Newly developed DNA nanostructures can form flexible, fluid, and stimuli-responsive condensates without relying on chemical cross-linking, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo and Chuo University. Owing to a rigid tetrahedral motif that binds the linkers in a specific direction, the resulting string-like structures form condensates with exceptional fluidity and stability. These findings pave the way for adaptive soft materials with potential applications in drug delivery, artificial organelles, and bioengineering platforms.

A joint research team led by Dr. Sung Jong Yoo at the Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Sang-Rok Oh), Professor Dong Won Chun of POSTECH, Professor Yongsoo Yang of KAIST, and Professor Haneul Jin of Dongguk University has developed a new catalyst technology that enables the synthesis of highly active and durable catalyst at room temperature using a simple ultrasound-assisted method.

In a new article published in Frontiers in Robotics and AI, Dr Zhao Zhao and her colleagues investigate the long-term lifespan of a social robot given to 20 families in 2021 to see whether it could help their children learn to read. Four years after their previous study, the robot was no longer needed for its primary purpose, but that didn’t mean it was no longer wanted. In this guest editorial, Zhao explores the new roles the robot that stayed took on — as keepsake, pet, and companion — and how our relationships to technology can change over time.  

This study establishes a high-fidelity Prescan-CarSim-Simulink co-simulation framework to evaluate the adaptability of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on small-radius circular curves (60–700 m). The results reveal that when the critical adhesion coefficient (μ) exceeds 0.2 at curve radii ≤200 m, ride comfort degrades to "moderately uncomfortable" levels. However, speed-radius coupling (70–100 km/h with typical minimum radii) improves comfort to Levels 1–2. Current road standards fail to meet AVs' comfort needs at minimum radii, providing insights for road design optimization and AV system upgrades.