The number of plant species in many ecosystems in Europe has grown rather than shrunk over the last 100 years. However, this is not necessarily cause for celebration as this local increase is primarily due to generalists and non-native species, which compete with the original native species. Moreover, the overall number of species has not increased across Europe. These were the findings of an international research team led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). In its latest study, published in the scientific journal “Nature Communications”, the team analysed more than 57,000 time series of plant biodiversity across various habitats in Europe.

Scientists from NTU Singapore and Waseda University have developed a flexible “diving suit” for cyborg cockroaches, enabling the insects to survive, and move underwater and in low-oxygen environments for up to three hours. Published today in Nature Communications, the study could expand the use of cyborg insects in search-and-rescue missions, especially in disaster zones where flooded rubble, puddles or partially submerged spaces can block access for conventional robots.

In tests, the scientists built plastic tubes that simulated various environments, such as flooded tunnels filled with carbon dioxide to replicate a low-oxygen environment. With the new 3D-printed suit, the cyborg insects were able to remain active and move underwater for up to three hours. This turns the land-based cyborg insect into an amphibious cyborg that could operate across both dry and wet terrain. The work builds on more than a decade of cyborg insect research at NTU, where Prof Sato has developed cyborg insects for applications across land, sea and air.

Universitat Jaume I students Pau Montagut Bofi and Mario García Blasco, from the Bachelor's Degree in Robotic Intelligence, have won first place in the international competition of the workshop From Data to Decisions: VLA Pipelines for Real Robots, a specialised event held within the framework of the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2026), the world's largest robotics conference, which took place in Vienna from 1 to 5 June.

Scientists have synthesised novel chemical frameworks capable of reversible magnetic switching, which can form the building blocks for next-generation data storage units, quantum processors, and advanced industrial sensors.

Using noninvasive monitoring in eastern Honduras, researchers found that small mammals, not large wildlife like tapirs, drive cassava crop loss, highlighting the need for evidence-based, wildlife-friendly solutions. The full detailed results have been published in the open-access peer-reviewed journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation.

 

Semiconductor electrodes offer powerful routes to engineer electrochemical function, yet predicting surface confined charge transfer remains challenging because crystallography and doping reshape interfacial structure, band bending, and potential distribution. Zhong et al. mapped these coupled effects reported recently by Frontiers of Materials Science, using ferrocene (Fc) monolayers grafted onto hydrogen-terminated p- and n-type Si(100), Si(110), and Si(111).

Affective computing depends on biosensors capable of detecting physiological signals associated with human emotions. Chitosan, a naturally occurring cationic polysaccharide derived from chitin, has emerged as a promising platform for such devices due to its renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and ease of chemical modification. Chitosan-based materials show strong potential for next-generation biosensors in affective computing, owing to their intrinsic properties that meet many of the requirements for emotion-sensing devices.

 Researchers have developed a dynamic interfacial polymerization strategy that fabricates TpPa‑1 covalent organic framework (COF) membranes on polyacrylonitrile substrates in just 3 minutes – drastically reducing the conventional synthesis time from several days. The resulting membrane exhibits a permeance of 865 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·MPa⁻¹ and a separation factor of 212 for methyl blue/Na₂SO₄ nanofiltration, outperforming most reported COF membranes. The membrane also demonstrates excellent stability, maintaining dye rejection above 99 % over 40 hours and showing good acid resistance.