The efficiency with which forest canopies capture sunlight is a primary driver of their growth and carbon storage. 

Although taurine is often considered hepatoprotective, Professor Feng and colleagues report a dose-dependent paradox in alcohol-associated liver disease, which was published in eGastroenterology. In a chronic-plus-binge mouse model, high-dose taurine worsened liver injury, steatosis, apoptosis and inflammation, accompanied by gut dysbiosis, hydrogen sulfide-producing bacteria, intestinal barrier disruption and bile acid dysregulation. By contrast, low-dose taurine improved hepatic steatosis and liver injury. The study cautions against indiscriminate taurine supplementation, particularly among people with alcohol misuse or existing liver disease, in clinical practice and research settings alike.

Global warming could make "east-dominated" Indian Ocean Dipole events 80% more frequent

A research paper by scientists at Zhejiang University of Technology presented a bioinspired perceptual sensor (BPS) capable of spatiotemporally decoding haptic and pain information by integrating artificial mechanoreceptors with synaptic transistors..

The research paper, published on Sept 26, 2026 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.

Dentin formation, a crucial process during tooth development, results from the secretion of organic matrix from specialized cells called odontoblasts. However, the roles of the mechanosensitive channels Piezo1 and Piezo2 in odontoblast differentiation are unclear. Now, researchers from the University of Maryland addressed this knowledge gap using Piezo1/Piezo2 conditional knockout mice. Piezo1/Piezo2 double knockout impaired odontoblast differentiation and Wnt signaling. This study indicated that Piezo1 and Piezo2 contribute to odontoblast terminal differentiation, at least in part, by modulating Wnt signaling.

An analysis of Global Burden of Disease data from 1990 to 2023 shows pancreatic cancer prevalent cases reached 103,000 in China versus 66,000 in the United States in 2023, though China had lower age-standardized rates. High fasting plasma glucose surpassed tobacco as the leading attributable risk factor in the US, underscoring the rising role of metabolic risk. 

An international research team systematically reviews immune regulation, novel vaccines, biomarkers, and combination strategies with biologics.

Researchers at Fudan University have developed a crosslinked potassium polyacrylate skin membrane that lets microrobots generate electricity by walking on metal or silicon surfaces. The membrane uses atmospheric moisture and oxygen to convert environmental chemical energy into power, achieving 133 mW cm⁻² on zinc. It also senses substrate material and roughness, enabling active energy pursuit. The system powered over 10,000 walking steps and remained stable after 1,000,000 steps.

A packaged self-injection-locked fiber Fabry–Pérot Kerr microcomb was used to generate coherent terahertz signals for both wireless transmission and multi-carrier operation. The system demonstrated 5-meter free-space communication at terahertz using 16-QAM and 64-QAM modulation at symbol rates up to 15 GBd, while also generating a coherent terahertz frequency comb. The results highlight the potential of compact microcomb sources for scalable high-capacity terahertz communication and related photonic applications.