Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have developed a new procedure, enabling them to speed up elaborate computer simulations that analyze matter under extreme conditions. In particular, this work improves the evaluation of experiments at large-scale research facilities like the European XFEL – and should facilitate substantial progress, among others, in fusion research and laboratory astrophysics. The team is presenting its results in the journal npj Computational Materials (DOI: 10.1038/s41524-026-02088-9).

Lakes play a vital filtering role in the ecosystem: they remove excess nitrogen from the water. An international research team led by the University of Basel and Eawag has now shown that climate change could weaken this natural purification process. This would have consequences extending all the way to coastal marine ecosystems.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales and Monash University in Australia have developed a new method for covert communications. By taking advantage of the phenomena of “negative luminescence”, the opposite of the electroluminescence of conventional visible light emitting diodes (LEDs), they demonstrate that a data signal can be perfectly hidden in the thermal background, with only an outside observer with the same technology able to observe that a message was sent at all.

Biochar is often described as a stable form of carbon that can improve soils, store carbon, and help immobilize pollutants. But once biochar is applied to farmland, contaminated sites, or other soils, it does not remain unchanged. A new review published in Biochar examines how biochar weathers over time and what those changes mean for soil health, carbon sequestration, and soil remediation.

Phosphorus is essential for crop growth, but using it efficiently remains one of agriculture’s long-standing challenges. Farmers often apply large amounts of phosphorus fertilizer to maintain yields, yet only a small fraction is taken up by crops. The rest can become locked in soil or escape into waterways, contributing to nutrient pollution and eutrophication.

A joint research team from NIMS, the Institute of Science Tokyo, and Kochi University of Technology discovered high-performance catalysts capable of significantly reducing "boil-off losses," which had been a long-standing issue in liquid hydrogen storage and transportation. These composite catalysts, in which metallic nanoparticles, such as iron, are supported on silicon dioxide (silica) or other low-cost oxide, demonstrate significantly superior performance compared to conventional iron oxide-based catalysts. In this research, the team demonstrated a new mechanism where ortho to para hydrogen conversion is promoted, not by magnetism as in conventional mainstream mechanisms, but by an inhomogeneous electric field on the surface of the catalyst. This research result, which is expected to contribute to a hydrogen energy society, was published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters on March 12, 2026.

Scientists from Wroclaw Medical University and the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences discovered that the type of tea used in kombucha production strongly affects the drink’s chemistry, aroma, and antioxidant activity. Kombuchas made from green and oolong teas showed the highest antioxidant potential, while each tea created a distinct flavor and chemical profile during fermentation. The researchers emphasize that kombucha is not a single universal product and that further clinical studies are needed to confirm its health effects.