As water scarcity becomes a growing threat to agriculture, scientists are searching for crop traits that help plants stay productive under drought.

Chemistry isn’t always known for its sustainable methodologies and simple execution, though the possibilities for finding more direct and efficient ways to synthesize products are limitless. Conventional methods for modifying drug intermediates with the addition of a carboxyl group (a functional group consisting of a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen molecule, with a single bond to a hydroxyl group, or -OH) using carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a process called carboxylation often are expensive, have poor stability and high activation energy costs. Alternatively, this study focuses on newer advances in the carboxylation of heteroaromatic compounds, which are organic molecules arranged in a ring format, making them very stable and necessary building blocks for many organic compounds. The advancements shown here use CO₂ as a raw material to develop a greener, highly selective and efficient way to add CO₂  to heteroaromatic compounds under mild conditions.

One hundred years after the technique was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) is still making waves in the scientific world. Theodor Svedberg developed the approach in the 1920s, using it to characterize tiny gold particles. Now, AUC helps researchers determine specific properties of individual molecules clustered together, such as those used in pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals.

High-capacity lithium-ion anodes often undergo an “activation” process in which capacity initially decreases and then gradually recovers during cycling, delaying full battery performance. Researchers have now shown that this behavior is strongly dependent on particle size. Using a Sn-based model system, the team found that large particles exhibit pronounced activation, whereas small particles show little to no activation. Their results reveal that the difference arises from a stress-induced kinetic retardation during lithiation, providing new guidance for the design of advanced battery materials.

In a newly published research article in Space: Science & Technology, an international team of researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN); the China Academy of Space Technology; the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences; the Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and the China University of Geosciences jointly presents a detailed account of the successful deployment of the INRRI laser retroreflector on the lunar farside by the Chang’e-6 mission.

The escalating advancements in wireless communication and electronic devices have intensified electromagnetic pollution, driving an urgent demand for high-performance microwave absorption materials (MAMs). The core challenge in designing high-performance MAMs is the simultaneous achievement of excellent impedance matching and a strong attenuation capability. Early research primarily focused on conventional materials such as carbon-based structures and ferrites. Although carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes offer strong dielectric loss, their high conductivity often leads to poor impedance matching and surface reflection. Furthermore, although ferrites provide magnetic loss, their low Snoek's limit restricts their application at high frequencies.

A research team led by Prof. Jin Ge reports a strategy to markedly enhance iontronic mechanical sensors by tuning two previously underexplored electrical parameters—ionic conductivity and excitation frequency. Through a droplet-based model system combined with impedance spectroscopy and equivalent circuit analysis, the study establishes a quantitative framework linking these parameters to device impedance and capacitance variation. The results reveal that reducing ionic conductivity while increasing excitation frequency significantly boosts sensitivity, achieving up to 8772% improvement without altering device structure. The approach is further validated in hydrogel-based solid-state systems, demonstrating broad applicability. Prototype devices enable real-time pressure sensing, material differentiation in robotic systems, and 2D pressure mapping, offering a new pathway for the rational design and optimization of iontronic sensors.

The integration of liquid metals into conductive hydrogels has long been hindered by particle instability and coalescence. Researchers from Fuzhou University have developed a novel stabilization strategy using gelatin to create a highly uniform, conductive, and stretchable hydrogel. This "electronic skin" not only monitors human motion with high sensitivity but also utilizes deep learning for real-time handwriting recognition and harvests solar energy via photothermal conversion.