Researchers have developed an economical random fractional ¹³C labeling strategy using methanol for eukaryotic membrane proteins expressed in yeast. This method significantly improves spectral resolution in solid-state NMR studies, enabling clearer structural and dynamic analysis at a fraction of the cost of existing approaches.

Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become more violent. This rapidly evolving process creates a ‘sky’ of raining plasma blobs that continue to fall even after the flare subsides.

Macrolide antibiotics like azithromycin rely on a complex ring structure that’s powerful but notoriously hard to control.  Researchers have uncovered how bacterial enzymes shape this ring during the biosynthesis of the antibiotic pikromycin, revealing new ways to fine-tune macrolide structures. Their findings could open the door to designing improved antibiotics through smarter biosynthetic engineering.

This paper presents the synthesis of Co-doped nano-dendritic Cu₂O/Cu heterojunctions via a facile, green chemical replacement method. Atomic Co enhances nitrate adsorption, while metallic Co boosts active hydrogen (*H) generation. By tuning the Co doping concentration and form, *H levels on the catalyst surface are precisely controlled, optimizing ammonia selectivity in nitrate reduction by balancing *H availability and suppressing competing hydrogen evolution. This strategy effectively improves electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis performance.

Professor Jiawen Chen and Associate Researcher Yan Wang from South China Normal University, in collaboration with Professor Ben L. Feringa's team at the University of Groningen, Netherlands, designed a novel molecular machine with both rotational and shuttle motion modes. This molecular machine combines a sterically hindered olefin molecular motor, an H-type benzimidazole, and a crown ether system, achieving for the first time the control of rotaxane shuttle motion through the rotational motion of the molecular motor. The motion mechanism of this molecule was elucidated in detail using methods including two-dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. This work demonstrates the tuning effect of two different motion modes within a single molecular machine, providing a solid experimental foundation for the future design of multifunctional molecular machines with complex mechanical functions. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Researchers at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology and Osaka University have developed a computational model of how human emotions are formed. This system integrates body signals, sensory input, and language, forming emotional concepts that match the self-reported human emotional judgment with 75% accuracy. The findings highlight new ways of building emotionally aware artificial intelligence, with potential applications in mental health care, interactive robots, and assistive technologies.