The fixed idea that DNA is only a molecule that stores genetic information is being challenged. KAIST researchers have developed a technology that controls the chemical environment around catalysts at the nanometer scale by designing DNA sequences, the arrangement of A, T, G, and C that make up genetic information. The team has presented a new catalyst platform that can improve hydrogen production efficiency and increase the yield of desired chemical products by designing DNA much like writing a computer program.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used simulations to show that a newly developed, compact X-ray telescope could be used to map the chemical composition of the entire Moon surface, a vital breakthrough for understanding its geological evolution. Detailed modeling of the detector and a realistic satellite mission show that two years would be enough to map five key elements, while an array of five-by-five detectors could improve resolution and get results faster.

A new pharmaceutical production method could allow astronauts on long space missions to "grow" fresh medicines on demand using plants. The work could also bring low-cost pharmaceutical production to resource-limited areas on Earth.

As the planet warms, soils may release more nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas linked to agriculture, fertilizer use, and microbial nitrogen cycling. A new study published in Biochar shows that biochar, a carbon-rich material made by heating biomass with limited oxygen, can change how strongly soil nitrous oxide emissions respond to rising temperatures. But the effect is not one-size-fits-all.

A new study published in Biochar presents a greener way to make slow-release fertilizers that could help farmers grow healthier crops while reducing nutrient loss to the environment.

Rice feeds more than half of the world’s population, but producing it often requires large amounts of water and nitrogen fertilizer. Conventional flooded rice fields can support stable yields, yet they also place heavy pressure on water resources and contribute to ammonia emissions from agriculture. A new two-year field study published in Biochar suggests that a combined strategy using alternate wetting and drying irrigation and nitrogen-loaded biochar may offer a practical path toward more sustainable rice production.

Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have found a surprisingly simple method to create and control a broad variety of entangled quantum states.