This review assesses the state-of-the-art of functional liquid crystals with nanomaterials, including self-organized alignment enabled by nanotechnology, diverse properties of nanoparticle-doped systems, soft actuators and tunable structural color in nanohybrid elastomers, and provides critical perspectives on comparative advantages and remaining challenges.

Researchers have developed a thermo-viscoelastic modeling framework to predict the damage initiation strength of composite solid propellants under varying temperatures and strain rates. By combining thermo-viscoelastic constitutive theory with the force–heat equivalence energy density principle, the new model provides an efficient and low-cost alternative to conventional experimental approaches, offering a practical tool for evaluating the structural integrity and storage safety of solid rocket propellants.

A study of 21 adults receiving seasonal influenza vaccination found that pre-existing antibody levels were associated with distinct B-cell responses. Individuals with different baseline antibody levels showed differences in B-cell receptor features and antibody breadth after vaccination. The findings provide new insights into how pre-existing immunity may influence responses to influenza vaccination.

Researchers have developed a dopamine-enhanced soft electrode that helps wearable drug-delivery patches operate more reliably in wet conditions. The additive improves the electrode’s structure, protects it during electrical operation and strengthens its attachment to the device. In laboratory tests using pig skin, the electrode delivered model compounds more effectively and remained functional during repeated use, offering a potential route to longer-lasting iontophoresis patches.

In its August 2026 issue, Petroleum Science publishes a landmark editorial that identifies 100 fundamental scientific challenges facing petroleum science—a discipline at a historic inflection point. Compiled through a rigorous five-year process involving hundreds of experts worldwide, the list spans six domains and three archetypes of scientific problems. The editorial reveals that artificial intelligence has evolved from an enabler into a core driver, and together with the low-carbon transition, is fundamentally redefining the paradigm of petroleum science. This roadmap is intended to guide research planning, investment, and talent development for decades to come.

CSwinUKAN, a crack-segmentation model for tunnel linings that combines Swin Transformer and Tokenized KAN within an enhanced U-Net, is introduced in the study. The model outperformed multiple baselines and delivered notably higher recall, reducing missed detections in safety-critical inspections.

This review synthesizes the global evolution of aquatic ecosystem health research and calls for a paradigm shift from isolated, indicator-based assessment to integrated, watershed-scale governance. Led by Qiuwen Chen from Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, the research team argues that aquatic ecosystem health must be understood as a coupled social–ecological and process-based property—linking ecological structure with hydrological and biogeochemical processes, socio-economic drivers, and adaptive governance—rather than as a simple aggregation of water-quality or biological metrics.

In a recent study researchers developed a visible-light 4D bioprinting platform that self-folds into duct-like, perfusable breast cancer scaffolds and shows how tissue shape, stiffness and flow-like cues influence triple-negative breast cancer cell behavior and drug response.