Researchers have discovered that precisely balancing sulfur and selenium in eco-friendly quantum dots can minimize performance-killing atomic defects, unlocking record-breaking efficiency for solar hydrogen production. By fine-tuning the chalcogenide composition in copper-indium-sulfur-selenium quantum dots, the team found that a 1:1 sulfur-to-selenium ratio minimizes crystal lattice distortion and reduces anion vacancies to their lowest level. This structural optimization dramatically improves charge carrier concentration and lifetime, enabling more efficient conversion of sunlight into hydrogen fuel without using toxic heavy metals.

Researchers have developed SuSha, a multi-model ensemble learning tool that predicts a microorganism's salt tolerance directly from its genome. Trained on the amino acid composition of 123 bacterial and archaeal species and validated on 2,678 metagenomes from freshwater, marine, and hypersaline habitats worldwide, SuSha achieved over 90% accuracy for extreme halophiles. It offers a powerful way to study the more than 81% of microbes that cannot be cultured in the lab.

A new review examines how the gut microbiota interacts with radiotherapy. Radiation can disrupt intestinal bacteria and metabolism, while microbial communities and their metabolites may influence tumor radiosensitivity and radiation-induced intestinal injury. The authors discuss microbiota-targeted strategies, including probiotics, dietary interventions and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-derived compounds, while emphasizing the need for further clinical evidence.

Carbonate cerium and neodymium isotope records from South China show that low-oxygen waters invaded shallow habitats twice during the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction, with a brief recovery between the two pulses. Earth-system models suggest that rapid climate swings reorganized continental weathering and nutrient delivery, amplifying marine oxygen loss and ecological stress.