In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have identified a novel orphan gene, BOLTING RESISTANCE 2 (BR2), in Chinese cabbage, which plays a pivotal role in delaying bolting by regulating flowering time through the vernalization pathway. 

A new study has revealed how excessive nitrogen disrupts calcium availability in apple leaves, shedding light on a key factor behind calcium deficiency disorders in apple trees.

A new study has uncovered the genetic secrets behind apricots’ impressive cold tolerance, revealing a specific genetic insertion that enhances their ability to thrive in freezing conditions.

In a paper published in National Science Review, an international team of scientists report a coordination nanomedicine (ZnDHT NM) featuring cascade specific Fe³⁺ capturing and in situ catalysis for achieving tumor catalysis-enhanced differentiation therapy. This nanomedicine can simultaneously treat cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) and bulk tumor cells by interfering with tumor Fe metabolism and redox homeostasis, thereby effectively inhibiting tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis.

Hybrid entanglement is an essential quantum resource of hybrid quantum information processing, which combines the advantages of discrete-variable (DV) and continuous-variable (CV) quantum information processing and overcomes their disadvantages. In quantum information processing, a feasible approach for enhancing the ability of quantum information processing is increasing the degree of freedom carried by the entangled state. Recently, hybrid CV-DV entanglement carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), which involves three degrees of freedom, including polarization, cat states, and OAM, is presented. This work extends the degree of freedom for hybrid entanglement, which provides a new quantum resource for hybrid quantum information processing.

Extraembryonic trophoblast lineages constitute the placenta, and are essential for individual development. In human early embryo development, these cells can be generated from totipotent blastomeres. However, the ability of generating extraembryonic trophoblast lineages gradually become lost in human early stem cells, and conventional human pluripotent stem cells at the primed pluripotent state are considered to lack such developmental potentials. In the study performed by Chen et al., by transiently treating the conventional human pluripotent stem cells with a chemical cocktail of epigenetic modulators, they showed that these cells can be efficiently induced into trophectoderm-like cells and downstream trophoblast lineages. Further mechanistic exploration highlighted the critical roles of epigenetic modulators HDAC2, EZH1/2, and KDM5s in the activation of trophoblast lineage potential. This study offer new mechanistic insights into human trophoblast lineage specification and in vitro models for studying placental development and related disorders.

Breakthroughs in terahertz nonlinear optics are essential to the development of high-speed wireless communication and signal processing technologies. Leading this charge, researchers from the University of Ottawa have demonstrated innovative methods to enhance terahertz nonlinearities in graphene-based structures, unlocking new potential for faster, more efficient devices. Graphene, with its remarkable optical nonlinearity and ease of integration, is at the heart of this transformation, offering a promising platform for future all-optical switching and frequency conversion applications.