Gradient magnetic heterointerfaces have injected infinite vitality in optimizing impedance matching, adjusting dielectric/magnetic resonance and promoting electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption, but still exist a significant challenging in regulating local phase evolution. Herein, accordion-shaped Co/Co₃O₄@N-doped carbon nanosheets (Co/Co₃O₄@NC) with gradient magnetic heterointerfaces have been fabricated via the cooperative high-temperature carbonization and low-temperature oxidation process. The results indicate that the surface epitaxial growth of crystal Co₃O₄ domains on local Co nanoparticles realizes the adjustment of magnetic-heteroatomic components, which are beneficial for optimizing impedance matching and interfacial polarization. Moreover, gradient magnetic heterointerfaces simultaneously realize magnetic coupling, and long-range magnetic diffraction. Specifically, the synthesized Co/Co₃O₄@NC absorbents display the strong electromagnetic wave attenuation capability of -53.5 dB at a thickness of 3.0 mm with an effective absorption bandwidth of 5.36 GHz, both are superior to those of single magnetic domains embedded in carbon matrix. This design concept provides us an inspiration in optimizing interfacial polarization, regulating magnetic coupling and promoting electromagnetic wave absorption.

In the latest issue of the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, Professor Jiankang He and his team from Xi'an Jiaotong University introduce new frontiers for the regeneration and functionality enhancement of excitable tissues by integrating bioelectronics with bioengineered constructs.

Their work not only deepens our understanding of the role of electrical microenvironments in tissue development but also sets forth critical design principles for creating bioelectronic-tissue construct hybrids. These advancements hold transformative potential for repairing and restoring damaged excitable tissues such as cardiac, neural, and muscle tissues.

Together, or not together, that is the question. Hamlet is not the only one facing life-changing questions – wild animals have to make decisions pivotal to their survival on a daily basis. In a modelling case study, scientists of the GAIA Initiative investigated whether exchange of information among African white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) bring more advantages than disadvantages to the individual vulture in its search for food. They found that social foraging strategies are overall more beneficial than non-social strategies, but that environmental conditions such as vulture and carcass densities greatly influence which strategy yields the best results.

Anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) for green hydrogen production have received intensive attention due to their feasibility of using earth-abundant NiFe-based catalysts. By introducing a third metal into NiFe-based catalysts to construct asymmetrical M-NiFe units, the d-orbital and electronic structures can be adjusted, which is an important strategy to achieve sufficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance in AEMWEs. Herein, the ternary NiFeM (M: La, Mo) catalysts featured with distinct M-NiFe units and varying d-orbitals are reported in this work. Experimental and theoretical calculation results reveal that the doping of La leads to optimized hybridization between d orbital in NiFeM and 2p in oxygen, resulting in enhanced adsorption strength of oxygen intermediates, and reduced rate-determining step energy barrier, which is responsible for the enhanced OER performance. More critically, the obtained NiFeLa catalyst only requires 1.58 V to reach 1 A cm⁻² in an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer and demonstrates excellent long-term stability of up to 600 h.

We innovatively investigated the effects of predation risk on the prey survival strategy and response mechanisms, using ciliate protozoa. Specifically, various predation risk cues enhanced prey population growth rates, suggesting that prey employ an early reproduction strategy to counter predation risk. However, the effects of predation risk decreased with increasing conspecific prey density. In particular, prey’s response mechanisms differ in pathways, their location, and in the bioprocess, which relies on predation risk cue attributes.

A research team from the School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London and the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, has unearthed the ancient evolutionary origins of genes critical to stem cell biology, dating back over 700 million years. Drawing on insights from evolutionary processes, this discovery reveals that tools borrowed from ancient single-celled organisms—and even recreated proteins from life’s earliest days—can transform mouse somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells capable of developing into any cell type in multicellular animals. This breakthrough challenges the longstanding belief that only animal genes possess this transformative ability, paving the way for new protein designs in novel therapies for regenerative medicine and disease studies to combat ageing and related health issues. The findings were recently published in Nature Communications.