Targeted protein degradation has become one of the most promising strategies in modern drug discovery, enabling scientists to eliminate disease-causing proteins instead of merely blocking them. Now, researchers at CeMM, AITHYRA (both Institutes of the Austrian Academy of Sciences), and CeTPD have discovered that a single small molecule can recruit not one, but two independent protein disposal systems at the same time. This dual mechanism introduces a built-in redundancy that could make future degrader therapies more robust and less vulnerable to resistance. The findings, reported in Nature Chemical Biology (DOI: 10.1038/s41589-026-02224-y), expand the design principles of targeted protein degradation and open new avenues for more resilient medicines.

Photocatalytic production of H₂O₂ from air and water represents a promising green strategy, yet its efficiency is limited by sluggish water oxidation kinetics. Here, three donor–acceptor conjugated polymers were designed to tune water oxidation sites, achieving efficient H₂O₂ generation in pure water. Notably, the bipyridine-based polymer exhibits a high rate of 6687 μmol g^-1 h^-1, benefiting from enhanced charge separation and accelerated reaction kinetics. This work provides a molecular-level design strategy for efficient photocatalysts.

Researchers at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics have developed an interface-anchoring strategy for solar thermal storage. By continuously circulating photothermal core-shell phase-change particles, the approach keeps the phase-change front anchored at the irradiated surface and suppresses the thermally resistive liquid layer that limits conventional diffusion-limited systems. Under concentrated solar irradiation, this strategy achieves a solar thermal storage efficiency of 49.7%, a 26-fold improvement over the conventional 1.9%. Published in Science Bulletin, the work opens a viable pathway toward continuous, high-temperature solar thermal energy storage.