groundbreaking exploration of the environmental impacts of fires, researchers are shedding light on how gaseous smoke pollutants affect both air and soil quality. This critical study, titled "Impact of Gaseous Smoke Pollutants from Modelled Fires on Air and Soil Quality," is spearheaded by Mikhail Nizhelskiy from the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology Named After D.I. Ivanovskiy at Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation. His work offers a deeper understanding of the often-overlooked consequences of fires on our environment.

Pedagogical chatbots, which have become more capable and widely available with the rise of generative AI, promise to transform personalized learning at scale by providing individualized, on-demand support to students. But generative AI is not without fault. Sometimes chatbots make mistakes, provide incomplete information, invent facts, or misconstrue logic, which may harm their users’ learning. A new study sheds light on whether users can detect those errors and suggests ways to improve AI-powered teaching. 

Anthocyanins are major pigments responsible for the vivid colors of ornamental flowers.