A systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials involving 969 patients found that virtual reality (VR) was associated with short-term reductions in cancer-related pain and anxiety. Effects appeared more consistent in procedural settings and pediatric populations. However, because the evidence was low certainty and study methods varied substantially, further high-quality trials are needed before routine implementation.

A study in Geodesy and Geodynamics used satellite radar to examine the November 2025 Hayli Gubbi eruption in Ethiopia’s Afar Depression. Researchers combined NISAR’s left-looking radar with Sentinel-1’s right-looking observations to reconstruct three-dimensional ground movement. Although the eruption occurred at Hayli Gubbi, the strongest deformation was detected at Erta Ale, where the summit crater partially collapsed and the ground sank inward. Modeling linked this to two shallow dikes beneath Erta Ale, both about 1 km deep. The event also reactivated nine nearby faults. Compared with a larger eruption earlier in 2025, the November event was more localized and relied mainly on shallow magma storage.

A three-herb formula (Ganoderma lucidum, Rhodiola rosea, Paecilomyces hepiali) restored immune function in rats kept under simulated microgravity and then challenged with bacteria. Inflammation fell and the spleen stayed intact, with NF-κB/RelA, a switch that drives inflammation, held in check. This study provides a new approach for developing functional foods suitable for use during long-duration spaceflight.

Hot pepper (Capsicum annuum cv. Georgia Flame) is capable of remediating Cd, Ni, Cu and Zn from contaminated sites, and biochar combined with other amendments can improve metal uptake. Heavy metal concentrations in its fruits remain below safe consumption thresholds, demonstrating that phytoremediation using hot pepper represents a cost‑effective and eco‑friendly strategy for metal remediation.

Researchers have developed a fast, non-intrusive diagnostic approach for resolving the electron-density evolution of plasma generated by microscale explosive detonation. By combining microwave Rayleigh scattering with high-speed imaging, optical emission spectroscopy, thermodynamic calculations, and finite-element simulations, the study quantitatively determines the time-resolved electron density of HMX detonation plasma. The electron density reaches the order of 10²⁵ m⁻³, persists for approximately 1.91 μs, and exhibits a pronounced multi-peak evolution associated with the pulsation of detonation products.

Now, writing (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2025.100520) in the journal  eScience (Volume 6, Issue 4, July 2026), researchers from Jeju National University in South Korea, Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and Shivaji University in India report a humidity-sensitive memristive device built on a Au/Ni₂P₂O₇/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) architecture. The device achieves analog resistive switching with tunable resistance states under varying relative humidity (RH) levels, and demonstrates non-contact synaptic responses using moisture from a human finger.

A team led by researchers at East China Normal University, in collaboration with The University of Queensland, Fuzhou University, and Shanghai University, reports a Janus conductive metal-organic framework-on-conductive-metal-organic framework heterostructure that enables simultaneous production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and active chlorine by seawater electrolysis. The study, published (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2026.100581) on 1 September 2026 in eScience (Volume 6, Issue 5, Article 100581), demonstrates a bifunctional electrocatalyst that achieves high production rates and Faradaic efficiencies for both products.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Macau's Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has published (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2026.100549) a comprehensive perspective on this very question. In the journal eScience (Volume 6, Issue 4, July 2026), the team lays out a roadmap for achieving embodied intelligence in insect‑scale robots—charting a course from laboratory prototypes to practical, intelligent systems.

A new study published in Journal of Systematics and Evolution provides genomic clues to this question. Researchers from Southwest University, Dali University, and Arizona State University compared genomes from 15 spider species with different web-building strategies and identified evolutionary changes potentially associated with funnel-web construction.