A new analysis of earthquake rupture directivity provides essential insights for seismic hazard and risk assessments in urban areas, particularly concerning the Main Marmara Fault near Istanbul in western Türkiye. Based on the correlation between rupture directivity and the direction of the transported seismic energy, a team of researchers led by Dr Xiang Cheng and Prof. Patricia Martínez-Garzón from the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany, has shown that quakes in the Marmara region transport a particularly large amount of energy and thus destructive force in the direction of Istanbul. Their study has been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. They analysed 31 well-constrained ML ≥ 3.5 earthquakes in this region. The unveiled critical patterns could influence preparedness for future seismic events in one of the world’s most populous cities.

There are strong images – both admiration and irritation – associated with the popularisation of vegetarianism and the use of meat substitutes. Marketing researchers from the University of Vaasa, Finland, have studied attitudes towards vegetarianism and why meat substitutes still do not make it off the shelf and into the shopping basket. Their research shows that meat alternative consumers elicit not only admiration but also envy, fear, contempt, and anger in others.

A research project led by Prof. Wei Wang from Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) and Dr. Xi Chen from Chengdu University of Technology has introduced a novel strategy for constructing active colloidal assemblies. This work, published in Research (2024, 7, 0490; DOI: 10.34133/research.0490), provides fresh insights into the design of smart materials with real-time, on-demand reconfiguration.