As electric vehicles surge onto our roads and portable devices dominate our daily lives, lithium-ion batteries have become the invisible powerhouses of modern technology. Yet beneath their sleek exteriors lies a critical vulnerability: manufacturing defects that can transform these energy storage marvels into potential safety hazards. A recently published review sheds light on this pressing issue, revealing how tiny metal particles, especially copper contaminants, can trigger catastrophic battery failures.

Picture this: a self-driving car smoothly navigating treacherous mountain roads with consecutive hairpin turns – a scenario that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers. This vision is now closer to reality, thanks to groundbreaking research that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to tackle one of autonomous driving's most formidable challenges.

Bright squeezed light, combining quantum noise reduction with high optical power, is a valuable resource for quantum sensing. To achieve this goal, scientists in China developed a nonclassical hybrid passive–active power stabilization technique that extends the stabilization bandwidth to MHz frequencies. They experimentally realized −5.5 dB squeezing at 1 mW across the kHz–MHz band. The novelty technique enables the new possibilities in quantum metrology and precision measurement.

The team of Yanxing Jia and Aili Fan from Peking University used the known ( S )-4-tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy-2-cyclopentenone as the starting material, introduced amino and hydroxyl groups through rhodium-catalyzed aziridination/ring-opening reaction, and constructed the [3.2.1] bridged ring skeleton through Prins cyclization reaction. Finally, through the increase of oxidation state and functional group transformation, they achieved the first total synthesis of hemiketal tetrodotoxin (hemiketalTTX) in 23 steps with a total yield of 0.7%, effectively solving the problem of scarce sources of hemiketalTTX. The research results were published in CCS Chemistry as a Communication.

A team of scientists has discovered that the ability of biochar to conduct electricity can significantly affect methane emissions from rice paddies, one of the largest sources of agricultural greenhouse gases worldwide.

In a pioneering study that explores the intricate relationship between industrial output, coal consumption, and life expectancy, researchers are shedding light on the environmental and health dynamics in ASEAN nations. The study, titled "Coal Consumption as a Moderator in the Link Between Industrial Output and Life Expectancy in ASEAN Nations," is led by Prof. Abdul Rahim Ridzuan from the Institute for Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (IBDAAI) at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia, and the Centre for Economic Development and Policy (CEDP) at Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. This research offers valuable insights into how coal consumption influences both economic growth and public health in the region.

Alfalfa, a globally important forage crop, has long lacked efficient tools for chromosome identification due to its complex polyploid genome. 

Fruit ripening is a tightly regulated process influenced by genetic and epigenetic factors. 

Roots are the unseen foundation of crop productivity, yet their genetic blueprint remains underexplored in alfalfa, one of the world’s most important forage legumes.