The National Initiative for RNA Biology and its Applications (NIRBA) officially opened its new Hub at the National University of Singapore (NUS) today, marking a significant milestone in Singapore’s efforts to strengthen its capabilities in RNA science and accelerate the translation of research into healthcare, economic and societal impact.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Chairman of the National Research Foundation (NRF), and attended by leaders from academia, research institutions, industry and government agencies. Serving as the focal point of NIRBA’s hub-and-spoke model, the Hub will unite researchers, clinicians, technology platforms and industry partners to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate innovation in RNA science.

The sand used to build cities, roads and other infrastructure is being removed from many rivers faster than nature can replace it, according to a global review led by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).

An international team of scientists has uncovered new information about the natural enemies of the weevil beetle Lixus subtilis, a notorious agricultural pest. Published in the journal ZooKeys, the study reveals the discovery of an entirely new species of hyperparasitoid wasp in China, named after the famous writer Ernest Hemingway, alongside the first regional record of a wasp species that parasitises the weevil pest. Together, these findings offer critical insights into complex agricultural food chains and provide a foundational step toward developing better biological pest control methods. 

The High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF), a major national science and technology infrastructure project in China, has completed construction and passed its technological acceptance review on July 21. The facility is now commencing trial operations.

Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a novel chip architecture that enables the miniature acoustic devices inside smartphones to withstand over 12 times higher power loads while maintaining cooler and more stable operation.

In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an important component of comprehensive cancer treatment owing to its minimally invasive nature, low systemic toxicity, and high selectivity. However, the clinical efficacy of conventional photosensitizers has long been limited by their dependence on oxygen, insufficient tissue penetration, and inadequate targeting precision. Recently, a research team from China Three Gorges University published a review article in the journal BM, systematically summarizing the latest advances in six major classes of organic photosensitizers for cancer PDT: porphyrins, chlorins, phthalocyanines, fused-ring quinones, phenothiazines, and BODIPY derivatives. The review highlights that molecular-structure engineering, the development of nanodelivery systems, and multimodal combination-treatment strategies can substantially enhance reactive oxygen species generation and tumor-killing efficacy. These findings provide a systematic reference for the design of next-generation phototherapeutic agents that are highly efficient, minimally toxic, and suitable for treating deep-seated tumors.

Researchers have developed a novel adaptive asymptotic tracking control system for vehicle active suspensions, integrating an event-triggered mechanism and actuator saturation compensation. The technology improves ride smoothness and control accuracy while cutting computational load and communication resource consumption by over 80%, providing a practical low-cost solution for next-generation intelligent vehicle suspensions. The findings are published in Advanced Equipment.Researchers have developed a novel adaptive asymptotic tracking control system for vehicle active suspensions, integrating an event-triggered mechanism and actuator saturation compensation. The technology improves ride smoothness and control accuracy while cutting computational load and communication resource consumption by over 80%, providing a practical low-cost solution for next-generation intelligent vehicle suspensions. The findings are published in Advanced Equipment.

As intelligent electronics become increasingly integrated into daily life, health care, virtual interaction, and assistive systems, human–machine interfaces (HMIs) require sensing platforms that are not only wearable and self-powered but also capable of translating human signals into adaptive machine functions. Triboelectric wearable sensors are particularly attractive in this regard because they directly transduce human-generated mechanical stimuli, provide broad material and structural design freedom, and are readily adaptable to body-interfaced formats. In this review, wearability refers to body-mounted, skin-interfaced, textile-integrated, or otherwise human-attached triboelectric sensing platforms, whereas human-centric smart electronics refers to downstream electronic systems that remain functionally anchored to human-originated sensing, interpretation, feedback, or control. From this perspective, we review triboelectric wearable sensors from fundamentals to applications, covering working principles, material selection, device architectures, and fabrication strategies. We further discuss artificial intelligence-assisted signal processing, triboelectric artificial synapses, and neuromorphic computing as key bridges from self-powered sensing to intelligent HMI. Representative application spaces, including health care, gesture recognition, device control, immersive virtual interaction, wearable-to-robotic extensions, and intelligent transportation are discussed only when wearable triboelectric sensing serves as the primary human–input interface. Finally, the remaining challenges and future directions toward next-generation human-centric smart electronics are outlined.