Nitrogen (N) deposition, a consequence of human activities, significantly impacts forest ecosystems globally. While its effects on overall soil microbial diversity are often studied, the intricate "assembly processes" – how microbial communities are built – and their "network complexity" – how microbes interact – under prolonged N exposure have remained largely unclear. A new five-year study in a subtropical forest sheds light on these critical dynamics, revealing a surprising temporal shift in microbial community assembly and emphasizing the crucial role of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in maintaining network stability.

A University of Sydney quantum physicist has developed a new approach to quantum error correction - using lattice gauge theory - that could significantly reduce the number of physical qubits required to build large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers.