McGill University researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material’s final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. The result, a “doubly curved lens box,” could advance the technology of such objects as temporary emergency tents, morphing robots and smart fabrics, the researchers said.

A global survey of 44,711 endangered Puya raimondii plants reveals topography and poor seed dispersal will erase nearly all habitat by 2100 under +5°C warming, requiring assisted colonization.

As pets become part of everyday family life, scientists are asking a new question: could the hair shed by cats and dogs help reveal the chemical pollutants circulating inside our homes?

Microplastics are now found across oceans, soils, food chains, and even human biological samples. Yet scientists still face a major challenge: these tiny particles are difficult to detect, track, and link to health risks using traditional laboratory methods alone. A new perspective article argues that artificial intelligence could help change that.

As more than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water, new research from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW–Madison investigates the effects of early-life exposure to citywide water filtration on longevity in the early 20^th-century.

 

A research team from China has developed a high-entropy single-atom material that significantly enhances electromagnetic wave absorption, offering a promising solution to mitigate growing electromagnetic pollution from modern electronics and communication technologies. The innovative material demonstrates exceptional performance, with a minimal reflection loss of -76.9 dB and a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 5.00 GHz.

Growing environmental impacts of fossil fuels drive demand for zero-emission energy technologies (e.g., PEMFCs, CO₂ electroreduction) to advance carbon neutrality—making oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) critical research focuses. Biomass-derived carbon offers cost-effectiveness and sustainability vs. precious metal catalysts, but tailoring its hierarchical structure remains challenging. A team led by Yang Haiping at HUST developed a ZIF-8-mediated assembly strategy to synthesize 3D flower-like N-doped biomass carbon, which exhibits Pt/C-comparable ORR activity and high CO₂RR performance, providing insights for customizing biomass carbon for energy applications.

Myelosuppression represents a common and severe complication of cancer chemotherapy. Current therapeutic regimens primarily target downstream hematopoietic progenitor cells rather than hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), frequently resulting in the depletion of hematopoietic reserves. Furthermore, their high cost and requirement for parenteral administration render them unsuitable for preventive or long-term management. To address these limitations, Professor Xiangmin Tong at Hangzhou First People's Hospital, in collaboration with Professors Xiaozhou Mou, Qiong Bian, and Zhenye Lv at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, has developed nanovesicles derived from Epimedium that alleviate chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. When administered orally, these nanovesicles activate the "gut-lactate-bone marrow" axis to promote hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and restore hematopoietic function.