A research paper by scientists at Duke University School of Medicine presented a novel sharp-edge acoustofluidic platform designed for rapid and effective sample preparation, coupled with sensitive detection of specific sEV populations based on their surface markers..

The research paper, published on Jul. 17, 2025 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Researchers have developed a manganese-based, cobalt-free lithium-excess layered cathode that significantly advances the performance of lithium-ion batteries. By employing an O₂-type honeycomb structure, the material demonstrates high reversible capacity, long cycling stability, and improved thermal safety. This design achieves ~284 mAh g⁻¹ with an energy density of 956 Wh kg⁻¹, while maintaining about 70% capacity after 500 cycles in full cells. Unlike traditional cathodes prone to oxygen loss and structural degradation, the new composition stabilizes the oxygen redox process and suppresses phase transitions. These findings mark a critical step toward sustainable, high-capacity, and long-lasting lithium-ion batteries for next-generation applications.

Converting carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals using renewable energy is a promising route to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recycle carbon. Yet the stability of CO₂ molecules makes their activation both energy-intensive and inefficient when relying on a single energy input. Recent research highlights the power of coupling multiple energy sources—such as light with heat, electricity with heat, or plasma with thermal energy—to generate synergistic effects that improve efficiency, selectivity, and stability. By integrating these complementary modes of energy, synergetic catalytic systems open opportunities to overcome barriers in CO₂ reduction and move closer to practical, scalable carbon recycling technologies.

Led by Professor Junya Wang at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the team has pushed the envelope by introducing a method inspired by human visual “gaze” behavior. Instead of hardware upgrades, their solution dynamically adjusts the MEMS scanning trajectory so that, within a fixed sampling budget, more attention is directed toward regions of interest (ROIs).

Apples owe much of their health value to polyphenols—natural antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and chronic diseases. Yet centuries of domestication have quietly diminished these compounds in today’s sweeter, larger fruits. A research team has now traced this nutritional loss to a specific genetic mechanism. By integrating genome-wide association analysis with molecular experiments, they uncovered a powerful regulatory pair—MdDof2.4 and MdPAT10—that triggers the accumulation of procyanidins, the most abundant polyphenols in apples. The discovery reveals how a tiny promoter insertion reawakens a dormant metabolic pathway, opening a path toward breeding apples that are both delicious and rich in health-promoting compounds.

Soybeans grown alongside maize often face shading stress that reduces yield, yet some cultivars can thrive under low light. Scientists have now uncovered a comprehensive genetic network that controls this shade tolerance, moving beyond the traditional single-gene perspective. By integrating forward genome-wide association and reverse transcriptomic analyses, researchers identified more than 200 causal genes and over 7,800 expressed genes involved in soybean’s shade response. These genes function in a coordinated sequence—from light signal detection to metabolic adaptation—forming a multilayered regulatory system. The findings open a new pathway toward breeding high-yield, shade-tolerant soybeans for intercropping systems worldwide.

An ancient genetic event may hold the key to how plants survive in metal-contaminated environments. Scientists have discovered that a duplication of phytochelatin synthase (PCS) genes—crucial enzymes for detoxifying toxic metals—occurred millions of years ago and remains conserved in flowering plants today. These twin gene copies, known as D1 and D2, evolved distinct but complementary functions: while D1 plays a general role in detoxification, D2 exhibits exceptional catalytic activity against cadmium and arsenic. Functional tests in Malus domestica (MdPCS1, MdPCS2) and Medicago truncatula (MtPCS1, MtPCS2) revealed that both copies are indispensable for maintaining metal balance, unveiling a deep evolutionary strategy for resilience.