Ionic thermoelectrics (i-TEs) convert temperature differences into electricity, taking forms from liquids and gels to polyelectrolytes and porous solids. A new review in National Science Review takes a bird's-eye view—from the physics and chemistry of a single electrolyte to the engineering of commercial products—and lays out a material–device–system design framework. The authors conclude that reaching commercial products demands concerted, cross-disciplinary efforts in standardization, scalable manufacturing, reliability, and sustainability—not merely ever-higher performance metrics.

Near‑Earth asteroid impacts pose a major threat that could lead to the destruction of human civilization, having already caused catastrophic environmental changes and mass extinctions multiple times in history. In recent years, asteroids with diameters ranging from tens to hundreds of meters have frequently made close flybys of Earth, and a large number of large‑sized asteroids remain undiscovered, with warning times often only a few days to weeks. For large‑sized asteroids exceeding 100 meters in diameter, or even kilometer‑scale ones, traditional kinetic impact or long‑term force deflection methods offer limited energy and cannot achieve effective deflection within short timeframes. Using the enormous energy generated by nuclear detonation to directly destroy or rapidly deflect the asteroid's orbit is the most effective, and in extreme cases the only feasible, approach for dealing with large asteroids or those with short warning times. However, existing research on detonation defense has mostly focused on the direct rendezvous impact mode, in which the impact and detonation positions cannot be autonomously selected and energy coupling is relatively weak. Moreover, there is a lack of systematic analysis of the capability coverage and overall effectiveness of different defense modes, severely constraining the optimization of engineering designs.

Researchers have built the first photonic computing chip that simultaneously exploits 32 wavelengths, 3 spatial modes, and 2 polarizations—192 parallel channels in total. The chip supports dynamically reconfigurable convolution kernels up to 13×13, enabling multi‑scale feature extraction and structured noise suppression. It achieves an experimental throughput of 15.36 TOPS, paving the way for high‑precision optical AI in computer vision and biomedical imaging.

Autophagy plays a cell-specific, bidirectional role in neuropathic pain-protective in some contexts but potentially detrimental in others. This review maps the complex regulatory network across neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, and critically evaluates therapeutic strategies targeting this cellular process, offering a roadmap for developing precision treatments.

As humanity enters the era of long‑term crewed deep‑space exploration, understanding the brain’s adaptive mechanisms to extreme environments such as microgravity and radiation has become a critical issue in space medicine. Previous studies using magnetic resonance imaging have revealed structural brain plasticity after spaceflight, including ventricular expansion and changes in grey matter volume. However, knowledge of dynamic changes at the neurophysiological level remains limited, and most existing evidence comes from group‑level analyses of long‑duration missions (e.g., six months), leaving the specific neurofunctional impact of short‑duration missions on individuals unclear. Conventional neuroimaging equipment is bulky and cannot be used in orbit. In contrast, electroencephalography (EEG) is portable, low‑cost, and repeatable, and has shown sensitivity in neurological conditions such as concussion, but its application in the extreme spaceflight environment has not been reported. Therefore, validating the feasibility of portable EEG technology for monitoring individual brain function before and after short‑duration spaceflight holds significant practical value for building future in‑orbit brain health assessment systems in deep‑space exploration.

Homeostatic Medicine, as an emerging integrative discipline, is driving a profound shift in medical paradigms from the traditional "eradication of pathogenic factors" to the "restoration of inherent homeostasis" by decoding the core mechanisms of the body's self-regulation. This discipline redefines the essence of health and disease, offering a novel theoretical framework and clinical intervention strategies for disease prevention and treatment.

Researchers from Chongqing Medical University discovered that excessive fibrin deposition drives chronic gum inflammation in diabetes by disrupting immune-epithelial crosstalk. By utilizing an engineered peptide (377P) to block fibrin-macrophage interactions, the team successfully suppressed inflammation, restored the mucosal barrier, and promoted alveolar bone healing in diabetic mice. This study identifies fibrin as a druggable target for diabetic periodontitis and potentially other systemic diabetic complications.