Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have long operated behind the scenes—but a new study brings them into the climate spotlight. 

The precise mechanism of cellular condensation and regeneration is not well-understood in organogenesis. For advances in regenerative medicine, understanding these mechanisms is crucial. In a new study, researchers used single-cell transcriptomics to understand the composition of human dental follicles and dental papillae. They found a PDGFRA⁺ mesenchymal stem cell with odontogenic potential that interacts with endothelial cells via paracrine signaling to stimulate angiogenesis, showing promise for future therapeutics in dental regenerative medicine.

Shuttle effect of polysulfides overshadows the superiorities of lithium–sulfur batteries. Size–sieving effect could address this thorny trouble rely on size differ in polysulfides and lithium ions. However, clogged polysulfides pose some challenges for cathode and are rarely recycled during charging/discharging. Herein, an amino functionalized titanium-organic framework is designed for modifying lithium–sulfur batteries separator to address the aforementioned challenges. Wherein, the introduction of amino narrows titanium–organic framework pore size, enabling functional separator to selectively modulate lithium ions and polysulfides migration using size-sieving effect, thereby completely suppressing polysulfides shuttle. Furthermore, the blocked polysulfides will be adsorbed on the separator surface by positively charged amino leveraging electrostatic adsorption, ensuring polysulfides to redistribute and reuse, and boosting active materials utilization. Significantly, the migration of lithium ions is not hindered since there are lithium ions transfer channels formed via Lewis acid–base interaction with the help of amino. Combined with these virtues, the lithium–sulfur batteries with amino functionalized titanium-organic framework modified separator enjoy an ultralow attenuation rate of 0.045% per cycle over 1000 cycles at 1.0C. Electrostatic adsorption and Lewis acid–base interaction cover deficiencies existing in the inhibition of polysulfides shuttle by size-sieving effect, providing fresh insight into the advancement of lithium-sulfur batteries.

Researchers discovered that interleukin-6 (IL-6) in colorectal cancer triggers a STAT3-to-PI3K signaling switch in cancer stem cells (CSCs), enabling potent PD-L1 upregulation and immune evasion. While non-CSCs use the STAT3-FRA1 pathway for PD-L1 expression, CSCs activate the PI3K-AKT-ZEB1 axis, explaining why some tumors resist immunotherapy. In mouse models, triple therapy (PI3Ki + STAT3i + anti-PD-L1) synergistically shrank IL-6-high tumors by blocking both pathways and boosting T-cell infiltration. The study proposes IL-6/PD-L1 as biomarkers for patient stratification.

Conventional gas sensing materials (e.g., metal oxides) suffer from deficient sensitivity and serve cross-sensitivity issues due to the lack of efficient adsorption sites. Herein, the heteroatom atomically doping strategy is demonstrated to significantly enhance the sensing performance of metal oxides-based gas sensing materials. Specifically, the Sn atoms were incorporated into porous Fe₂O₃ in the form of atomically dispersed sites. As revealed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, these Sn atoms successfully occupy the Fe sites in the Fe₂O₃ lattice, forming the unique Sn–O–Fe sites. Compared to Fe–O–Fe sites (from bare Fe₂O₃) and Sn–O–Sn sites (from SnO₂/Fe₂O₃ with high Sn loading), the Sn–O–Fe sites on porous Fe₂O₃ exhibit a superior sensitivity (R_g/R_a = 2646.6) to 1 ppm NO₂, along with dramatically increased selectivity and ultra-low limits of detection (10 ppb). Further theoretical calculations suggest that the strong adsorption of NO₂ on Sn–O–Fe sites (N atom on Sn site, O atom on Fe site) contributes a more efficient gas response, compared to NO₂ on Fe–O–Fe sites and other gases on Sn–O–Fe sites. Moreover, the incorporated Sn atoms reduce the bandgap of Fe₂O₃, not only facilitating the electron release but also increasing the NO₂ adsorption at a low working temperature (150 °C). This work introduces an effective strategy to construct effective adsorption sites that show a unique response to specific gas molecules, potentially promoting the rational design of atomically modified gas sensing materials with high sensitivity and high selectivity.

Researchers achieved a groundbreaking advancement in tropical cyclone track forecast by using a global convection-permitting model with a 3-km resolution. Their work focuses on Typhoon In-fa (2021), demonstrating unprecedented accuracy with track errors below 100 km over a 120-hour forecast period.

Magnetic field can speed up ultrafast laser-driven demagnetization in a novel 2D magnet Fe₃GeTe₂, revealing a universal control mechanism for future high frequency tech.

The study of liver disease models, drug screening, and toxicity assessment has been hindered by the lack of faithful representations of liver models. This work unveiled key signaling pathways in liver zonation and constructed genetically modified liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. It was found that SK-Hep1 cells overexpressing WNT2 and DLL4 promote zonated functional differentiation of primary hepatic organoids. Further investigation revealed that genetically modified SK-Hep1 cells regulate hepatocyte functional differentiation through ligand-receptor interactions. Moreover, this modification enhanced the sensitivity of hepatocytes to hepatotoxic drugs and simulated drug-induced injury repair and regeneration processes in hepatic organoids. A co-culture system of liver organoids and genetically modified SK-Hep1 cells was established for liver disease modeling and drug screening. Finally, we successfully employed 3D bioprinting technology to fabricate liver lobule models with specific morphological and functional architectures. These models effectively demonstrated region-specific hepatic injuries induced by pharmaceutical agents. These findings provide new insights into the understanding of liver functional differentiation and offer valuable references for liver disease treatment and drug screening research.

Wider voltage windows accelerate voltage decay at Mn³⁺/Mn²⁺ plateau in LMFP cathodes. Huazhong University researchers attribute this to irreversible lattice distortion and deteriorated lithium-ion diffusion, providing a roadmap for stable high-energy batteries.