Professor Pei-Qiang Huang's research group at Xiamen University recently reported the first reduction-cross-coupling reaction of aliphatic tertiary amides with 4-cyanopyridine via iridium and photoredox tandem catalysis. This method is based on the formation of imineonium through iridium-catalyzed hydrosilylation and acid catalysis, followed by tandem photocatalysis to generate two radicals (C,N,N trialkyl α-amino radical and stable 4-cyano-1,4-dihydropyridine radical) which then undergo a cross-coupling reaction. The reaction exhibits excellent chemoselectivity, enabling gram-scale reactions with extremely low catalyst loadings, and the products can be converted in one step to partially and fully saturated α-nitrogen-substituted amines. These characteristics make this method promising for applications in organic synthesis, natural products, and pharmaceuticals. The article was published as an open access Research Article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Sandy soils are among the most challenging environments for agriculture because water drains quickly and nutrients are easily lost. A new long-term field experiment shows that combining biochar with compost and sludge can dramatically improve how sandy soils retain water, offering a practical strategy for farming in drought-prone regions.

In the complex world of soil and water chemistry, certain minerals act like microscopic sponges, soaking up pollutants and keeping our environment safe. Among the most dangerous of these pollutants is hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), a highly toxic and mobile substance often found at industrial and mining sites. Now, a groundbreaking study published in Carbon Research has identified the specific "superstar" minerals that are best at neutralizing this threat while simultaneously locking away organic carbon.

Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature.

In a new study in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of “smart fluids” called nematic liquid crystal microcolloids, allowing for reconfigurable self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal host.

17 February 2026 / Kiel / Las Palmas. Yesterday, an international team of researchers from various disciplines set off aboard the German research vessel METEOR for an expedition along the west coast of Africa, led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The expedition focuses on two poorly understood phenomena: the Benguela upwelling system off the coasts of Angola and Namibia, which partly operates independently of the wind, and the recurring marine heatwaves known as Benguela Niños, which have a significant impact on the local climate and cause flooding in Angola and Namibia.

Rice bioengineer Jerzy Szablowski has been named a 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in chemistry, one of the most competitive honors for early career scientists in the U.S. and Canada.

SAN ANTONIO — February 17, 2026 —Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) Metering Research Facility (MRF) has received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for natural gas flow calibration, which confirms compliance with international testing and calibration standards. As a result, SwRI is now certified by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to offer highly specialized calibration services to a broad range of energy sector clients, including natural gas pipeline operators, flow meter manufacturers and power plants.

Four New York University faculty have been awarded fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Danique Jeurissen, an assistant professor of neural science, and Marvin Parasram, an assistant professor of chemistry, as well as Florian Schäfer and Joseph Tassarotti, assistant professors in NYU’s Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science.