Researchers at Soochow University have conducted a comprehensive electrokinetic study on cation-coupled electrochemical CO₂ reduction to formic acid or formate. Published in Science Bulletin, the study provides compelling experimental evidence that supports existing computational predictions: the reaction proceeds through sequential electron and proton transfers, rather than a concerted proton-coupled electron transfer pathway.

In a paper published in National Science Review, a research team proposed a highly sensitive soft smart contact lens, establishing an eye-machine interaction (EMI) system for controlling external coded objects. The lens demonstrates excellent biocompatibility, and its feasibility for practical applications has been successfully validated through drone flight control experiments.

Researchers at the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Urban Analytics Lab have developed an open-source AI model that maps carbon emissions from individual buildings using only publicly available data. Applied to more than 500,000 buildings across five global cities (Singapore, New York, Melbourne, Seattle and Washington DC) the model accurately identifies emission hotspots and reveals how a city’s planning history, building density, and income levels shape urban carbon footprints. The tool, which uses satellite imagery, street views, and other open geospatial data, aims to help cities design more targeted and equitable climate policies.

Men assessed as healthy after a pathologist analyses their tissue sample may still have an early form of prostate cancer. Using AI, researchers at Uppsala University have been able to find subtle tissue changes that allow the cancer to be detected long before it becomes visible to the human eye.

Soft robots need advanced sensing to safely interact with humans, but combining multiple sensors in soft materials is difficult. Researchers have developed a new vision-based sensing system called ProTac that allows a robot to switch between touch and proximity sensing using a soft skin that changes transparency. Integrated into robot arms, ProTac enables safer and more precise control. This innovation offers a scalable solution for improving human-robot interaction in complex, real-world environments.

Turbulence, the chaotic, irregular motion that causes the bumpiness we sometimes experience on an airplane, has intrigued scientists for centuries. Until recently, scientists believed that two different types of turbulence - inertial turbulence and elastic turbulence, occurred under separate conditions. Now, new research from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology challenges this long-standing assumption. 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how the same health information affects the behavior of individuals differently. A recent study revealed cultural differences in how people respond to hypothetical COVID-19 infection information at the local level. The analysis also found differences in how individual subgroups react differently to pandemic information.