Magnetic skyrmions (MSks) are nanoscale patterns of magnetization that can be created and moved around in magnetic materials. Despite being promising information carriers for future memory and computing technologies, precise control of their motion remains challenging. Now, researchers from Japan used micromagnetic simulations to investigate how MSks interact with optical skyrmions, their light-based counterparts. Their findings provide a new framework for controlling MSks with light, potentially connecting photonics and magnetism with promising applications.

Wood coloring is an important approach to expanding the decorative possibilities of wood products, but achieving a colored appearance without concealing the natural grain and texture remains a materials challenge. Transparent coloring seeks to reconcile these objectives by combining color modification with the visual preservation of the wood substrate. This review, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, focuses on transparent coloring of wood, a topic relevant to the design of wood products for interior decoration, furniture and other applications in which natural appearance is an important consideration. The subject also raises broader questions about color uniformity, compatibility with the wood structure, color stability and the durability of treated materials. Understanding the available approaches and their limitations is important for advancing wood-coloring technologies and identifying opportunities for further research.

Researchers say they may have taken a significant step toward explaining the origin of gravity, a tentative conclusion emerging from their use of quantum relative entropy.

Reaching net zero sooner would limit long-lasting changes to El Niño and the tropical Pacific, new climate modelling suggests, although heat stored deep in the ocean means changes to the tropical Pacific could persist for centuries. 

Cells must produce energy despite changing conditions. But what keeps metabolic enzymes functional during temperature fluctuations? A team led by Prof. Simon Ebbinghaus and Dr. Harshita Rastogi at Ruhr University Bochum and the Research Center Chemical Sciences and Sustainability investigated this question using phosphofructokinase-1 platelet isoform (PFKP), a central enzyme in glucose metabolism. They found that thermal protection depends less on the size of crowding molecules than on the subtle chemical interactions among them, which can determine how well the enzyme remains active as temperatures rise. Their work was published in the science magazine Angewandte Chemie International Edition from October 8, 2026. 

Scientists have developed a simple yet powerful strategy to overcome a long-standing challenge in cancer phototheranostics—the trade-off between imaging brightness, therapeutic efficacy, and biological stability. By systematically replacing hydrogen atoms with deuterium (a heavier isotope) in a near-infrared fluorescent molecule, researchers achieved simultaneous improvements in all three critical properties. The optimized nanoparticles delivered 26% higher fluorescence brightness, 14% more reactive oxygen species for killing cancer cells, and 20% better stability in blood. In mouse models, a single treatment completely eliminated breast tumors, and fluorescence-guided surgery enabled precise removal of colorectal cancer remnants that were invisible under white light—extending survival from under 20 days to over 60 days. The strategy is broadly applicable and does not require redesigning the molecular backbone, offering a versatile platform for next-generation cancer theranostics.

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, Prof. Jinyou Shao at Xi'an Jiaotong University and his co-workers have resolved the challenge of maintaining electrical reliability under repeated bending by bonding a sturdy copper base directly beneath a reservoir of liquid metal alloy. The pairing functions like an autonomous, self-repairing highway: as bending tears microscopic cracks into the solid copper floor, the liquid alloy overhead immediately flows into the fractures to preserve electrical flow, while the rigid copper foundation bears external pressure so the circuit never chokes under compression.