In a paper published in Mycology, System and Synthetic Biotechnology, the team in Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed PAMP, an open-source automated image-analysis pipeline for quantitative morphological profiling throughout the life cycle of filamentous fungi. The platform enables high-resolution characterization of fungal development from spore germination to pellet formation, reveals quantitative relationships between fungal architecture and fermentation performance, and provides a scalable tool for morphology-guided strain engineering and industrial bioprocess optimization.

The booming electric vehicle industry is approaching a wave of spent lithium-ion batteries. Recovering critical metals—lithium, cobalt, and nickel—from battery cathodes efficiently and sustainably has become a critical issue for both resource security and environmental protection.

In a review article published in Materials Reports: Solidwaste and Ecomaterials, researchers at North China University of Science and Technology innovatively combine bibliometric analysis with technical assessment to map the full technological chain for cathode resource recovery. Their analysis reveals that while hydrometallurgy remains the dominant approach, it suffers from high energy consumption and secondary pollution. The authors argue that future technologies should prioritize green, low-carbon processes, intelligent sorting, and system integration to achieve a truly closed-loop recycling system.

The journal Materials Reports: Solidwaste and Ecomaterials (MRSE) is welcoming submissions at this time. MRSE has a mission of communicating innovative and original research, interesting and critical thinking, development, and application of various solid wastes around the world. The editorial team will consider original research, reviews, progress reports, and communications that have the concept of turning solid wastes into unhazardous, useful, functional, and valuable ecomaterials. 

Positive-strand RNA viruses extensively remodel the cellular endomembrane system to form specialized viral replication organelles (ROs). Coronaviruses generate double membrane vesicles (DMVs) that function as platforms for viral RNA (vRNA) synthesis and protect vRNA from detection by the host innate immune system. Coronaviruses hijack the host GBF1-ARF1-COPI vesicle transport pathway to utilize Golgi-derived membranes for promoting DMV formation.

A recent study reports the development of novel mycelium-based composites using locally isolated wild mushroom species and agricultural waste materials in Sri Lanka. The materials demonstrated physico-mechanical properties comparable to expanded polystyrene (EPS), highlighting their potential as sustainable alternatives for packaging applications.