RODIN - Cell-mediated Sculptable Living Platforms-, is set to revolutionize the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering by shifting the focus from designing materials for cells to empowering cells to design their own environments. The team composed by Professor João Mano at the Associate Laboratory CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials from University of Aveiro (Portugal) - The Biomaterials Engineer, Professor Tom Ellis at Imperial College London (UK)- The Synthetic Biologist and Professor Nuno Araújo at Faculty of Sciences, from the University of Lisbon (Portugal)- The Physicist, will combine expertise to rethink how living systems interact with materials.

A new ERC synergy grant provides funding to investigate the role of turbulence in the physics of stratocumulus clouds and create meteorological models to improve weather and climate predictions

The interdisciplinary team consists of Eberhard Bodenschatz (Göttingen, Germany), Fabian Hoffmann (Berlin, Germany), Bernhard Mehlig (Gothenburg, Sweden) and Pier Siebesma (Delft, Netherlands), and their research groups

The team was awarded 13,7 million euros for six years

The limited fast-charging capability and safety concerns caused by lithium dendrite growth have long hindered the development of high-performance graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries. While various interface engineering strategies have been proposed, a solution that simultaneously facilitates lithium-ion desolvation and enhances ion transport remains elusive. A recent study published in National Science Review introduces a glassy metal-organic framework (MOF glass) coating developed by a team at China's Central South University, offering a solution to both challenges. The designed MOF-coated graphite anode enables selective pre-desolvation of Li⁺ ions and establishes a highly conductive interface for Li⁺ ions, leading to remarkable cycling stability under high-current conditions. This work opens a transformative strategy toward fast-charging and high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.

These insects, including pollinators, predators, and crop pests, play a vital role in moving nutrients, energy, and genetic material across ecosystems. Studying them has proven notoriously difficult, as they spend much of their lives high in the atmosphere.

The Institute for Fusion Science installed the "Hyperspectral Camera for Auroral Imaging (HySCAI)" in Kiruna, Sweden, in May 2023 and commenced full-scale observations in September of the same year. A research group led by Professor Katsumi Iida and Assistant Professor Mikio Yoshinuma from the National Institute for Fusion Science, Professor Yusuke Ebihara from the Institute for Advanced Studies on Human Survival and Environmental Science at Kyoto University, and Professor Kazuo Shiokawa from the Institute for Space and Earth Environmental Research at Nagoya University has now succeeded in observing the altitude distribution of blue nitrogen ion (N₂⁺) auroras emitting light during astronomical twilight using HySCAI. This research developed a completely novel method, utilizing the phenomenon where the altitude at which sunlight illuminates the aurora changes as twilight progresses. This enabled precise observation of the altitude distribution of the nitrogen ion's emission intensity. The peak was found to be located at an altitude of approximately 200 km, exhibiting extremely high intensity.