Scientists from Shibaura Institute of Technology have developed a power-free acoustic testing system that uses the sound of bursting bubble wrap as an impulse source. The system can detect foreign objects in pipes with a 2% error margin using wavelet-based sound analysis. This eco-friendly, low-cost approach eliminates the need for specialist equipment, making on-site inspections safer and easier, even in flammable environments.

Air pollution doesn’t just damage health - it can also make workplaces more dangerous, according to scientists from Yonsei University. Analyzing 5,873 safety liability accidents in China over 20 years, the researchers found that doubling PM_2.5 concentrations led to a 2.6-fold increase in accident probability, 37% more deaths, and 51% more casualties. The findings highlight a critical but overlooked dimension of air pollution’s social and economic burden.

An out-of-this-world idea: placing data centres in space could pave the way for sustainable computing with unlimited solar energy and free cooling, says scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore). The researchers outline a practical path to building carbon-neutral data centres in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a concept particularly relevant to land-scarce cities like Singapore, where limited land and high real estate costs make conventional data centres increasingly expensive. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Electronics, the study presents a framework for how satellites equipped with advanced processors could serve as orbital edge and cloud data centres. The new paper asserts that space offers two unparalleled environmental advantages, virtually unlimited solar energy and natural radiative cooling enabled by the extreme cold temperatures. In addition, virtual models show that solar-powered orbital data centres could offset their launch emissions within a few years of operation.

In a review article published in MedComm – Biomaterials and Applications, a team of researchers from multiple institutions in China comprehensively explores lipid‐based nanocarriers (LBNCs) as a transformative solution for liver diseases. The review details the rational design of various LBNC types (including liposomes, micelles, nanoemulsions, and more), their preclinical and clinical applications in treating conditions like hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as the key challenges hindering their translation from laboratory to clinic. It also proposes forward‐looking strategies, such as AI‐driven lipid optimization, to accelerate the clinical adoption of LBNC‐based therapies.

Researchers at The University of Osaka and The University of Tokyo developed a photoactivatable alkyne tag that enables stable, selective visualization of biomolecules inside living cells. The technology would contribute to reveal previously unseen molecular communication, paving the way for advances in cell biology and drug discovery.