A multiscale-coupling triple confinement strategy was developed to construct high-performance room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) carbon dots (CDs) that display significantly prolonged RTP lifetime and enhanced quantum yield, and show great potential in multifunctional applications including information encryption, fingerprint recognition, dynamic display, and warm white light-emitting.

An international collaboration between Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has successfully grown premium Japanese rice on Kauaʻi using water-saving upland methods. The rice matured one month faster than in Japan while achieving comparable yields and producing larger, higher-quality grains. This research demonstrates the potential to reestablish local rice production, enhance food security, and offer a sustainable farming model for water-scarce island regions.

Researchers have developed a real-space topological strategy to stabilize fractional orbital angular momentum modes, which are normally unstable in free space. Inspired by quark confinement, the team used optical conformal mapping to stitch fractional phase structures into stable composite wave states. The mechanism was experimentally demonstrated on an elastic flexural wave platform and may offer new opportunities for wave manipulation in acoustics, photonics and on-chip information systems.

This work presents the first demonstration of a parallel heterodyne light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy (PH-LITES) sensor for high-speed and high-sensitivity simultaneous multi-gas detection. By synergistically combining signal enhancement at the physical layer with intelligent decoupling at the information layer, the sensor achieves ppb-level simultaneous and fast multi-gas detection based on a single quartz tuning fork (QTF), providing an important reference for the future development of rapid and highly sensitive multi-gas sensing technologies.

A new study shows that the spatial distribution of non-reciprocity can reshape the eigenmodes of a given system into an arbitrary spatial pattern while leaving the energy spectrum completely unchanged. The theoretical framework, validated by a programmable electrical circuit and simulated coupled resonant optical waveguides, offers a new degree of design freedom for reconfigurable lasers, sensors, and other wave-control devices.A new study shows that the spatial distribution of non-reciprocity can reshape the eigenmodes of a given system into an arbitrary spatial pattern while leaving the energy spectrum completely unchanged. The theoretical framework, validated by a programmable electrical circuit and simulated coupled resonant optical waveguides, offers a new degree of design freedom for reconfigurable lasers, sensors, and other wave-control devices.

To support the continued development of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (ENCECO), the journal is launching its Youth Talent Program. The initiative aims to bring together outstanding early career researchers in environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology, foster collaboration and knowledge exchange with leading international experts, and cultivate the next generation of editorial talent to help shape the journal's future.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University have uncovered the hidden mechanism behind a molecular switch—a molecule that can change between different structural states in response to a chemical signal. Their study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reveals how molecules can gradually switch between alternative states, a process that could help scientists design future molecular machines, smart materials, and molecular information technologies. To make the discovery, Shigehisa Akine and colleagues created a specially designed molecular cage that changes shape unusually slowly. This allowed them to observe, for the first time, the sequence of molecular events that occurs after the molecule receives a chemical input. The study provides one of the clearest views yet of how molecular recognition triggers structural change and demonstrates that the response speed of a molecular system can itself be engineered through molecular design. 

Since 2017, the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) has annually organized the Global Engineering Frontiers strategic consulting program to assess major trends in engineering science and technology, identify emerging frontiers, and guide the development of engineering-driven industries. The program is supported by CAE’s nine disciplinary divisions and the Engineering Journal series.

Grazing animals return most of the nitrogen they consume back to the land through urine and dung. In grasslands, these nutrient-rich patches can become hotspots for nitrous oxide, or N₂O, a powerful greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance. But what happens when urine and dung overlap in the same place, as often occurs where animals gather near shelters, water points, or resting areas?