Larry Steckel, Extension weed specialist and researcher in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has been named a Fellow of the Weed Science Society of America.

Loneliness has a critical impact on the mental health of citizens, particularly among the elderly. Robots capable of perceiving and responding to human emotions can serve as heart-warming companions to help lift the spirits. A research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has discovered that the combined power of music and empathetic speech in robots with artificial intelligence (AI) could foster a stronger bond between humans and machines. These findings underscore the importance of a multimodal approach in designing empathetic robots, offering significant implications for their application in health support, elder care, education and beyond.

Artificial intelligence becomes a predictive tool that can provide assistance in defining a nutritional plan for preterm infants. This is the concept of an innovative study recently published in the Journal of Perinatology, part of the Nature portfolio. It is the joint work of researchers from the IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori Foundation (FSGT) and the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB) of the Politecnico di Milano.

What’s the key to growing resilient crops that can survive tough conditions? Researchers at the University of Missouri are getting to the root of it — literally.

A recent study unveils the molecular mechanisms explaining why some ‘stealth’ drug coatings fail to evade the immune system, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Using single-molecule atomic force microscopy, they measured how individual antibodies bind to poly(ethylene) glycol, showing that hydration and terminal chemistry strongly influence immune recognition. Their findings pave the way for novel drug coatings that stay effective longer by avoiding unwanted immune responses.

A research team led by Professor William Mitch of Stanford University and Prof. Yong Sik Ok and Dr. Yoora Cho of Korea University, in collaboration with Prof. Jay Hyuk Rhee of Korea University Business School and the International ESG Association, has introduced a new framework to curb greenwashing in ESG reporting. Published in Nature Water, the study presents the Water Sustainability Index, a transparent, quantitative metric designed to strengthen corporate water accountability worldwide.

Efficient generation and reliable distribution of quantum entangled states is crucial for emerging quantum applications, including quantum key distribution (QKDs). However, conventional polarization-based entanglement states are not stable over long fiber networks. While time-bin entanglement offers a promising alternative, it requires complex infrastructure. In this study, researchers explore how stable time-bin entangled states can be generated and distributed using commercially available components, paving the way for practical quantum communication networks.