Researchers developed a molecular locking strategy using an InClx interlayer to stabilize OSCs, enabling highly efficient and stable photovoltaic devices. The approach achieved a record active-area PCE of 18.8% and demonstrated operational stability.
A study published in Nature Sustainability found that wetland reclamation provides limited agricultural gains, with nearly half of reclaimed croplands producing lower yields than existing crops. Meanwhile, 52% of these croplands face high flood exposure, with an average flood-exposure probability 23 times that of croplands overall.
Stronger winds are associated with lower water-use efficiency across 80% of monitored sites, with evapotranspiration being the main driver of this effect. Future climate changes in wind speed could significantly influence ecosystem water-use efficiency, especially in humid regions and evergreen needleleaf forests.
A new study calls for locally tailored wastewater reuse in China to alleviate water scarcity. The researchers found that centralized wastewater treatment systems have reached efficiency limits and are not sufficient to meet the demand. A hybrid strategy combining centralized and decentralized treatment could meet national targets while...
A newly discovered Jurassic fossil, Yuezhuornis yangyuanensis, challenges the traditional view of early bird evolution, revealing a complex process involving the exploration of different ecological niches. The fossil's unique anatomy, including serrated teeth and a hyperextensible second toe, suggests a terrestrial, flightless lifestyle.
A new spatial genomics technology, SpaceA, has been developed to study the complex three-dimensional organization of chromatin in tissues. The technology enables the profiling of long-range chromatin interactions, revealing dynamic genome structures during mouse embryonic development.
Researchers have created a topological microscope tip that senses spin-related electronic states at atomic resolution, revealing evidence of 2D altermagnetism in KV2Se2O. The study demonstrates how topological edge states can become functional components of atomic-scale instruments.
The soft robotic fish achieves high-speed swimming and 3D maneuverability by combining electrohydraulic propulsion with dynamic buoyancy regulation. It sets a new speed record for soft robotic fish using body-caudal-fin propulsion, reaching 2.13 body lengths per second.
Researchers created a 3D map of rice development, identifying 119 cell types and 133 subtypes across different organs and stages. The study reveals the pleiotropic master regulator OsARF1 and its regulatory networks, as well as widespread asymmetric gene expression guiding tissue patterning and resource distribution.
A new study combines genomic analyses and fossil evidence to shed light on the early evolution of winged insects. The findings support the hypothesis that mayflies and dragonflies form a single evolutionary group, Palaeoptera, which is the sister group of Neoptera.
A new study found that armed conflict accelerates cropland loss, with areas experiencing high-frequency and severe conflicts losing significant cropland. The study also highlights the importance of monitoring conflict alongside cropland change and integrating humanitarian responses with efforts to restore agricultural infrastructure.
Researchers developed a Prussian blue-based strategy to regulate crystallization and ion migration in perovskite solar cells, achieving high power conversion efficiencies. The strategy controlled crystallization and suppressed ion migration, promoting preferential crystal growth and alleviating tensile lattice strain.
Researchers have developed an open, low-cost imaging-based ST platform called OpenFISH, which integrates spatial transcriptomics and MALDI-MSI on the same slide. This platform addresses two major ST challenges, reducing the cost by 95% compared to commercial platforms.
Researchers developed a new method to manipulate objects on solid surfaces using specially structured vibrations. The approach uses a passive subwavelength-encoded platform to generate flexural-wave vortices, allowing for confinement, transportation, and rotation of objects across multiple scales.
The South Asian summer monsoon's impact on the Mediterranean region is expected to decline under global warming. The study found that the monsoon's heating leads to a weakening of atmospheric circulation over the Mediterranean, resulting in reduced clouds and rainfall.
Researchers found face-centered cubic γ-Fe in lunar soil samples, which can preserve magnetic information from different stages of lunar impacts. The discovery expands our understanding of ancient lunar magnetism and may provide new insights into the Moon's evolution.
Global warming is causing heatwaves to occur earlier, lasting longer, and developing faster worldwide, with significant changes observed in drylands. The study found that heatwave risks depend not only on intensity and duration but also on timing and onset speed.
A new study reveals that plant community turnover and nematode body width shape soil nematode diversity across different spatial scales. Nematode diversity consistently increases with plant β-diversity, emphasizing the need to maintain a mosaic of plant communities to safeguard hidden biodiversity.
The joint observations from the Einstein Probe and LHAASO reveal a 42-light-year-long X-ray tail near a pulsar, tracing the long journey of high-energy cosmic particles. The tail's direction matches the ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray emission, indicating that particles do not immediately diffuse isotropically after leaving their source.
Researchers have found a way to harness waste heat from water electrolysis to desalinate seawater and produce fresh water alongside hydrogen. The new STHW process couples alkaline water electrolysis with low-temperature vacuum distillation desalination, achieving high hydrogen productivity and improving electrical efficiency.
Researchers identified ANKRD11 as a key regulator that suppresses CD8+ T cell activity during chronic hepatitis B virus infection and cancer. ANKRD11 deficiency reprograms CD8+ T cell differentiation to enhance immunity in chronic infection and cancer, making it a potential therapeutic target.
Researchers from NIMTE developed a coumarin-linked covalent organic framework (COF) that enables high-efficiency photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production. The COF achieved a hydrogen evolution rate of 531 mmol g-1 h-1 under 440 nm irradiation.
Researchers have characterized the structural and functional properties of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 sublineage RE.2.2, which displays enhanced binding to human ACE2 receptor and a novel N-linked glycosylation site. The study found that RE.2.2 has a distinct antibody escape profile and a remodeled immune evasion landscape.
Researchers found that music produced a distinct reorganization of communication between auditory regions and key stress-related areas, including the insula and thalamus. Music was associated with improved positive mood and faster physiological recovery from acute stress.
Researchers discover two Denisovan parietal bones and one partial radius, providing clues to Denisovan physical traits. The study uses a novel proteomic strategy to identify hominin remains, filling a long-standing distribution gap for Denisovans in Southwest China.
The BESIII Collaboration has achieved the world's most precise measurement of the Lambda hyperon electric dipole moment using quantum-entangled Lambda-anti-Lambda pairs. The result improves experimental sensitivity by three orders of magnitude, providing a new way to probe charge-parity violation in particles containing strange quarks.
A multidisciplinary study in ancient Gansu found no evidence of direct population influx with western-derived agriculture, suggesting cultural diffusion through the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor. Genetic analysis also revealed complex kinship networks and burial customs, with no strict alignment between genetic ancestry and archaeologi...
Increasing temperature weakens spin-orbit coupling in topological insulators like Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3, driving a transition to normal insulating state. This phenomenon suggests that temperature could serve as a new knob for controlling materials' electronic properties.
Researchers found that cosmic star formation has declined dramatically, but neutral atomic hydrogen density has only decreased slightly. The study suggests that the decline in star formation activity is not due to the depletion of gas, but rather a decrease in the efficiency of converting gas into molecular hydrogen.
A new study reveals that a single gut bacterium, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum (BP), and its metabolite 5-aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVAB), can alleviate multiple hallmarks of aging and extend healthy lifespan in mice. This finding suggests a simple yet powerful strategy for promoting healthy aging.
A new study using clinical aging clocks reveals distinct aging transitions in men and women, with men experiencing a metabolic transition at 35-45 years and women at 55-65 years. The study also found that several metabolic factors contribute to aging and that some effects are partially reversible.
A warming tropical pool has temporarily slowed Antarctic ice loss by triggering a Rossby wave train and reorganizing moisture transport, resulting in a 695 billion-ton mass gain. This phenomenon, linked to tropical warm-pool warming, demonstrates the complex interactions between atmospheric circulation and ice sheet mass changes.
A new stepwise evaporation method called Step-Eva has been developed to reduce contact resistance in transistors. This process enables the direct in situ growth of single-crystal metal films on semiconductors, promoting atomic diffusion and facilitating lateral domain coalescence. The resulting single-crystal metal contacts exhibit low...
A new stem-insect species, Chosha praecursor, reveals that insects did not immediately become fully terrestrial after colonizing land. Instead, they retained and remodeled ancestral aquatic features and passed through a prolonged semi-aquatic, amphibious phase.
Researchers reconstructed the ancestral karyotype of the banana family, revealing a stepwise reduction in chromosome numbers from 17 to 9–11. The study also linked chromosome structural evolution to bract color differentiation, providing insights into the genetic regulation of ornamental banana coloration.
A global forest study found that trees do not substantially alter their physiological traits to cope with prolonged drought. However, maintaining physiological capacity may allow trees to maximize carbon assimilation during favorable periods, while narrowing hydraulic safety margins pose a threat.
Researchers achieved a significant advance in controlling quantum states of matter by harnessing vacuum fluctuations to enhance superconductivity. The team demonstrated a substantial increase in the superconducting critical temperature of NbSe2, with a 5.4% increase in a six-layer device.
Researchers uncover ancient energy-sensing signaling cascade in marine oysters that sheds light on human lung adenocarcinoma. The KAT2/HDACIIa–PGK–ALDO axis promotes glycolytic flux to ensure cell survival under energy stress.
A new study reveals that topography is the key factor controlling how mountain erosion responds to large earthquakes. Researchers found that differences in landscape steepness, hillslope-to-channel connectivity, and river transport capacity determine the erosion process. In steeper areas, deep-seated landslides carried material from de...
Researchers developed Film-Rupture Actuated Capillary Enrichment (FACE) to collect airborne samples, achieving detection sensitivity 100 times higher than traditional systems. The device uses surface tension and a bioinspired physical mechanism, eliminating the need for pumps or batteries.
A study maps how antibodies target a key region of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, neutralizing the virus, and how emerging variants escape. Researchers identified three immune escape strategies: disruption, glycan shielding, and conformational remodeling.
Scientists have developed a new synergistic metallization strategy for TOPCon solar cells, achieving a certified power conversion efficiency of 26.31%. The approach reduces optical shading and contact resistance losses, boosting the short-circuit current density to a record high.
A new study finds that ancient trees preserve rare genetic variation that is poorly represented elsewhere. The research suggests that population history, rather than tree age, contributes to the evolutionary importance of these trees.
A 300-million-year-old event shows that volcanic activity and orbital forcing combined to trigger rapid warming. The study reveals the importance of sustained orbital forcing in triggering positive climate-carbon cycle feedbacks, leading to massive carbon release and abrupt large-scale warming.
Researchers developed a new method to improve the fabrication of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) through blade coating, enabling large-scale manufacturing of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. The approach enhances device reproducibility and stability by suppressing SAM aggregation.
Researchers found that upper and lower surfaces of oak leaves support different microbial communities, with the upper surface hosting stress-tolerant genera and the lower surface favoring sugar-fermenting taxa and insect-associated bacteria. The two sides show striking seasonal divergence in terms of diversity and abundance.
A new study reveals that Siberian permafrost regions are emitting large amounts of methane, with emissions rising by 12.0 Tg between 2010 and 2023. The increase is driven by climate change, with western Siberia experiencing warmer conditions and eastern Siberia becoming drier, leading to an accelerating growth in methane emissions.
Researchers have improved TOPCon solar cells' power conversion efficiency using a new synergistic metallization strategy. This approach enables efficient charge extraction while preserving passivation layers, resulting in high certified PCE of 26.31% and boosted short-circuit current density.
The BESIII Collaboration identified the dominant constituent of the X(2370) as a pseudoscalar glueball with spin-parity quantum numbers of 0⁻⁺. This discovery provides decisive validation of quantum chromodynamics at low energies and represents an entirely new form of matter.
Chinese scientists have observed hafnium-153, an extremely rare isotope, using the High Intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF). The discovery provides critical experimental information for testing nuclear models and advancing our understanding of nuclear structure.