Instead of being discarded after seawater desalination, concentrated brine can gain a second life as a chemical feedstock. Researchers have developed a solar-driven offshore continuous-flow platform that couples freshwater production with selective methane conversion by directly reusing desalination brine as the chlorine source. The integrated system simultaneously produces freshwater and chloromethane, offering a strategy for the in situ utilization of offshore natural gas resources and introducing a new approach to solar-driven offshore chemical manufacturing.

This new review interrogates how bacterial persisters survive antibiotic exposure and drive the development of chronic, recurrent, and difficult-to-treat infections. The work distinguishes the difference among persistence, tolerance and resistance. It further synthesizes current understanding of persister pathobiology, as well as interactions between persister populations, the host, and co-occurring pathogens. Additionally, this review outlines emerging persister detection methods and promising therapeutic strategies to eradicate persister cells, including combination antibiotic therapies, metabolic targeting interventions, and host-directed anti-persister approaches.

Recently, the research team led by Xiang Ma and Fan Gu from East China University of Science and Technology developed a luminescent soft material by doping coronene into an epoxy-based shape memory polymer, demonstrating both actuation capability and tunable ultralong afterglow property at high temperature. This strategy enabled real-time visual monitoring of dynamic material deformation at temperatures up to 200 °C, opening up new avenues for intelligent equipment monitoring, information encryption and circuit protection in extreme environments.

Researchers have developed a thermo-viscoelastic modeling framework to predict the damage initiation strength of composite solid propellants under varying temperatures and strain rates. By combining thermo-viscoelastic constitutive theory with the force–heat equivalence energy density principle, the new model provides an efficient and low-cost alternative to conventional experimental approaches, offering a practical tool for evaluating the structural integrity and storage safety of solid rocket propellants.

A study of 21 adults receiving seasonal influenza vaccination found that pre-existing antibody levels were associated with distinct B-cell responses. Individuals with different baseline antibody levels showed differences in B-cell receptor features and antibody breadth after vaccination. The findings provide new insights into how pre-existing immunity may influence responses to influenza vaccination.

Researchers have developed a dopamine-enhanced soft electrode that helps wearable drug-delivery patches operate more reliably in wet conditions. The additive improves the electrode’s structure, protects it during electrical operation and strengthens its attachment to the device. In laboratory tests using pig skin, the electrode delivered model compounds more effectively and remained functional during repeated use, offering a potential route to longer-lasting iontophoresis patches.

In its August 2026 issue, Petroleum Science publishes a landmark editorial that identifies 100 fundamental scientific challenges facing petroleum science—a discipline at a historic inflection point. Compiled through a rigorous five-year process involving hundreds of experts worldwide, the list spans six domains and three archetypes of scientific problems. The editorial reveals that artificial intelligence has evolved from an enabler into a core driver, and together with the low-carbon transition, is fundamentally redefining the paradigm of petroleum science. This roadmap is intended to guide research planning, investment, and talent development for decades to come.