A new review in Med Research synthesizes current evidence on white adipose tissue browning, a process in which energy-storing white fat adopts heat-producing beige fat features. The authors show that this plasticity can support healthier metabolism in obesity and insulin resistance, but may become harmful in some tumor microenvironments and in cancer-associated cachexia. The review calls for precise, context-aware strategies that consider energy status, fat depot location, tumor type and disease stage before translating browning-based interventions to the clinic.

How can a spectrometer measure accurately on the scorching lunar farside? A new calibration framework for the Chang’e-6 Lunar Mineral Spectrometer corrected heat-induced spectral distortions, improving repeated measurement consistency by about 65%. The high-fidelity in situ data now bridge orbital observations, lunar surface measurements, and returned sample analyses, offering a clearer cross-scale view of the Chang’e-6 landing area.

Conventional second-harmonic generation microscopy is highly sensitive to symmetry, but it usually cannot directly read phase information. Researchers at Beijing Normal University developed an angular-polarization-engineered interferometric SHG microscope that uses a rotatable monolayer MoSe₂ reference placed between the objective and the sample. The system enables high-contrast phase-sensitive imaging of MoS₂ inversion twins and achieves an interference contrast as high as 0.96.

A research team from the Beijing Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Minzu University of China, has proposed a paradigm-shifting hyperspectral imaging system that completely decouples spectral modulation from the detection process. Central to this system is a pixel-level spectrally programmable light-emitting diode that enables continuous, dynamic spectral tuning across the entire visible spectrum within a single, monolithic pixel, achieved via an innovative charge-generation layer architecture. Serving as an intelligent active illumination source, this programmable device works in concert with a standard commercial CMOS sensor and advanced reconstruction algorithms. The fully decoupled architecture achieves a remarkable 2 nm spectral resolution dictated entirely by the emitting device, alongside a 3072 × 2048 spatial resolution and a 60.9 fps raw frame rate—both dictated by the hardware limits of the CMOS sensor. By eliminating the need for light-dispersing or encoding optical elements, this system fundamentally shatters the traditional trade-offs among spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions, avoids penalizing optical throughput, and circumvents complex micro-nano fabrication, thereby establishing a transformative path for high-performance hyperspectral imaging.

Xincong Chen, Yihui Zhang and et al. found that invasive Spartina alterniflora combines earlier ramet emergence with greater ramet production at low latitudes in China, a coordinated clonal strategy that may strengthen local adaptation and invasion success of this globally salt marsh invader.

A research team has identified two complementary mechanisms through which huperzine A improves cognition in mice with vascular dementia, linking protection of nerve cells with regulation of a brain circuit involved in cognitive function.

A research team led by Dr. Sun-Mi Hwang from the Clean Air Research Laboratory at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER, President Hakgeun Jeong) has developed novel catalysts as an all-in-one solution to address exhaust emissions from eco-friendly ammonia-fueled ships. This technology can simultaneously and cost-effectively remove various greenhouse gases from ammonia combustion, and is therefore expected to significantly contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the maritime industry.

Aerogel fibers have been considered as a promising solution for thermal protection textiles due to their high porosity and low thermal conductivity. However, the scalable production of sustainable and mechanical strong aerogel fibers remains a critical challenge. Here, inspired by the porous core–shell structure of polar bear hair, we report a continuous strategy to fabricate all-biomass aerogel fibers featuring an encapsulated core–shell architecture using silk fibroin as the core and cellulose as the shell. This tunable structure, with radially aligned sheet-like pores and adjustable shell thickness, is achieved through hydrogen bond-driven cellulose contraction and alcohol-induced curing of sheet-like silk fibroin. Such a porous architecture effectively suppresses convective heat transfer and promotes a multi-reflective effect for infrared radiation. The resulting fibers exhibit good mechanical robustness with a tensile load of a single aerogel fiber is up to 200 g without reinforcement. Meanwhile, the aerogel fiber maintains high porosity (79.78%), low thermal conductivity (52.4 ± 4.2 mW m⁻¹ K⁻¹), and low density (0.193 ± 0.01 g cm⁻³). Furthermore, an aerogel glove fabricated from these fibers demonstrates good thermal insulation. These results provide new insights for the design of biomimetic aerogel fibers with core–shell architecture, offering a scalable and eco-friendly pathway toward advanced wearable thermal management.

The aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) are famous for high-safety and high-energy-density, but limited by severe challenges around the Helmholtz plane layer such as the strong ion–dipole interactions between Zn²⁺ and H₂O, resulting in slow desolvation processes and limited transport kinetics as well as corresponding higher barriers. To reconstruct the ion–dipole surroundings, the interface chemistry of employing a high permanent dipole moment of L-Carnosine (L-CN) has been proposed, weakening the interactions between Zn²⁺ and H₂O to realize a crowded Zn²⁺-conductive structure, accelerating the desolvation kinetics. As revealed, the strong affinity between L-CN and Zn²⁺ enables the L-CN molecules to repulse H₂O, reconfiguring the inner Helmholtz plane layer, thereby inhibiting the active water molecular to form hydrogen evolution reactions. Consequently, the Zn//Zn symmetric cells with Helmholtz plane modulation achieve a long lifespan up to 7000 h, a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.72%, and a high stabilization at high depth of discharge (85.4%). The assembled Zn//V₂O_5−x full cell with optimal electrolyte delivers the capacity of 289 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹ under an N/P ratio of 3.98. Impressively, the large-scale pouch cell with optimal electrolyte stabilizes for 200 cycles, offering the bright future of reconstructing Helmholtz plane for achieving high-performance AZMBs.

Using a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach, this study (1349 cases, 203,231 controls from the FinnGen study) examined causal associations between 16 lifestyle behaviors and potential risk factors and blepharoptosis. Genetically predicted leisure screen time was associated with higher odds of blepharoptosis, with indicative evidence for BMI and current smoking as risk factors and physical activity and smoking cessation as protective factors.