Seamless integration between electronics and the human body is the goal, and Ga-LMs are key to this transformation. Essential properties,such as, fluidity, conductivity, and biocompatibility, enable Ga-LMs to form stretchable, self-healing circuits, paving the way for advanced wearables, soft robotics, and medical implants that promise to redefine human-machine interaction.

In the macro world, building a robot is straightforward: you connect motors to joints and follow the laws of physics. But at the nanoscale—where machines are a billion times smaller—how to build a robot? Scientists are now engineering DNA to perform complex tasks at the nanoscale, building machines that move, grip, and even process information. In a new review published in SmartBot, Professor Lifeng Zhou of Peking University, along with Academician Jian S. Dai from Southern University of Science and Technology, takes us through the cutting-edge world of DNA nanorobots and explores the transition from static DNA structures to dynamic, programmable machines.

Water, despite its abundance, high heat capacity, and environmental benignity, has long been constrained by its intrinsic density (~ 1.0 g cm⁻³) and fluidic nature, which limit its use as a lightweight, structurally stable material above the freezing point. Reconfiguring water into an ultra-light yet solid-like form while retaining its inherent thermal and optical advantages is therefore of great significance for next-generation cooling technologies that demand low mass, portability, and sustainability. Herein, we report an ultra-light hydrogel based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), in which hollow foaming microspheres are incorporated to create ultra-low-density water materials. By confining water within this composite network, the hydrogel achieves a record-low density of 0.041 g cm⁻³ while maintaining a high water content of 52.7 wt%. The microspheres generate sealed air pockets that serve as highly effective thermal barriers, yielding a thermal conductivity of only 0.034–0.039 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and enabling a > 50 °C temperature differential in hot-stage tests. Furthermore, the hydrogel exhibits excellent spectral properties, with high solar reflectance (0.94) and high infrared emittance (0.84), resulting in a sub-ambient cooling of up to 10.8 °C in outdoor experiments. The synergy of ultra-low density, mechanical robustness, and multifunctional thermal regulation demonstrates a viable pathway toward practical light water materials for energy-efficient, portable, and sustainable thermal management.

“Skyrmions,” in which electron spins inside a magnet are arranged like vortices, are a key structure in next-generation spintronics technology. KAIST researchers have shown that skyrmions can form using only the fundamental physical interactions within magnets, without requiring special physical conditions. This finding expands the possibility of realizing skyrmions in a wide range of magnetic materials and suggests new potential for developing next-generation ultra-low-power information devices with data storage densities tens to hundreds of times higher than current technologies.

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is pleased to announce that Chun Li, PhD, professor of chemistry in the Department of Cancer Systems Imaging at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, has been selected as the recipient of a $100,000 Drs. Jane & Abass Alavi Mars Shot Research Award from the 2026 Mars Shot Fund. The Alavi Mars Shot Award is focused on advancing imaging research in infection and inflammation, and Li's grant was awarded based on his proposal, "Imaging vascular inflammation and response to therapy in atherosclerotic coronary artery disease."

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is pleased to announce that Carolyn J. Anderson, PhD--Steve and Karen Ellebracht Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, professor of radiology, and associate director of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia--has been selected as the recipient of a $100,000 Drs. Jane & Abass Alavi Mars Shot Research Award from the 2026 Mars Shot Fund. The Alavi Mars Shot Award is focused on advancing imaging research in infection and inflammation, and Anderson s grant was awarded based on her proposal, "Fluorine-18 LLP2A for PET imaging of vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell disease."

A new study  by Prof. YANG Yuanhe from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences now reveals that nitrogen fixation by microbes associated with mosses is a previously underestimated yet critical factor in sustaining plant growth in permafrost ecosystems under warming conditions.