News from Science China Press

Researchers from Zhejiang University and Northeast Forestry University have developed an exhalation-responsive optoelectronic clip that turns human breath into a clear optical ON/OFF signal. The wearable device combines optical microfibers with nanocellulose films and can be used for touch-free alerts, coded communication, and respiratory monitoring.

Topological corner states are protected against defects and structural imperfections that is beneficial for robust information or power transmission. In turn, vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum can act as key carriers for information encoding. The integration of such states may enable robust topological photonic devices with large transmission capacity, yet fundamental barriers exist: zero-dimensional corner states reported so far in higher-order topological insulators with single-mode waveguides cannot readily accommodate vortices. In their article in Science Bulletin, a joint team of researchers from China and Russia has integrated them successfully and has shown that such states can exist in both linear and nonlinear regimes. According to the study, these corner vortex states exhibit outstanding robustness over a wide power range. Unlike vortex solitons in trivial lattices, they form without any power threshold, breaking the limitations of conventional vortex soliton generation. This work opens new avenues for topologically protected information transfer and wavefront control in topological photonics.

Researchers at Zhengzhou University have developed a Janus bioelectrode that protects weak body signals from electromagnetic interference. By combining a magnetic-dielectric aerogel with a liquid-metal conductive textile, the electrode records high-quality muscle and heart signals even in noisy electronic environments. When paired with machine learning, it enabled accurate recognition of human motions using fused EMG and ECG signals.

Shortly after transcription initiation, RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pauses near gene promoters before entering productive elongation, representing a key regulatory step in gene expression. In the recent study published in Science Bulletin, researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, combined acute protein degradation with genome-wide analyses to capture the immediate functions of the transcription factor GABPA in mouse embryonic stem cells. They discovered that, independently of its canonical partner GABPB, GABPA recruits the Integrator complex to promoter regions, thereby promoting productive transcription elongation. The study uncovers an unexpected role for a classical transcription factor and reveals how the Integrator complex is selectively recruited to specific genes.

A new study shows that plants communicate defensive warnings more effectively with species sharing similar volatile profiles, not necessarily close evolutionary relatives. Researchers exposed nine plant species to volatiles from invasive Phytolacca americana and found that defense priming was the dominant response. The strength of this response was better predicted by volatile similarity than by phylogenetic distance. The findings offer new insights into mechanisms of plant–plant communication.

Researchers developed a battery-free hydrogel bioelectronic patch that wirelessly monitors periodontal inflammation and releases miRNA therapy in response to disease-related enzyme activity. The device links local inflammation sensing with immune modulation, offering a new approach for integrated monitoring and treatment of periodontitis.