Adrián Sánchez Fernández, a researcher at the Centre for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, has been awarded the 2026 María Miguel Award by the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS), one of Europe’s most prestigious distinctions for early-career researchers who have established an outstanding and independent scientific profile in colloid and interface science.

Researchers at The University of Manchester have uncovered how plants and soil microbes divide up nitrogen in alpine ecosystems, helping explain how these communities coexist in nutrient‑limited environments.

Channeling is an issue that arises as hot water passes through a pressed “puck” of espresso: The water follows the path of least resistance through the coffee grounds, resulting in an uneven brew and bitter flavor. So researchers in Poland brewed hundreds of cups at varying pressures to determine the physical properties of espresso brewing and improve the preparation process. After about 30-40 seconds, all the coffee dissolves, and what is left can be classified as a poroelastic material that exhibits nonlinear pressure dynamics.