As artificial intelligence becomes a powerful force in scientific discovery, researchers are asking a critical question: Is AI truly changing the scientific method, or is it simply the next stage of computational research? A new editorial published in Artificial Intelligence & Environment examines this turning point and calls for transparent, responsible, and human-guided use of AI for Science, also known as AI4S.

Soil moisture does more than help crops grow. It also shapes the invisible microbial reactions that determine whether nitrogen fertilizer is efficiently converted in soil or temporarily builds up as reactive nitrogen compounds. A new study published in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes reveals how changing soil water levels can disrupt the balance between two key steps of nitrification, a central process in the soil nitrogen cycle.

- KAIST, ATG Lifetech Inc., and Ewha Womans University developed the world's first foundational technology for "temperature-based DNA synthesis," marking a paradigm shift in how DNA is synthesized

- Desired DNA can be synthesized without expensive equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars... a power-free "DNA temperature black box" was also implemented

The non-alcoholic beer market has experienced double-digit growth in both sales and volume for at least the past four years. However, removing most of the alcohol also removes an important food safety protection. Addressing these concerns, a team of food scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station evaluated prevention methods for five common foodborne pathogens. They found that the most robust protection for non-alcoholic beer came when a moderately acidic pH of 4.2 or less was combined with a moderate level of hops and moderate carbonation. The results of their study were published in Frontiers in Microbiology.

Brick kilns have long supported construction and economic development, but their legacy can remain in the soil long after production stops. A new study published in Agricultural Ecology and Environment examines how arsenic contamination around a shut-down brick kiln in Anhui Province, China, changes the structure, interactions, and metabolic potential of soil bacterial communities.

Lehigh University researchers have discovered that tiny drug-delivery robots, known as microswimmers, unexpectedly reverse their direction of motion when traveling through complex, non-Newtonian fluids like blood and mucus. Published in Applied Physics Letters, the study provides the first experimental proof of this "backward sliding" phenomenon. This foundational insight into fluid rheology could fundamentally change how biomedical engineers manipulate and control microscale robots for targeted drug delivery inside the human body, turning the surrounding bodily fluids from a navigation obstacle into a mechanism for steering control.

Tuberculosis, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the world’s deadliest single-agent caused infection, responsible for 1.23 million deaths in 2024, according to the World Health Organization. The bacterium’s unique outer cell membrane is notoriously hard to penetrate, making few drugs, including antibiotics, effective in treating the disease.  However, a research team led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed a pair of techniques that can vastly speed up the search for better tuberculosis drugs.

With a $4M grant from the National Institutes of Health, a University of Houston pioneer in autoimmune research is launching a 10-year study set to target the very heart of autoimmune disease – examining what causes the body to attack itself and identifying biological pathways that could become targets for new treatments.