In Malaysia, one of the world’s top producers of palm oil, millions of tons of oil palm ash (OPA) are left behind as agricultural waste every year—a disposal challenge that could soon become a climate solution. Now, groundbreaking research from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) shows that this humble byproduct can be transformed into a powerful, eco-friendly material capable of capturing carbon dioxide from the air. Published on August 18, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this innovative study was led by Dr. Azam Taufik Mohd Din from the School of Chemical Engineering at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Engineering Campus in Nibong Tebal, Penang. The team didn’t just repurpose waste—they engineered it. By treating raw oil palm ash with acid, then subjecting it to carbonization and chemical activation using potassium hydroxide (KOH), they created a new material dubbed OPA-KOH(1:2). The result? A tailor-made adsorbent with a highly optimized mesoporous structure—pores so precisely shaped that they allow CO₂ molecules to flow in easily and stick effectively. Despite having a modest surface area of 30.95 m²/g—far lower than many commercial activated carbons—the material achieved an impressive CO₂ adsorption capacity of 2.9 mmol/g. That performance rivals or even exceeds more expensive materials with much higher surface areas, proving that pore architecture matters more than size alone. “This isn’t just recycling—it’s upcycling at the molecular level,” says Dr. Mohd Din. “We’re taking a waste product that often ends up in landfills and turning it into a high-performance tool for carbon capture.”

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.