Fusion power plants of the future will not only require extremely hot plasmas and strong magnetic fields but also a fuel cycle in which the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium can be recovered, separated, and reused. Together with partners, a team from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has now demonstrated a highly efficient method for separating hydrogen isotopes using a silver-containing zeolite (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-75930-9). Zeolite is a porous crystal material with a network of tiny cavities. The experiments with radioactive tritium were conducted in the radiochemical laboratory at HZDR’s Research Site Leipzig. The results represent an important advance in isotope separation and lay the foundation for the efficient recovery and processing of tritium in future fusion fuel cycles. They also open up potential applications in medicine and materials research.

As record-breaking heat grips communities worldwide and Australia prepares for an intense El Niño summer, new research provides the first global review linking high temperatures and heatwaves to poorer mental health in children and young people.

Insilico Medicine (“Insilico”; HKEX: 3696), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, today announced the nomination of ISM9077, the AI-empowered, potential first-in-class Target Y inhibitor with pipeline-in-a-drug potential, as a Preclinical Candidate (PCC) for the treatment of ocular diseases including dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (dry AMD), uveitis, and dry eye disease. As the 32nd PCC nominated since 2021, ISM9077 boasts potent inhibition across species, excellent exposure and permeability traits, and a favorable safety profile in preclinical studies.