A soft, LEGO-like hydrogel system enables reversible 3D information encoding through supramolecular assembly and orthogonal stimulus responses, allowing over 800 billion data configurations in a 5×5 array. This low-cost, reconfigurable platform supports dynamic data storage, masking, and rewriting.

New research by MIT scientists raises the possibility that a so-called ionic liquid could support life in worlds without water. Lab experiments show that ionic liquids can form from chemical ingredients that likely exist on the surface of some rocky planets and moons. 

Dried fruit is a tasty snack or sweet addition to recipes, but the water removal process often requires heat and energy. In a step toward more sustainable food preservation, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have developed a method to dry food at room temperature by adjusting air pressure conditions and using food-safe calcium chloride. In a proof-of-concept, the system successfully dried mango and apple slices to commercial levels.