Higher education institutions (HEIs), as non-profit entities, are widely seen as hubs of quality education and pioneering research. While they contribute to sustainability by producing changemakers and offering climate solutions, their operations potentially harm the environment and society due to their scale, land use, and ecological footprint. With 88,071 HEIs globally as of 2018 (UNESCO), their impact is significant. A recent study led by Professor Yong Sik Ok offers insights into HEIs' evolving sustainability practices.

The molecular pathways involved in antiviral defenses and counter-defenses in host-pathogen systems remain unclear. Researchers from Japan have used Neurospora crassa as a model organism to explore how RNA editing influences fungal antiviral responses. They identified two neighboring genes—an RNA-editing enzyme (old) and a transcription factor (zao)—that regulate virus-induced gene expression. Their findings show how the old-zao module controls both asymptomatic and symptomatic infections, providing new insight into conserved antiviral mechanisms in fungi.

A recent experimental breakthrough by researchers at Ningbo University and the University of Science and Technology of China extends Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment by enabling quantum control over both beam splitters in an interferometer. The results reveal richer manifestations of wave-particle duality, offering novel insights into quantum measurement, causality, and the temporal order of observation in quantum mechanics.

New international research from Tulane University and published in Nature Geoscience is the first study to demonstrate global-scale patterns in how El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences mangrove growth and degradation. Previously, impacts had only been documented at individual sites, such as a dramatic die-off in northern Australia in 2015 when more than 40 million mangrove trees perished along a 1,200-mile stretch of coastline. 

Diamond quantum sensors can be used to analyze the magnetization response of soft magnetic materials used in power electronics; report scientists based on collaborative research. Using a novel imaging technique, they developed quantum protocols to simultaneously image both the amplitude and phase of AC stray fields over a wide frequency range up to 2.3 MHz. Their results demonstrate that quantum sensing is a powerful tool for developing advanced magnetic materials across diverse applications.