Research just published by the American Geophysical Union digs deeper into the carbon-storing power of wetlands along North America’s Pacific coast.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences has gone in this seventeenth edition to Avelino Corma (Institute of Chemical Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València-CSIC, Spain), John F. Hartwig (University of California, Berkeley, United States) and Helmut Schwarz (Technical University of Berlin, Germany) for fundamental advances in the catalysis field, in the words of the committee, that have made it possible to “control and accelerate chemical reactions” and obtain products across multiple industrial processes, thereby “improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption.”

Researcher Thomas Vilgis wondered if there was a more ethical way to enjoy foie gras, so he and his colleagues created a process to replicate the dish without force-feeding ducks and geese beyond their normal diets. They treated the fat with the bird’s own lipases, mimicking the activities that occur naturally in the duck’s body, and the resultant foie gras looked correct with noninvasive laser microscopy. The team confirmed the physical properties with stress-deformation tests and found that the treated foie gras had a similar mouthfeel to the original.

In Physics of Fluids, researchers from the University of Strathclyde examine the properties of several dairy-free butter alternatives inside one of the region’s most well-known snacks: Scottish shortbread. The group tested the alternatives in their lab, selecting three types of vegan butter substitutes with different levels of fat and comparing their consistencies and responses to heat. The vegan alternative with the highest fat content behaved like butter when baked and yielded the most positive feedback in taste testing. Butter typically has a fat content around 80%, and the group recommends choosing a vegan butter with a similar consistency.

While hydrogen production technologies are gaining attraction for a sustainable energy transition, traditional water electrolysis is challenged by its high voltage requirements. To overcome this limitation, chemical water-assisted electrolysis is emerging as a promising alternative. This technology replaces the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of traditional water electrolysis with various chemical oxidation reactions to produce hydrogen at lower voltages. In addition, it can generate high-value products or remove pollutants in the process, enabling simultaneous energy production and environmental improvement.

However, compared to the thermodynamic potential, the actual driving potential is still high due to overpotential problems. This review presents the latest catalyst design strategies aimed at addressing the high overpotential issues associated with five chemical water-assisted electrolysis reactions, including ammonia, alcohol, urea, hydrazine, and biomass. These strategies contribute to reducing overpotential while simultaneously enhancing long-term stability, demonstrating potential as a clean hydrogen production technology. This work was published on February 24, 2025, in Industrial Chemistry & Materials.

Imagine a world where batteries can repair themselves, extending their lifespan, improving safety, and making electronic devices more resilient. This once futuristic concept is now becoming a reality. Inspired by nature’s ability to heal wounds, self-healing batteries can autonomously recover from physical and chemical damage, making them particularly valuable for flexible electronics, wearable devices, and other high-stress applications. A recent review published in Energy Materials and Devices explores the cutting-edge progress in self-healing materials for battery components, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities in this emerging field.