Researchers used in-situ cryogenic TEM imaging to directly observe formation of pure-phase ice I c on low-temperature substrates. The study resolves the long-standing debate about cubic ice's existence, with implications for materials science, geology, and climate science.
Scientists used Insight-HXMT and GECAM-C to accurately measure the brightness and energy released by GRB 221009A, which is 50 times brighter than previous records. The burst's isotropic-equivalent energy is about 10^55 erg, equivalent to 8 solar masses.
Researchers have found a new water reservoir on the Moon, discovered in impact glass beads, which can buffer the lunar surface water cycle. The study suggests that these beads can store and release solar wind-derived water, indicating their potential for in-situ resource utilization.
Researchers have overturned the traditional view that oxygen derives from water splitting, instead finding that reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced at mineral-water interfaces are a key source of oxygen. This discovery has significant implications for understanding the evolution of Earth's atmosphere and the habitability of early life.
Researchers developed a platform to study superconducting magnetic detection and phase transitions under high pressure using silicon vacancy defects. They successfully detected pressure-induced magnetic phase transitions in rare-earth magnets and measured the critical temperature-pressure diagram of a superconductor.
Researchers found that cellular growth rate influences gene expression response, leading to unbalanced phenotypic states and a growth-rate-dependent phase transition. The study proposes a mathematical model explaining the bifurcation arising from the relationship between growth rates and gene expression.
Chinese scientists have identified a key gene involved in crop alkaline tolerance, which may greatly improve crop yield in sodic environments. The study found that the gene negatively regulates alkaline stress by modulating the efflux of H2O2 under environmental stress.
A new method for global profiling of in-situ RNA–RNA contacts associated with specific RBP has been developed, revealing positional mechanisms by which PTBP1-associated RNA loops regulate cassette exon splicing. The study found that PTBP1 can modulate cassette exon splicing via mediating specific RNA loops in a position-dependent manner.
A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that pristine wetlands are currently a greenhouse gas sink, but this function will be reduced by over half in response to a 1.5-2°C temperature increase. Warming promotes net methane and nitrous oxide emissions from these ecosystems, posing a positive feedback on global warming.
Researchers have pushed single-atom vibrational spectroscopy to the level of chemical bonds, enabling precise measurements of point defects in graphene. The study found unique vibrational modes for two types of silicon point defects, with stronger signals for one defect configuration.
Researchers used demographic modeling to reconstruct wheat's evolutionary history during the Holocene, revealing its origins near the Caspian Sea and slow speciation process. The study also found that crop relatives are valuable for breeding resilient crops but face decline due to changes in human diets and climate change.
Researchers developed a chemical scissors-mediated structural editing strategy to regulate the structure and elemental composition of MAX phases/MXenes. This approach enables the creation of novel MAX phase and MXene materials with improved functional applications.
A research group has developed a family of eco-friendly glass fabricated from biologically derived amino acids or peptides. The proposed glass is biodegradable and biorecyclable due to its unique combination of functional properties, including excellent optical characteristics and good mechanical properties.
A genomic study of ancient humans on the Tibetan Plateau reveals a single origin for ancient humans, deriving from a northern East Asian population. The study also found distinct genetic patterns in different regions of the plateau, indicating three regional groups with unique historical patterns that began to merge after 2500 BP.
Researchers have developed CAR T cell-based microrobots that can autonomously navigate to tumor sites and exert immune effects. The M-CAR T demonstrated controllable movement and penetrated artificial tumor tissues under magnetic-acoustic sequential actuation.
Researchers found that honeybee foragers use waggle dance to provide both polar flight instructions (bearing and distance) and Cartesian-location vectors to approach the source. This new understanding reveals the complexity of symbolic communication in honeybees, adding new insights to the study of their navigational abilities.
A study published in Neuron reveals the intricate neural mechanisms underlying fragmented feeding behavior in mice. The researchers identified three key populations: ARC AgRP neurons regulating non-feeding behavior, LH GABA neurons mediating feeding initiation, and DR GABA neurons maintaining feeding duration.
Researchers found that young honey bees who followed dances of older bees improved their performance, reducing disordered dances and increasing orderly ones. Social signal learning refines behaviors for local conditions, suggesting it's advantageous for novice dancers to learn from experienced ones.
The study reveals the formation of boron clusters with magic numbers on monolayer borophene, leading to spontaneous transformation into bilayer borophene. Density functional theory calculations identify B5 clusters as the result of in-plane charge distribution and electron delocalization.
Researchers have developed a new method for downregulating gene translation in plants using upstream open reading frames (uORFs). The study, published in Nature Biotechnology, demonstrates the potential for precise and incremental regulation of gene expression.
Researchers have identified a gene network underlying rice grain size regulation, revealing a phosphorylation-driven auxin signaling pathway. The study found that OsTIR1–OsIAA10–OsARF4 plays a crucial role in controlling rice grain size and weight.
Researchers from Shanghai Astronomical Observatory detect radio recombination lines of carbon and oxygen ions for the first time, using the TianMa 65-m Radio Telescope. The discovery allows for accurate measurement of element abundances and has significant implications for studying interstellar chemistry and molecular formation.
The study reveals that Antarctic bottom water (AABW) has collapsed several times in the past, with these collapses linked to an enhancement of North Atlantic Deepwater and intensified Northern Hemisphere glaciation. AABW collapse may have pulled Earth into harsher glacial climates in the past.
Researchers have created twin-bioengine yeast micro/nanorobots that can autonomously navigate to inflamed sites in the gut, providing precise delivery of therapeutics via enzyme-macrophage switching. The robots effectively penetrate intestinal mucus barriers and increase drug accumulation at diseased sites.
Researchers have identified two giant proteins and two Ca2+ binding proteins as the key components behind the ultrafast contraction of Spirostomum, a genus of single-celled protists. The study's findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism of ultrafast cell contraction.
Researchers found a significant link between chronic pain and dementia, with multisite chronic pain increasing the risk of neurocognitive abnormality by up to eight years.
A Chinese research team has developed a barocaloric thermal battery concept that extracts thermal energy from low-temperature waste heat sources by controlling pressure. The system, materialized in ammonium thiocyanate, releases up to 11 times more heat than the mechanical energy input.
Scientists have developed a new material that enables the manipulation of light at the nanoscale through gate-tuning, overcoming current limitations. This breakthrough has significant implications for future high-performance information devices.
A research team at Chinese Academy of Sciences creates a spinal cord-like implant with covalent conjugation between biomaterials and cells, promoting cell retention and neural regeneration in rats after spinal cord injury. The study's findings have potential implications for human spinal cord tissue engineering therapy.
Researchers have identified specific subtypes of ellipsoid body (EB) ring neurons that regulate sleep in Drosophila. These subtypes, including R3p and R4m neurons, promote daytime sleep and nighttime wakefulness, respectively.
Researchers have identified superfast muscles in mouse legs using new technology, opening up possibilities for therapeutic interventions to improve human limb movements. The discovery sheds light on the mechanisms behind fast twitch muscles and fatigue-resistant oxidative muscles.
A study by Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers found that group-living mammals live longer than solitary ones, with a 100-fold variation in longevity among species. The team identified 31 genes and pathways linked to both social organization and lifespan.
Researchers from the STAR Collaboration have observed a global spin alignment signal in heavy-ion collisions, showing a preference for one state over two in phi mesons. The surprising pattern cannot be explained by conventional mechanisms and is linked to local fluctuations in the strong force within the quark-gluon plasma.
Scientists have discovered a quadratic relationship between the coefficient of T-linear resistivity and transition temperature in FeSe, indicating that spin fluctuations may play a common role in unconventional superconductors. This finding provides insight into high-temperature superconductivity.
Researchers from Chinese Academy of Sciences provide panoramic view of global forest patterns, highlighting pervasive effect of human impacts on protected areas and intact forest landscapes.
Researchers found that the stellar initial mass function varies with metallicity and age of stars, affecting galaxy formation and chemical enrichment estimates. The study used LAMOST telescope data to count red dwarf stars and measure their metallicity, revealing a variable abundance of low-mass stars in the Milky Way.
A study in a subtropical forest found that arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) trees outperform ectomycorrhizal (EcM) trees in high-diversity ecosystems due to more efficient nutrient-acquisition strategies. In contrast, EcM tree monocultures had reduced net primary production and were dominated by pathogenic fungi.
A new superaerophilic/superaerophobic cooperative Pt electrode promotes efficient mass transfer of hydrogen, reducing oversaturated dissolved hydrogen and improving HER efficiency. The design achieves significant overpotential reductions compared to traditional flat electrodes.
Researchers discovered poly(A)-tail-mediated remodeling of maternal mRNA during the oocyte-to-embryo transition, involving partial degradation and re-polyadenylation. This process is essential for human embryo development, as blocked re-polyadenylation leads to failed first embryo cleavage.
Researchers developed a novel acid-resistant nanofiltration membrane for efficient treatment of acidic wastewater. The membrane shows high permeation for H+ while maintaining high retention for organics, making it beneficial for 'zero discharge' in strongly acidic organic wastewater reclamation.
A study reveals that endogenous retroviruses awaken during aging, leading to cellular senescence and acceleration of aging. Researchers propose a new theory of programmed and contagious aging induced by ERV resurrection.
Researchers have observed steric effects, the interactions of molecules depending on their spatial orientation, in a chemical reaction involving non-polar molecules for the first time. This breakthrough opens the door to an entirely new way to control chemical reactions.
A genetically engineered bacterium has enabled the biosynthesis of melanin nanoparticles with excellent biocompatibility, stability, and photothermal conversion efficiency. The resulting nanoparticles showed strong absorption in the near-infrared region and high antitumor efficacy for photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy.
A recent study found that agricultural droughts in Central Asia will continue to worsen due to human-induced warming and natural climate variability. The researchers used ensemble simulations and observations to project future changes in agricultural droughts across the region, indicating a worsening trend in the coming century.
Researchers discovered a method to create long-range ordered porous carbon (LOPC) crystals using electron injection, preserving the periodic stacking of nanomaterials. The method allows for precise control of interfaces in crystal structures, enabling new material construction like LEGO blocks.
Researchers found high ferric iron content in agglutinate glass from lunar soil returned by China's Chang'e-5 mission. The discovery challenges previous knowledge about lunar ferric iron and suggests ongoing charge disproportionation reactions, leading to progressively increasing ferric iron on the Moon's surface.
A recent study has revealed a novel cold domesticated repair mechanism for DNA damage in rice, providing elite modules for improving chilling tolerance. The discovery of GCG codon repeats in the first exon of COLD11, a DNA repair protein, has opened the way for fine regulation of rice chilling tolerance with a single site.
Fossil pollen contains compounds that function like sunscreen, protecting plants from UV-B radiation. The discovery supports the theory of a collapse of the Earth's ozone layer contributing to the end-Permian mass extinction event.
Research finds that black carbon aerosols from South Asia contribute to the melting of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau, reducing precipitation and mass gain. The study reveals a 11% impact on average glacier mass loss in Tibet and 22% in the Himalayas since 2007.
Researchers identified seven exotic igneous clasts in Chang'e-5 samples, providing critical information about the Moon's lithological diversity and regolith gardening process. The findings indicate that there are still unknown geological units on the moon, which may aid future lunar exploration missions.