Foundation models are transforming financial engineering, with specialized financial foundation models emerging to tackle domain-specific needs. Categorized into three types, they excel at text processing, time-series analysis, and visual-text integration. This survey unpacks their progress, real-world uses, and key challenges, offering a vivid roadmap for AI-driven finance innovation.

As renewable energy surges, balancing power grids with human comfort becomes critical. Tsinghua researchers propose “ergonomics in energy use”—a smart framework that optimizes air-conditioning, EV charging, and lighting to cut energy use without sacrificing workplace comfort. Discover how this human-centric approach could transform future buildings.

Concrete harbors distinct microbial zones whose signatures survive the heat of routine core sampling, a discovery researchers say could one day put structural health diagnostics within reach of general maintenance staff and even residents.

What makes medicinal plants heal? A massive global project is decoding the DNA of over 1200 herbs to uncover nature’s pharmaceutical secrets. From ginseng to ginger, scientists are mapping the genetic recipes behind centuries-old remedies—opening new doors for drug discovery and understanding how plants create their medicinal magic.

A selectively bred carp strain is boosting productivity and profits across polyculture ponds in Bangladesh, improving overall pond performance in smallholder systems. A recently completed study shows that the third generation (G3) rohu, developed by WorldFish, grows 32.6% faster than conventional local fish and increases net margins by 24.8% for farmers, with higher total production and revenue across polyculture pond systems.