Scientists from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered the earliest fossil evidence of annelids (ringed worms) in Cambrian microfossils dating back approximately 535 million years ago. This discovery offers fresh insights into the origin and early evolution of the annelids, a group of animals that includes bristle worms, earthworms, leeches, and peanut worms.

This study reveals that geographic isolation and Quaternary climatic fluctuations jointly drove genetic differentiation and multiple glacial refugia of the fully mycoheterotrophic herb Burmannia nepalensis, with recent human activity causing population decline.

Monolithic microcavity-metalens interfaces offer a promising strategy for realizing high-performance quantum light sources. By integrating quantum-dot-micropillars with ultra-thin metalenses, this platform delivers single-photon sources with high brightness, high purity, and near-unity indistinguishability, together with flexible control over radiation divergence, emission directionality, polarization, and orbital angular momentum (OAM). It also enables the generation of polarization-OAM entanglement and single-photon skyrmions with topologically robustness. The study points to new possibilities for integrated quantum photonics and meta-optics.

This comprehensive study illuminates the extraordinary genetic richness of indigenous Ethiopian cattle and provides a roadmap for leveraging cutting-edge molecular tools to revolutionize sustainable livestock breeding in the region.  

A global collaborative study has clarified the phylogeny and generic boundaries of tribe Astragaleae, the most species-rich legume group containing the world’s largest angiosperm genus Astragalus. 

Integrative morphological and molecular evidence confirms the rediscovery of a long-lost Osmanthus species, revealing its declining population and urgent conservation needs.

Research finds soil inorganic carbon rise offsets organic carbon loss, masking ecosystem degradation beneath stable total carbon pools.

A landmark lipidomic study reveals that ceramides modulate salicylic and jasmonic acid pathways to govern resistance to Sporisorium scitamineum.

This study investigates the adaptive mechanisms of the rare orchid Paphiopedilum purpuratum under ex situ conservation, uncovering physiological trade-offs such as enhanced seed production accompanied by lowered photosynthetic capacity and elevated oxidative stress. It further demonstrates that host nitrogen metabolism shapes root fungal communities, driving two contrasting adaptive strategies—stable, reorganized mycorrhizal networks and dynamic, pathogen-suppressive non-mycorrhizal shifts—providing a multi-level microbial framework for improving long-term ex situ conservation of rare orchids.