Sugarcane smut, caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, triggers massive sugarcane yield and economic losses across tropical and subtropical farming regions. Researchers reveal that overexpression of the PP2A‑like phosphatase gene Ssppe1 disrupts fungal cell morphology, stress resistance, sexual mating and pathogenicity. This work highlights that the proper levels of phosphatase genes are essential for fungal virulence and provides a promising molecular target for future sugarcane smut control.

A research team led by Prof. WU Zhengyan and Prof. ZHANG Jia at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a nanocarrier that helps protect iron from oxidation and keep it on plant leaves after rainfall.

A research team led by Prof. WANG Hui from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. FAN Kelong 's team from the Institute of Biophysics of CAS has developed an iron dual-atom nanozyme with highly efficient catalase-like activity, showing promise for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

A research team led by Prof. WANG Zhenyang at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed an electromagnetic wave-absorbing metastructure that can absorb microwaves over a broad frequency range while also supporting loads and removing ice through electrical heating.

Joint observations from China's Einstein Probe satellite and LHAASO showed an extraordinarily long X-ray tail near a pulsar about 4,600 light-years from Earth—one that had never before been seen in full. The tail extends about 42 light-years and stretches in the same direction as ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray emission detected by LHAASO, with the two showing a close spatial match.

Researchers from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a flexible silicone rubber composite that can both contain tritium and shield against nuclear radiation, offering a potential material solution for radiation protection in future fusion facilities.

The development of singular optics and vortex beams has facilitated novel rotational sensing through the rotational Doppler effect. Researchers in China have pioneered an "optical singularity protractor" for rotation sensing by shifting the research focus from optical vortices to phase singularities. This approach, compatible with traditional sensing probe and enhanced with neuromorphic vision, enables high-speed, high-precision contactless measurement of rotation in complex scenarios. The technique paves a new way for precision sensing and next-generation neuromorphic systems.

Adaptive optics has been introduced into surface plasmon resonance holographic microscopy to achieve background-free near-field quantitative phase imaging. By exploiting the inherent capability of digital holography to obtain the wide-field complex amplitude—particularly the phase distribution—of light waves, we have achieved rapid, accurate, in-situ adaptive correction of wavefront aberrations and high-quality near-field quantitative phase imaging. This research provides a novel aberration correction scheme and imaging methodology for various types of quantitative phase microscopy systems.

Highly loaded magneto-dielectric composite systems are promising for achieving strong electromagnetic loss and structural design flexibility, yet their processability and geometric controllability remain extremely challenging. Herein, a rheologically engineered direct ink writing (DIW) 3D printing strategy is developed. Graphene (Gr) is introduced to reconstruct the particle-loading network, which synergistically improves the ink’s yield behavior, shear-thinning property, structural recovery, and a magnetic–dielectric synergistic loss system is constructed with carbonyl iron powder (CIP). The critical CIP content (~ 84.06 wt%) is determined by the yield model, and a tunable Gr/CIP (GC) composite ink is obtained. The correlation among rheological response, geometric fidelity, and temporal stability is established, enabling high-fidelity 3D-printed gradient honeycomb structures. The rationally designed 3D-printed GC honeycomb (GCH) absorber achieves an effective absorption bandwidth of 18 GHz–4 THz, with an RL_min of − 84.30 dB at a thickness of 2.6 mm. When integrated into device-level terahertz reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), the GCH absorber contributes to a ~ 3.3 dBi main lobe gain enhancement, 1.9–3.3 dB sidelobe suppression, and a ~ 58% reduction in reflection beamwidth, showing excellent electromagnetic compatibility performance for communication, imaging, and radar. This work offers a practical strategy for the structural fabrication and device integration of high-load magneto-dielectric synergistic absorbers.