A new study finds that composite metal foam (CMF) could significantly improve automobile safety during frontal collisions. Using computational models to run detailed simulations, researchers found that incorporating CMF into automobile “front rails” would allow them to absorb more energy during high-velocity impacts.

A team of Korean researchers, including the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Dr. Lee Ho Seong) and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, President Lim Kichul), has become the first in the world to identify the origin of the “beating*”signal that has long been a major obstacle to interpreting quantum signals in topological insulator (TI) nanowires. Their analysis confirmed that the beating arises when two different quantum oscillations overlap, where one created by the topological electronic states on the surface and the other by the ordinary electronic states inner the nanowire. This achievement provides a key criterion for interpreting the signals of topological quantum devices and for realizing desired electronic states.

Black phosphorus-based micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) are a highly promising micro-scale energy storage technology beyond traditional lithium-ion batteries. They offer significant advantages in flexible wearable electronics, yet suffer from intrinsic instability and sluggish electron kinetics. The two-dimensional phosphorene/bismuthene (BP/Bi) heterojunction, featuring a highly conductive network and anti-stacking architecture constructed via interfacial P-O-Bi covalent coupling, provides a new solution for the development of high-performance, low-temperature-tolerant MSCs and integrated sensing systems.

A potentially history-altering finding by a University of Limerick, Ireland, researcher may provide the world with the ‘most detailed technical analysis of a telescope provenly made’ by the famous astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) has been awarded a new ERC Starting Grant in the latest call from the European Research Council (ERC) for a scientific research project named MUST, focused on large-eddy simulation and the phenomenon of turbulence. These prestigious grants are aimed at early-career researchers with promising scientific track records who wish to launch projects of excellence in Europe.

Two early-career researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have been successful in the latest call for Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC): In the COOLWEAVE project, Dr. Jingyuan Xu is developing a climate-friendly cooling technology. In the DATAARK project, Dr. Maryia Rusak is investigating how a classification system for building information developed across Europe after the Second World War and influenced major architectural projects. The two five-year projects will each receive EUR 1.5 million in funding.

A Pediatric Investigation study finds that early autism identification can fail after screening, with gaps in referral, diagnosis, service capacity, and support. Reviewing evidence across children aged 0–5 years, researchers show that screening can accelerate diagnosis for some children but cannot replace repeated surveillance or clinical concern. The findings support faster, more coordinated and equitable pathways that help families reach assessment and needs-based support sooner, even before diagnostic certainty is complete.