Nitrous oxide is known as the gas used in whipped cream cartridges or as an anaesthetic in hospitals. But it’s much more than that. This potent greenhouse gas is also released from biological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), posing a real threat to our climate. PhD student Nina Roothans (University of Technology, Delft The Netherlands), who recently graduated cum laude, has identified practical strategies to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. Her groundbreaking work has now been published in Nature Water.

What makes people think an AI system is creative? New research shows that it depends on how much they see of the creative act. The findings have implications for how we research and design creative AI systems, and they also raise fundamental questions about how we perceive creativity in other people.

MicroRNA-27a has been shown to stimulate both the wingless-type integration site family, or Wnt signaling, and the bone morphogenetic protein pathways to actively promote bone regeneration, according to a recent study from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. Their important findings shed light on the intrinsic cellular pathways and mechanisms that are critical for the development of new bone-like tissue and could inform the design and development of future tissue regeneration therapies.

Scientists have developed a new microscope that significantly improves the way heat flow in materials can be measured. This advancement could lead to better designs for electronic devices and energy systems.