News from Science China Press

A recent study published in the National Science Review reveals that the tradition of wrapping grains in leaves may date back as far as 2,200 years ago. Leaf-wrapped plant bundles unearthed at the Wuwangdun Site—believed to have served as funerary offerings—are now considered an early precursor to zongzi, the iconic traditional Chinese food enjoyed during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Researchers from Zhejiang University and other institutions conducted a systematic study on intrinsic defects in half-Heusler compounds—a big family of functional materials. They have discovered a new type of planar defect, named “filling fault,” along with the associated vacancy swap occupation. Their work clarifies the long-standing contradiction regarding defect types and atomic occupation in half-Heusler compounds. They elucidate the formation rules of filling faults across different compositions and reveal the mechanisms by which this novel planar defect influences carrier transport and piezoelectric response. These findings offer new perspectives for the design of functional materials.

Researchers have developed a wide-field Fourier transform hyperspectral imaging system that captures electrochemical reactions on hundreds of individual nanoparticles simultaneously. By integrating a common-path interferometer with a fast 2D camera, the method provides real-time spectral evolution during electrodeposition of palladium and cadmium sulfide on gold nanoparticles. Statistical analysis reveals distinct deposition behaviors on nanospheres versus nanorods—insights that would require thousands of tedious single-particle measurements using conventional approaches.

Researchers have developed a compact, built-in neutron analyzer for on-site measurement of uranium loading and element changes in wet ion-exchange resins. The 80 kg system combines prompt fission-neutron counting with prompt-gamma spectroscopy. Laboratory tests yielded a 0.129 g/L uranium detection limit in 60 s, while a field campaign at a commercial in-situ recovery mine followed adsorption, elution, transformation and a second adsorption cycle.

By regulating coordination angles of two carbazole-pyridine ligands (L1, L2) and building blocks (E1(OTf)₂, E2(OTf)₂), successfully obtained four architectures: a molecular-tweezer-like compound, a snowflake-shaped fold assembly, an 8₁₈ knot, and a closed three-link chain. SC-XRD validated the structures and showed that the ligand angle determines whether the assembly is interlocked or folded. NMR and ESI-TOF-MS verified solution-phase formation and purity. Furthermore, the closed three-link chain exhibits high photothermal conversion performance. Its efficiency is directly influenced by π–π stacking interactions, and EPR experiments further confirm that the radical character of the building blocks also contributes to the photothermal properties.

A research team led by Professor Kaicun Wang at Peking University has released a homogenized gridded climate dataset for China (HCD01), providing daily, 0.1-degree climate data for 1961-2022. The dataset corrects non-climatic signals in long-term observations and merges homogenized station records with ERA5-Land reanalysis, offering a high-quality data basis for studying climate change and its impacts across China.

Researchers have developed a membrane-based strategy that separates complex light naphtha into valuable chemical streams at the molecular level. By mildly etching a metal–organic framework membrane with tannic acid, the team created complementary membranes that sort hydrocarbons by size and chemical affinity. The membrane cascade separated a 15-component petroleum mixture into three product streams while potentially reducing energy consumption by about 91% compared with conventional distillation.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences, researchers assessed the parameterization of orographic gravity wave drag (OGWD) in 3-km-resolution WRF simulations for precipitation forecast over the highly complex-terrain Southwest China. Their results reveal that OGWD parameterization, previously considered negligible in kilometer-scale models, can greatly improve the predicted rainfall intensity and location by modulating the low-level winds and moisture transport. These findings lay an important scientific foundation for operational precipitation forecasting in regions of complex terrain.