Harvard researchers have found that silica, long thought to lack the right properties for optical metasurfaces, can sometimes outperform standard high-index materials like titanium dioxide.

Stewart McCorkle Faculty Fellow Brett G. Compton coauthored a comprehensive review on the physics of direct-ink writing (DIW), a highly versatile type of 3D printing, which was published on January 5th in Volume 58 of the journal Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics.  

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that foams — from soap suds to food emulsions — are not static, as long assumed, but instead continuously reorganize themselves in ways that mathematically resemble how modern AI systems learn.

A substance poisonous to humans — hydrogen cyanide — may have helped create the seeds of life on Earth. At cold temperatures, hydrogen cyanide forms crystals. And, according to computer models reported in ACS Central Science, some of the facets on these crystals are highly reactive, enabling chemical reactions that are otherwise not possible at low temperatures. The researchers say these reactions could have started a cascade that gave rise to several building blocks of life.

Early in 2025, scientists discovered a promising new antibiotic in a soil sample from a lab technician’s backyard. The molecule, called lariocidin, is produced by the microbe Paenibacillus and shows broad activity against pathogenic bacteria, including several that are multi-drug-resistant. Now, the researchers report in ACS Infectious Diseases how Paenibacillus avoids harm by its own antibiotic — information that is crucial for developing lariocidin or similar compounds into new drug candidates.

Chemical looping fluidized bed reactors are an innovative technology for green hydrogen and chemical production. Recently, researchers have comprehensively reviewed the latest developments in chemical looping, with a focus on fluidized bed design and oxygen carrier performance. The findings of the study can pave the way for low-emission power generation, inherent carbon dioxide separation, carbon footprint reduction, and industrial decarbonization.

Researchers at TU Wien have discovered an unexpected new state of matter in which topological properties emerge even though the usual particle picture of electrons breaks down. The findings show that topological states can arise in strongly fluctuating, quantum-critical materials, challenging long-held theoretical assumptions. This opens a new pathway for identifying novel topological materials with potential applications in quantum technologies and advanced sensing.