Using a pioneering method they developed to directly measure viscosity in a group of cells, University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have made a surprising discovery that upends understanding of how cells move.

Professor Jian Wang's research group at Tsinghua University reported a photocatalyzed/nitrogen heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed asymmetric radical α-alkoxycarbonylation reaction of amines. Using dibenzylaniline derivatives and readily available pyrocarbonates as starting materials, chiral α-amino acid esters can be synthesized in one step. Further deprotection reactions yield chiral α-amino acids containing primary, secondary, or tertiary amine groups. This research provides a novel method for obtaining structurally diverse chiral α-amino acid derivatives and has significant potential applications in drug development (especially peptide drugs) using chiral α-amino acids as basic structural units. The article was published as an open access communication in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.

Harvard researchers have experimentally shown that a beam of light can repeatedly focus and defocus itself in free space without a lens, confirming a 1960s theoretical prediction called the Montgomery effect.

Detecting weak and low-frequency underwater sounds remains a major challenge for ocean monitoring, navigation, and marine exploration. 

Many promising drug molecules fail to reach patients because they do not dissolve well enough in water, limiting their effectiveness when taken orally. Now, researchers from Japan investigated an innovative method that uses sublimation to load drugs into a mesoporous silica carrier without relying on organic solvents. Using ibuprofen as a model compound, they showed that this approach can produce formulations with significantly enhanced solubility, offering a cleaner and more sustainable strategy for drug development.

Scientists from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) developed a liquid-repellent particle coating that allows pico- and nanoliter liquid droplets to be handled like dry powder, enabling precise control of ultra-small liquid volumes in microfluidics applications.

Winemakers have only a short window to pick their grapes to make the best quality wine. Everything from weather to soil acidity affect which date is best to harvest.

Prof Lei Su and Dr Xuechun Wang have invented a portable optical sensor which uses machine learning to give winemakers instant, accurate ripeness data, removing the need for manual sampling and slow destructive testing.

The team are looking for innovative vineyards, agritech partners, and fruit orchards to help test the prototype and shape the future of smart harvesting.