On board the Polarstern research vessel, an international group of young scientists will immerse in the fascinating world of marine research. They are not only learning the basic methods of oceanography, but also the difficult art of communicating science in a comprehensible and inspiring manner. For the fifth time now, the Alfred Wegener Institute is organising this extraordinary training programme with a host of partners. This year once again under the direction of Professor Karen Wiltshire (now at Trinity College in Dublin), the participants benefit from a unique opportunity to experience research, international cooperation and scientific adventure first-hand. For the first time, new dedicated training is also being provided for young up-coming ocean teachers. This means that the fascination of marine research can reach even more young people in the future.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers has combined deep botanical knowledge with powerful genomic technology to decode and mine the DNA of non-flowering seed plants and uncover genes that evolved to help plants build seeds. These findings, published in Nature Communications, may aid scientists in improving seed crop production in agriculture and in the conservation of these ancient endangered seed plants.

The majority of Israelis avoid learning about the state of their retirement savings, according to a recent article by Prof. Guy Hochman of Reichman University’s Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology. Published in the scientific journal Current Opinion in Psychology, the article explains that this avoidance is not driven solely by a lack of knowledge; emotional, cultural, and social factors also play a role. Many people prefer not to know how much money awaits them in old age — not because they are indifferent, but because the information can feel frightening, anxiety-inducing, or futile if they believe they cannot change the outcome anyway.

A new critical review published in Materials Futures traces the rapid evolution of Refractory High-Entropy Alloys (RHEAs), a revolutionary class of materials engineered for extreme environments. The review, led by researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, highlights a paradigm shift from traditional alloy design towards computational- and microstructurally-guided strategies. It details how advanced tools like machine learning, quantum mechanics simulations, and phase diagram calculations are accelerating the discovery of new compositions. A central focus is on innovative microstructural designs, including metastable engineering, heterogeneous structures, and atomic-scale chemical ordering, that are successfully overcoming the long-standing trade-off between strength and ductility. The authors conclude that the integration of multi-scale modeling, in-situ characterization, and closed-loop data analysis is poised to transition RHEAs from laboratory breakthroughs to critical components in aerospace, energy, and nuclear applications.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that a research team led by Dr. Sona Kwak and Dr. Yoonseop Lim at the Center for Intelligence and Interaction Research Center won the Grand Prize in the Demonstration category for its outdoor-friendly modular robotic furniture system, OnOBOT, at the Robot Design Competition held during the International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication 2025 (RO-MAN 2025) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, from August 25 to 29, 2025.