Controlling light at the nanoscale unlocks opportunities for future technologies. Scientists from Australia and the United States have discovered that micron-scale gold antennas, fabricated on the surface of calcite, can act as miniature mirrors to launch “ghost” light waves over unprecedented distances. This breakthrough, which increases propagation length by four-fold, offers potential applications in improved heat management in high-performance computers. This strategy paves the way for next-generation nanophotonic technologies.

This study extends Thouless pumping from periodic to quasi-periodic driving, uncovering the intrinsic link between topological transport and the irrational frequency ratio of the lattice modulation. The findings broaden the applicability of Thouless pumping in topological transport.

A perspective published by researchers at the University of Science and Technology Beijing discusses research by Stoddart et al. in Nature Chemistry that demonstrates that engineered supramolecular crystals can optimize hydrogen storage performance.

New computer simulations that model every atom of a protein as it folds into its final three-dimensional form support the existence of a recently identified type of protein misfolding.

Scientists from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered a massive hydrogen-rich hydrothermal system beneath the western Pacific seafloor, offering a new glimpse into deep-sea serpentinization—a process in which iron- and magnesium-rich rocks chemically react with water to form serpentine minerals and release hydrogen.

Organic molecules that combine efficient light emission for displays and strong light absorption for bioimaging are difficult to design due to conflicting structural requirements. Researchers from Japan addressed this challenge by developing CzTRZCN, a single molecule that switches structure depending on light interaction, enabling both two-photon absorption and thermally activated delayed fluorescence. These dual functions are useful in OLEDs and biomedical imaging, paving the way for versatile organic materials in electronics, medicine, and life sciences.