Researchers have unveiled the first comprehensive analysis of China's urban expansion from 1990-2020, revealing how cities have adapted to their environments and faced varying disaster risks. The study found that while 83% of urban development occurred in suitable areas, 14% expanded into high-risk zones, with eastern regions facing water-related disasters, western regions threatened by earthquakes, and northeastern areas vulnerable to extreme cold.

In a paper published on aBIOTECH, the authors identified resistance-breaking Potato virus Y (PVY RB) isolates and emerging potyviruses (TVBMV and ChiVMV) in Yunnan tobacco fields, and revealed that combined inactivation of eIFiso4E-T in the va (lacking eIF4E1-S) genetic background confers durable resistance to PVY, while knockout of eIFiso4E-S in the va genetic background confers resistance to TVBMV and ChiVMV; pyramiding mutations in these genes achieved broad-spectrum potyvirus resistance without compromising plant growth, offering a novel strategy for engineering resistance crops.

For the first time, scientists have used Earth-based telescopes to look back in time over 13 billion years to get a clearer picture of one of the least understood epochs in the history of the universe, the Cosmic Dawn. 

In a paper published on aBIOTECH, the authors constructed G protein mutants using CRISPR/cas9 technology and investigated the biological functions of G proteins in growth, development, and symbiotic nodulation in Medicago truncatula.

In this work, an innovative molecular engineering approach for the bonding of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with the diamine monomer of polyetherimide (PEI) is presented, leading to the integration of high electrical insulation and high thermal conductivity in hybrid dielectrics (PEI-NH₂-CQDs). This work represents the first example of utilizing CQDs in polymer dielectrics to simultaneously improve energy storage performance and thermal conductivity.

Dr. Hye Jin Nam’s team at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), in collaboration with Professors Dong Hyun Jo and Sangsu Bae at Seoul National University College of Medicine, found that autophagy induction via nutrient deprivation or mTOR inhibition markedly enhances the efficiency of HR-based CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing up to threefold.