Using lasers as tweezers to understand cloud electrification might sound like science fiction but at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) it is a reality. By trapping and charging micron-sized particles with lasers, researchers can now observe their charging and discharging dynamics over time. This method, published in Physical Review Letters, could provide key insights into what sparks lightning.

CU Boulder researchers introduced a backyard sanitation system in Cambodia that lets families treat human waste themselves. But while households reported that they liked the new system, a crucial piece was missing: using it correctly.

The “Bilingual Communication Project for Chinese STM Journals” focuses on enhancing both the academic influence and communication service capabilities of China’s STM journals, with Science and Technology Review Press proposing the overall implementation plan. CNPIEC Kexin has undertaken long abstract translation, editing and online promotion for four years. This year, 4,038 abstracts from 292 journals are being published sequentially on the "Innovation China" platform.

In two new papers, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explore the reconstruction of multispectral and hyperspectral images from RGB for chemical analysis of sweet potatoes and maize.

Nematologists have long wondered how the the Northern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla) is able to infect such a wide range of plants, from carrots to trees. Now an international team has gained insight into how the DNA of this parasitic worm facilitates its success. 

In a new study publishing November 19 in the Cell Press journal Trends in Biotechnology, researchers used a gene-editing technology called CRISPR to increase a fungus’s production efficiency and cut its production-related environmental impact by as much as 61%—all without adding any foreign DNA. The genetically tweaked fungus tastes like meat and is easier to digest than its naturally occurring counterpart.