Qubits combine two states at the same time - but quantum physics allows much more: A new experiment now shows how photons with four quantum states can be entangled and processed reliably, opening a path to more compact and efficient photonic quantum technologies.

Recent research reveals that engineered microstructures within piezoelectric electrospun fibers, combined with piezoelectric enhancement strategies, are unlocking unprecedented therapeutic potential for tissue regeneration. Researchers from the Li Zhou team at Tsinghua University have pioneered a comprehensive review revealing how piezoelectric electrospun fibers harness mechanical energy to generate bioelectric signals, thereby accelerating tissue regeneration. This review presents a novel and systematic analysis of integrated multidimensional approaches to enhance piezoelectric performance in electrospun fibers. Additionally, various methods for generating electrical signals within these fibers are detailed, along with their diverse applications in tissue engineering.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have now discovered for the first time that large blackwater lakes in the extensive peatlands of the central Congo Basin are releasing ancient carbon.  To date, climate researchers had assumed that carbon was stored safely for millenia in the peat. How the carbon is mobilised from the peat to the lake, where it is finally released to the atmosphere, is still unknown. Climate changes and altered land use, especially the conversion of forest to cropland, could exacerbate this trend – with consequences for the global climate. 

The humble breadcrumb could hold the key to cutting out fossil fuels from one of the chemical industry’s most widely used reactions, according to a new study.

Scientists have found a one-pot microbial formula that uses waste bread to replace fossil fuel-derived hydrogen in hydrogenation – a chemical reaction used extensively to manufacture foods, pharmaceuticals, plastics and other everyday products.