Scientists have synthesised novel chemical frameworks capable of reversible magnetic switching, which can form the building blocks for next-generation data storage units, quantum processors, and advanced industrial sensors.

Using noninvasive monitoring in eastern Honduras, researchers found that small mammals, not large wildlife like tapirs, drive cassava crop loss, highlighting the need for evidence-based, wildlife-friendly solutions. The full detailed results have been published in the open-access peer-reviewed journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation.

 

Semiconductor electrodes offer powerful routes to engineer electrochemical function, yet predicting surface confined charge transfer remains challenging because crystallography and doping reshape interfacial structure, band bending, and potential distribution. Zhong et al. mapped these coupled effects reported recently by Frontiers of Materials Science, using ferrocene (Fc) monolayers grafted onto hydrogen-terminated p- and n-type Si(100), Si(110), and Si(111).

Affective computing depends on biosensors capable of detecting physiological signals associated with human emotions. Chitosan, a naturally occurring cationic polysaccharide derived from chitin, has emerged as a promising platform for such devices due to its renewability, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and ease of chemical modification. Chitosan-based materials show strong potential for next-generation biosensors in affective computing, owing to their intrinsic properties that meet many of the requirements for emotion-sensing devices.

 Researchers have developed a dynamic interfacial polymerization strategy that fabricates TpPa‑1 covalent organic framework (COF) membranes on polyacrylonitrile substrates in just 3 minutes – drastically reducing the conventional synthesis time from several days. The resulting membrane exhibits a permeance of 865 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·MPa⁻¹ and a separation factor of 212 for methyl blue/Na₂SO₄ nanofiltration, outperforming most reported COF membranes. The membrane also demonstrates excellent stability, maintaining dye rejection above 99 % over 40 hours and showing good acid resistance.

Most research studies analyzing the effects of species loss on the health and productivity of grasslands do not reflect the conditions of mature or natural grasslands. In this study, a research team analyzed how changing the order of species removal in a grassland community changed the pathways linking species loss to community stability, which is more reflective of species loss scenarios in nature.

An international team, including the University of Tokyo, has created a sensor inspired by the lateral line in fish – their “sixth sense” organ – which measures the pulse of lab-grown 3D heart tissue (cardiac organoids). The device, called a biomechanical well plate, looks like a small white box containing four liquid-filled wells. When an organoid is placed in a well, each beat causes the liquid to bulge into an air cavity below, changing the air pressure. This change bends a cantilever sensor, which sends live data wirelessly to an app. The device is precise, reusable and less labor-intensive than some other methods. Due to its scalability, hundreds of tests could potentially be monitored simultaneously, with advantages for drug screening and future personalized medicine. 

A bio-inspired robotic bird capable of mimicking the key movements of kestrels is helping researchers unravel the mysteries behind the species’ exceptional hovering capabilities.