Psittacosaurus was a genus of herbivorous dinosaurs that lived in the Early Cretaceous. Since the first report of Psittacosaurus discoveries in Mongolia a century ago, at least 12 valid species have been recognized to date. The unearthed fossils cover a complete developmental sequence from newly hatched juveniles to adult individuals. Recently, a joint research team from the Dinosaur Evolution Research Center of Jilin University and the University of Toronto Mississauga analyzed 13 juvenile Psittacosaurus fossils from the same nest, all containing gastroliths. The findings have significantly reshaped the traditional understanding of their feeding behavior—even individuals under one year of age ingested gastroliths to aid in digesting tough, fibrous plants. Lithological analysis of these gastroliths indicates that the juveniles likely obtained the stones locally, with their activity confined to the western Liaoning region and showing no evidence of long-distance migration. This study highlights a relatively stable feeding strategy throughout the life cycle of  Psittacosaurus, providing key insights into reconstructing the paleoecological evolution of early ceratopsians. The research has been published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences.

This study developed a hydrating oil-in-water (O/W) cream incorporating Echinacea extract as a natural preservative and antimicrobial agent, aiming to replace synthetic parabens commonly used in cosmetic formulations. The results demonstrated that the formulated cream exhibited excellent skin absorption and significant moisturizing capacity while maintaining desirable physicochemical stability. In antimicrobial preservative efficacy tests conducted over 28 days, the cream effectively inhibited bacterial growth, confirming the functional potential of Echinacea extract as a bioactive alternative to conventional preservatives. Moreover, under accelerated stability conditions, the formulation remained homogeneous and stable for six months without phase separation. These findings highlight the feasibility of utilizing plant-derived extracts to enhance both safety and performance in cosmetic products and provide experimental support for the development of natural, multifunctional skincare formulations.

New research has shown that perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are remarkably resilient to dust during production, challenging the industry belief that high-performance solar technology must be manufactured in sterile and expensive "cleanrooms”.