Purple pak choi gets its striking color from anthocyanins—potent antioxidants that boost nutritional value. 

With the rapid advancement of global aerospace technology, human space exploration is progressively extending from near-Earth orbit to the lunar sphere. Large-scale deep-space exploration activities, such as the construction of lunar research stations and lunar bases, are gradually becoming a reality. Major spacefaring entities, including China, the United States, Europe, and Japan, have successively proposed their own lunar exploration and long-term residency programs. Current lunar exploration missions now encompass complex scenarios such as scientific investigation, in-situ resource utilization, lunar construction, and operational maintenance, which impose entirely new demands on lunar robotic technologies. However, existing lunar and Mars exploration missions still predominantly rely on pre-programmed commands and ground-based teleoperation, exhibiting limited intelligence levels. They face significant challenges in addressing five core issues: multi-task high-precision manipulation, autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance, self-learning interactive collaboration, adaptation to extreme environments, and high-reliability long-duration operation. Consequently, the systematic integration of emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, deep learning, large-scale models, and embodied intelligence—into lunar robotic design, so as to achieve the transition from programmed robots to intelligent robots, has become a critical technological bottleneck for supporting future large-scale lunar exploration and development.

Astragalus mongholicus, a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine, produces isoflavonoids—bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and antiviral properties. 

Researchers have demonstrated a direct bridge between vortex electrons and structured electromagnetic radiation. By sending an annular electron beam through an all-metal slow-wave structure, they transferred the electron beam's helical topology into measurable orbital angular momentum and a polarization-skyrmion texture. Multiple optical diagnostics confirmed the mapping, while repeated single-shot measurements showed reproducibility. The proof-of-principle platform could support structured-radiation sources and noninvasive diagnosis of vortex-electron states across future spectral bands and frequencies.

Accurately predicting passenger flows is essential for preventing congestion and delays in subway networks. In a recent study, researchers developed a multi-time-scale model that uses recurring day-to-day and week-to-week travel patterns to predict both passenger destinations and travel times one day ahead. Tested on Shenzhen subway data, the model outperformed several widely used forecasting methods across most stations.

Aqueous Zn-organic batteries are promising due to the sustainability and tunability of organic cathodes. However, the critical challenge in their practical application lies in dissolution, degradation, and sluggish kinetics, ultimately degrading the cycling stability and rate capability. Herein, we demonstrate a simple effective electrolyte engineering strategy by introducing potassium chloride (KCl) as a co-solute into the ZnCl₂ electrolyte to achieve high-performance Zn batteries utilizing 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as the cathode. Experimental studies and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that KCl addition not only enhances electrolyte conductivity but also modulates Zn²⁺ solvation environment to form [Zn(H₂O)₂Cl₄]²⁻, significantly improving ion diffusion kinetics. Consequently, the Zn//PTCDA in the ZnCl₂-KCl electrolyte exhibits a remarkable capacity of 124.7 mAh g⁻¹ with an average voltage of 0.65 V, exceptional rate performance (56% capacity retention at 30 A g⁻¹), and prolonged cycling performance (90.9% retention after 10,000 cycles). Experimental and density functional theory mechanistic studies unveil a new reversible Zn²⁺/K⁺ co-storage mechanism in the PTCDA cathode, where K⁺ acts as a charge shield and structural pillar, synergistically decreasing the ion migration energy barrier, enhancing reaction kinetics, and stabilizing the cathode structure. This work elucidates dual-ion storage chemistry and highlights rational electrolyte design for durable, high-power metal–organic batteries.

A research team led by Professor Jiandong Ding at Fudan University has derived a set of equations for random degradation inspired by the classic Poisson raindrop problem, providing the first theoretical framework to quantify “acquired heterogeneity” — the uneven degradation that emerges during service rather than from manufacturing defects. Applying this framework to biodegradable metal stents, the team discovered that coating iron with polylactide (PLA) increases the corrosion rate by 3-fold but reduces corrosion inhomogeneity by 4,000-fold in blood-mimetic medium, paradoxically leading to later device fracture despite faster degradation. The resulting metal–polymer composite stent was validated in preclinical porcine studies, clinical trials involving 1,108 patients across multiple cohorts, and 5-year follow-up of 45 first-in-human cases, demonstrating safety, durability, and reliability. The theoretical framework is, in principle, applicable to any field where random spatiotemporal variability undermines system performance, from ship corrosion and bridge fracture to climate variability and big data analytics.