Smart polymers change their properties in response to temperature, stress, or other stimuli, making them useful in drug delivery and soft robotics. But a major hurdle has been understanding how they behave when flowing or being stretched—conditions they face in real-world use. Now, researchers from Tokyo University of Science have developed a custom rheo-impedance device that provides the first look at these details, paving the way for more reliable and responsive smart materials.

The metal recycling industry is growing, not least due to the use of metals in green energy electronic components. Researchers at Lund University have examined the inhaled air of workers at 13 recycling companies in Sweden. Among the results, high levels of lead in air and elevated levels of multiple metals were detected in the blood of those who work in recycling. 

Polyester and a host of other plastic products could potentially be manufactured with non-toxic and sustainable BPA alternatives identified in a multidisciplinary study published today by researchers in Sweden.  

The Quantum Education Summit event, hosted at CosmoCaixa Science Museum of Barcelona, will gather more than 300 participants from five different continents.

The topics of the conference will cover the full spectrum of quantum education:  from foundational curriculum design, workforce training and inclusive global participation to policy strategies, educational innovations, and outreach efforts that advance accessibility and broaden the impact of quantum learning worldwide.

Keynote speakers include Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, from Stanford University, Maité Depuis, from Perimeter Institute of Canada, and Eboney Hearn, from MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering and Science.

Highspeed Internet, autonomous driving, the Internet of Things: data streams are proliferating at enormous speed. But classic radio technology is reaching its limits: the higher the data rate, the faster the signals need to be transmitted. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now demonstrated (DOI: 10.1038/s42005-025-02273-0) that weak radio signals can be efficiently converted into significantly higher frequencies using this material that is just several tens of nanometers thick. And at room temperature, at that. The results open up prospects for future generations of mobile communications and high-resolution sensor technology.

Mitochondria integrally influence plant growth, fertility and adaptation. Notably, multiple chromosomal configurations are present in Saccharum complex mitogenomes. There are substantial genomic reorganization and gene transfer events throughout evolution.