A fundamental discovery by University of Missouri scientists could help solve one of the most frustrating challenges in treating lung cancer: Why do some patients initially respond to drug treatment, only for it to stop working 18 months later?

The team, led by Dhananjay Suresh, Anandhi Upendran and Raghuraman Kannan at Mizzou’s School of Medicine, identified a hidden molecular “seesaw” involving two proteins inside cancer cells — AXL and FN14. When investigators try to block one protein to stop the cancer, the other one takes over, helping the tumor survive. To fix this, the team developed a new solution: a gelatin-based nanoparticle that can shut down both proteins at the same time.

This study identifies photon loss as the key bottleneck limiting the efficiency of bifacial perovskite solar cells (Bi-PSCs). The researchers proposed a strategy for constructing high-quality thick films by regulating precursor crystallization, which reduces current loss to an unprecedented 1.67 mA cm^-2 and achieves a record-breaking power conversion efficiency. Meanwhile, the long-term stability of the devices is significantly enhanced.

Forecasting electricity demand in buildings is now more accurate with Group Encoding (GE), a new method that uses only existing device operation data. Developed by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo, the method improved prediction accuracy by 74% in real-world tests. By simplifying high-dimensional binary data, GE supports efficient energy device management, cost reduction, and seamless integration of renewable energy in distributed systems, making it a practical tool for smart energy operation.

A recent study reports (Al,Ga,Sc)N thin films with record-high scandium levels, with exciting potential for ultra-low-power memory devices, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo). Using reactive magnetron sputtering, they fine-tuned the composition of ternary alloys to overcome previous stability limits. Beyond enabling efficient data storage, these films also show promise for noise filters for 6G communications and optical computing, thanks to attractive piezoelectric and optoelectric properties.

Magic fluorinated molecules like PFBT drastically reduce contact resistance by a factor of 16 in flexible organic transistor, diminish energy barriers by 73%, and enhance operational metrics. Derived from in-situ chemical reactions at metal-organic semiconductor buried interfaces, this breakthrough eliminates interfacial trap states and mitigates Fermi-level pinning. This innovation sparks visions of sleek bendable screens and intuitive wearable technology, reshaping flexible electronics with elegance and precision.