Hot pepper (Capsicum annuum cv. Georgia Flame) is capable of remediating Cd, Ni, Cu and Zn from contaminated sites, and biochar combined with other amendments can improve metal uptake. Heavy metal concentrations in its fruits remain below safe consumption thresholds, demonstrating that phytoremediation using hot pepper represents a cost‑effective and eco‑friendly strategy for metal remediation.

Researchers have developed a fast, non-intrusive diagnostic approach for resolving the electron-density evolution of plasma generated by microscale explosive detonation. By combining microwave Rayleigh scattering with high-speed imaging, optical emission spectroscopy, thermodynamic calculations, and finite-element simulations, the study quantitatively determines the time-resolved electron density of HMX detonation plasma. The electron density reaches the order of 10²⁵ m⁻³, persists for approximately 1.91 μs, and exhibits a pronounced multi-peak evolution associated with the pulsation of detonation products.

Now, writing (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2025.100520) in the journal  eScience (Volume 6, Issue 4, July 2026), researchers from Jeju National University in South Korea, Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and Shivaji University in India report a humidity-sensitive memristive device built on a Au/Ni₂P₂O₇/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) architecture. The device achieves analog resistive switching with tunable resistance states under varying relative humidity (RH) levels, and demonstrates non-contact synaptic responses using moisture from a human finger.

A team led by researchers at East China Normal University, in collaboration with The University of Queensland, Fuzhou University, and Shanghai University, reports a Janus conductive metal-organic framework-on-conductive-metal-organic framework heterostructure that enables simultaneous production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and active chlorine by seawater electrolysis. The study, published (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2026.100581) on 1 September 2026 in eScience (Volume 6, Issue 5, Article 100581), demonstrates a bifunctional electrocatalyst that achieves high production rates and Faradaic efficiencies for both products.

Now, a team of researchers from the University of Macau's Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has published (DOI: 10.1016/j.esci.2026.100549) a comprehensive perspective on this very question. In the journal eScience (Volume 6, Issue 4, July 2026), the team lays out a roadmap for achieving embodied intelligence in insect‑scale robots—charting a course from laboratory prototypes to practical, intelligent systems.

Researchers have developed a strategy to improve the fire safety of polymer materials by using ZIF-67, a porous metal-organic framework, together with different flame-retardant components. The study explains how ZIF-67 can enhance fire resistance, reduce smoke release and provide a versatile platform for designing safer high-performance polymer composites.

Molecular perovskite energetic materials (PEMs), featuring ordered ABX₃ crystal frameworks, have emerged as a promising platform for integrating fuel and oxidizing components at the molecular and crystal levels. A review in Energetic Materials Frontiers establishes molecular perovskites as a distinctive platform for the development of multicomponent energetic crystals. Their modular crystal architecture enables fuel and oxidizer components to be organized within ordered lattices, while site substitution, composite modification and data-driven design provide multiple pathways for tuning energy release, thermal stability and safety.

New research reveals that natural soil minerals critically control the fate of lead locked into chloropyromorphite—a stable mineral formed during phosphorus-based lead remediation. Negatively charged clay minerals enhance its mobility, while positively charged iron minerals promote rapid settling, highlighting the need for site-specific risk assessments.