Fatty acids derived from palm oil and coconut oil are found in countless everyday products, but their extraction drives deforestation. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) have now reprogrammed the enzyme fatty acid synthase to produce custom fatty acids of any chain length. With just two targeted modifications, the enzyme can be redirected from producing the usual 16-carbon fatty acids to generating shorter chains. In collaboration with a partner laboratory in China, the engineered fatty acid synthase was implemented in yeast strains to enable sustainable bioreactor-based production of industrially relevant fatty acids.

A team led by Prof. Richard GU Hongri, Assistant Professor in the Division of Integrative Systems and Design of the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with experts in mechanical engineering and biomedicine, has developed an automated robotic nanoprobe. This device can navigate within living cell, sense metabolic whispers in real time, and pluck an individual mitochondrion for analysis or—all without the need for fluorescent labeling. It is the world’s first cell-manipulation nanoprobe that integrates both sensors and actuators at its tip, enabling a micro-robot to autonomously navigate inside live cells. The breakthrough holds great promise for advancing future treatment strategies for chronic diseases and cancer.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are widely used in smartphones and TVs thanks to their excellent color reproduction and thin, flexible planar structure. However, internal light loss has limited further improvements in brightness. KAIST researchers have now developed a technology that more than doubles OLED light-emission efficiency while maintaining the flat structure that is a key advantage of OLED displays.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are widely used in smartphones and TVs thanks to their excellent color reproduction and thin, flexible planar structure. However, internal light loss has limited further improvements in brightness. KAIST researchers have now developed a technology that more than doubles OLED light-emission efficiency while maintaining the flat structure that is a key advantage of OLED displays.

Although valued for their medicinal properties, ecological importance, and cultural heritage, mangrove habitats across the Arabian Gulf’s littoral states are under mounting threats. Despite their resilience and tolerance of scorching heat and hypersalinity, these ecosystems remain highly vulnerable to unchecked development and pollution. To safeguard these critical coastal forests, a new study calls for urgent, coordinated action rooted in the local context, guided by science, and supported by policy.

Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural environments in greater quantities than in urban locations, researchers say. 

Scientists led by the University of Leeds detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study – almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city center. 

They believe trees and other vegetation capture airborne microplastic particles from the atmosphere and deposit them, highlighting the impact that different landscape and weather conditions have on the spread of the particles. 

And they say that these unexpected results challenge the assumption that microplastic pollution is mainly an urban problem. 

Researchers have developed formamidinium (FA)-alloyed cesium lead iodide perovskite nanoplatelets that combine improvements in phase stability with linearly polarized red emission. By precisely controlling A-site composition and surface ligand interactions, the team achieved uniform, well-oriented superlattices that maintain optical performance under ambient conditions. This breakthrough provides a new route toward stable, directionally controlled light sources for advanced photonic and display technologies.