Scientists have unveiled a pioneering method that could help farmers reclaim lands blighted by toxic metals and boost the safety of crops grown in contaminated soils. The study, led by a research team in China, reveals that phosphorus-modified biochar, a carbon-rich material derived from apple tree branches, can dramatically reduce the threat posed by heavy metals in agricultural soils near mining areas.

You might think adding crop straw to soil is a no-brainer: it enriches the earth, boosts organic matter, and supports sustainable farming. But what if the weather could turn this green practice into a hidden risk for heavy metal pollution? A groundbreaking new study, published on August 1, 2025, in Carbon Research—has uncovered the complex, climate-driven dance between straw incorporation, soil organic matter, and lead (Pb) mobility. And the results are reshaping how we think about safe soil remediation in a changing climate. Led by Dr. Song Cui from the International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS) and Research Center for Eco-Environment Protection of Songhua River Basin, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China, in collaboration with Dr. Yongzhen Ding from the Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, China, this research dives deep into the invisible world of dissolved organic matter (DOM)—and how it can either lock away or unleash toxic metals.

POSTECH Observes Nonequilibrium Phase Separation, Verifies Nanoclusters Persisting for Over an Hour.

A new battery recycling method developed by Illinois Grainger engineers removes scarce, expensive metals from old battery cathodes and coats them onto new cathodes in a single step. The result is significantly more affordable, less environmentally impactful and less risky to health than any recycling method currently in use.

A new platform developed by Illinois Grainger engineers demonstrates the utility of a ytterbium-171 atom array in quantum networking. Their work represents a key step toward long distance quantum communication.

A team of researchers from Rice and collaborators have found a way to make two different phonons in thin films of lead halide perovskite interact with light so strongly that they merge into entirely new hybrid states of matter.