A special issue in the journal Nature Conservation, recently published and edited by an expert group led by Josef Wanzenböck, is dedicated to the unique and highly specialised fish and their importance for wetland conservation in Europe.

A green iguana, the world’s smallest otter species and an invasive freshwater jellyfish were among the unexpected discoveries from Curtin University’s BioBlitz at its Perth, Singapore and Malaysia campuses recently.

 

More than 100 students and staff across the three campuses took part in the 2026 BioBlitz, racing to identify as many species as possible by testing air, water and surface samples for environmental DNA (eDNA) shed by organisms.

 

New study demonstrates a superconducting memory bit that operates close to the minimum energy allowed by physics

A study published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts reports a room-temperature hydroplasticization strategy for transforming porous wood into ultra-strong, shapeable and water-stable materials. By partially removing lignin, introducing a cellulose crosslinking network and allowing the structure to densify during drying, the researchers achieved a tensile strength of 405.5 MPa and a wet tensile strength of 86.7 MPa. The resulting material can be shaped into products such as forks, plates and drinking straws. Life-cycle assessment also indicated a lower carbon footprint than several conventional petroleum-based plastics. Although the findings highlight the potential of hydroplastic wood as a sustainable alternative, further work is needed to simplify processing and support industrial-scale production.

The CiQUS researcher will pursue his project in Spain with one of the most prestigious international fellowships for early-career scientists

Carbonate cerium and neodymium isotope records from South China show that low-oxygen waters invaded shallow habitats twice during the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction, with a brief recovery between the two pulses. Earth-system models suggest that rapid climate swings reorganized continental weathering and nutrient delivery, amplifying marine oxygen loss and ecological stress.

Opto-electronic integration organically combines the high-speed modulation and transmission of light with the precise control of electricity, serving as a core enabler for the practical deployment of photonic quantum devices. A recent review article published in *National Science Review* by a joint research team from the University of Science and Technology of China, Peking University, National University of Defense Technology, and Nanjing University systematically summarizes this field. The research team reviews the progress of on-chip opto-electronic integrated technologies, introduces their applications in quantum light sources, quantum frequency conversion, quantum communication, and quantum computing, analyzes existing challenges, and prospects future development pathways. This work helps further optimize on-chip photonic quantum hardware schemes and provides references for the subsequent engineering development of scalable photonic quantum systems.