A research team from Tianjin University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has developed a novel electrode architecture that significantly enhances the performance and longevity of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with ultra-low platinum loading. By incorporating ordered ionomer micropillars into the electrode structure, the team achieved a 29% increase in peak power density under low-humidity conditions compared to conventional flat electrodes.

Developing nano-iontronic devices that minimize ionic interference is essential for precise measurements in complex physiological systems. The stacked‑overlapped graphdiyne (so‑GDY) nano‑iontronic pH sensor fabricated on a nanopipette tip can achieve that the ionic current decreases linearly from pH 8.00 to 5.50 under negative bias, due to protonation of oxygenated surface groups. The device shows excellent monovalent/divalent selectivity, reversibility, stability and biocompatibility, which enables minimally invasive, real‑time single‑cell and subcellular pH monitoring.

Studies explored the role of H3K27me3 in early embryonic cell fate decisions via PCGF1-knockout models, finding that PCGF1 deficiency leads to embryonic lethality and blocked gastrulation. Mechanistically, PCGF1 maintains H3K27me3 homeostasis to silence pluripotency genes and balance epigenetic marks, highlighting dynamic H3K27me3 remodeling as a key driver of early lineage specification with implications for developmental biology and regenerative medicine.

In vivo CAR-T therapy marks a paradigm shift by generating CAR-T cells directly inside patients through advanced gene delivery. This article presents a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of the field, integrating delivery platform engineering, clinical progress, and translational challenges. By comparing viral and non-viral strategies and summarizing global trials in cancer and autoimmune diseases, it provides a roadmap for clinical development.

In tropical cities, afternoon thunderstorms can plunge entire neighborhoods into brief moments of darkness. 

When civil engineer Markus Schläpfer moved to Singapore a decade ago, he recognized these thunderstorms as an emerging engineering challenge. For cities that hope to run on solar energy, these short periods without strong sunlight could destabilize urban power grids and undermine reliability.

In a new paper, published April 7 in Nature Communications,  Schläpfer and collaborators explain how tropical cities, which will soon contain half of the global population, can address this problem without expensive infrastructure build-outs. For Schläpfer, the solution lies in connecting electric vehicles to the grid. 

"If you have a thunderstorm moving over an area with solar energy, you can have your electric cars that are parked serve as the energy source and balance out this lack of energy generation," said Schläpfer, assistant professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Columbia Engineering. “When the thunderstorm moves away, the cars are charged again by the photovoltaics.”