Boundary states in topological states of matter are determined by bulk topological invariants. The conventional bulk–boundary correspondence typically maps a single invariant to a specific boundary mode, which complicates the description of systems hosting multiple coexisting topological phases. Now, writing in the journal National Science Review, researchers proposed a unified characterization of strong, weak, and higher-order topological boundary states in two-dimensional Floquet systems using three complementary one-dimensional winding numbers, offering new insights into the prediction and manipulation of complex topological phases.

Professor Wenkun Zhu and Professor Tao Chen’s research group at Southwest University of Science and Technology has published a research article in Science Bulletin demonstrating the development of an atomically dispersed U−O−Ti bimetallic photoanode material (U/TiO₂ NRA). Utilizing a facile photodeposition method, the team successfully anchored uranium single atoms directly from uranium-containing wastewater onto TiO₂ nanorod arrays rich in oxygen vacancies. The as-fabricated catalyst exhibits exceptional photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, offering a novel strategy for both the high-value utilization of depleted uranium resources and the design of efficient photoelectrocatalytic materials.

Fruit volume in Chinese flowering plants is largely shaped by evolutionary relationships, but warmer climates weaken this phylogenetic constraint, highlighting the context‑dependent role of evolutionary history in plant reproductive traits.

A study led by Professor Bing Liu and Researcher Ang Li reveals that neuroticism contains two distinct dimensions with opposing health effects. While general neuroticism is linked to mental disorders, a newly identified dimension called ERIS shows that individuals prone to worry actually live longer—suggesting different dimensions of neuroticism serve distinct evolutionary missions: “ensuring survival” versus “pursuing happiness.”

Vocalization feedback monitoring, i.e., listening to one’s vocalizations during vocal production, plays a pivotal role in vocal production control and learning in humans and other mammals. So far, the auditory system has been routinely studied using playback experiments on restrained, non-vocalizing animals. Now, writing in the journal SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences, a team of researchers from Jinhong Luo – Central China Normal University established an ethological paradigm and recorded the single-unit activities of inferior colliculus (IC) in unrestrained, vocalizing bats that could move their head and ears freely. The data suggest the IC as a crucial auditory center for distinguishing between self-produced vocalizations and external sounds.