Scientists have found a direct link between osteoporosis and rotator cuff tears, two conditions that often develop with age. Using health and genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people, researchers showed that fragile bones increase the risk of painful shoulder injuries, especially in women. They also identified shared genetic variants, offering fresh insight into the biological ties between bone and tendon weakness and pointing toward targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

It begins as a trickle high on the Tibetan Plateau—icy, remote, and pure. By the time it reaches the Three Gorges, the Yangtze River has grown into a force of nature, carrying not just water, but the chemical fingerprint of an entire continent. Now, a groundbreaking study from Peking University reveals the invisible story hidden in the river’s flow: the molecular evolution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) along a 3,500-kilometer stretch of the upper Yangtze—the world’s third-longest river. Published on August 11, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this research was led by Dr. Dongqiang Zhu from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and the Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Earth Surface Processes at Peking University, Beijing. Using a powerful suite of analytical tools—including fluorescence spectroscopy, lignin phenol markers, and ultra-high-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS)—Dr. Zhu’s team traced how organic carbon changes as it travels from the river’s high-altitude headwaters to its densely populated downstream reaches. And what they found is a dynamic, ever-changing mosaic of carbon chemistry shaped by glaciers, grasslands, wildfires, forests, and sunlight.

Researchers led by Prof. GAO Caixia from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Prof. QIU Jinlong from the Institute of Microbiology of CAS have developed a new system that enables rapid and scalable directed evolution of diverse genes directly in plant cells.

CAS Academician, Prof. Jihong Yu, and her team from Jilin University developed a post-treatment strategy based on metal replacement reaction using commercial ZSM-5 zeolite as a carrier, and successfully encapsulated a highly active PtCu alloy catalyst in the pores of the zeolite. In the study, Cu²⁺ ions were first introduced into the pores of the zeolite through ion exchange, and then reduced at high temperature to form a Cu@MFI intermediate; then the Pt component was introduced through a metal replacement reaction, and a PtCu alloy was formed in the pores of the zeolite through high temperature reduction. The prepared PtCu₅@MFI-K (Pt/Cu=1/5) showed excellent catalytic performance in the propane dehydrogenation reaction, with a propane conversion rate of 49.7%, a propylene selectivity of more than 90%, and good cyclic stability. This study provides a new low-cost and efficient synthesis strategy for the development of high-performance alloy@zeolite catalysts. These results were published as an open access article in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.