Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM), with its innovative design of selective plane illumination and orthogonal detection optics, significantly reduces phototoxicity and photobleaching inherent in conventional microscopy, providing a revolutionary tool for long-term dynamic imaging of living specimens.

A joint research team led by Dr. Young-Jun Jang and Dr. Jongkuk Kim of the Extreme Materials Research Institute, in collaboration with Dr. Sungmo Moon’s team from the Energy and Environment Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has successfully developed Korea’s first high corrosion- and wear-resistant carbon coating technology to mitigate the severe corrosion and wear issues associated with ammonia fuel. This technology is expected to serve as a key enabling platform for accelerating the commercialization of eco-friendly ammonia-powered ships.

Bioluminescent plankton are marine organisms capable of emitting visible light through chemical reactions in their bodies. This unique biochemical trait is attributed to a luciferin-luciferase reaction, which produces a striking blue light. This fascinating phenomenon, often referred to as the “blue tears” effect, has become a major attraction for tourist attractions in many countries. Since their discovery, most investigations related to these marine organisms have primarily focused on the fields of biology, ecology, oceanography, and microbiology. However, there has been limited to almost no study of their potential applications in the area of energy or lighting. This paper provides viewpoints on the opportunities for using these marine organisms and their light-emitting characteristics as an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solution, rather than just as a tourist attraction. Additionally, it addresses the challenges associated with sustaining the growth of bioluminescent plankton collected from the marine environment, the importance of establishing suitable protocols for in-house cultivation, challenges in stimulating the light-production at desired time, constraint imposed by the circadian rhythm, the toxicity of certain bioluminescent plankton, and the capacity of their luminous intensity.

Direct air capture (DAC) is an emerging technology aimed at mitigating global warming. However, conventional DAC technologies and the subsequent utilization processes are complex and energy-intensive. An integrated system of direct air capture and utilization (IDACU) via in-situ catalytic conversion to fuels and chemicals is a promising approach, although it remains in the early stages of development. This review examines the current technical routes of IDACU, including solid-based dual-functional materials (DFMs) through thermo-catalysis, IDACU using liquid sorbents with thermo-catalysis, and non-thermal conversion methods. It covers the basic principles, reaction conditions, main products, material types, and the existing problems and challenges associated with these technical routes. Additionally, it discusses the recent advancements in solid-based DFMs for IDACU, with particular attention to the differences in material characteristics between carbon capture from flue gases (ICCU) and DAC. While IDACU technology holds significant promise, it still faces numerous challenges, especially in the design of advanced materials.

In a recent study published in Science China Earth Sciences, a team of researchers proposed using an orthogonal conditional nonlinear optimal perturbations (O-CNOPs) method to tackle the challenge of forecasting unusual tropical cyclone (TC) tracks. Their findings revealed that this method exhibits exceptional capability in generating ensemble members that accurately predict sharp TC turns. The O-CNOPs method holds potential as a transformative tool for addressing the forecasting challenge, offering a more precise and reliable solution for predicting TC behavior.

Forecasting unusual TC tracks has long been a persistent challenge in TC prediction, with limited progress made over the years. However, this study demonstrated that the O-CNOPs outperformed traditional methods [singular vectors (SVs) and bred vectors (BVs)] by providing more stable and reliable improvements in TC track forecasting skills. Notably, at lead times of one to five days, the O-CNOPs showed superior ability to generate ensemble members that accurately predict sharp TC turns. Thus, the study offers a new ensemble forecasting technology to enhance the accuracy of unusual TC track forecasts, with potential for becoming a valuable approach to address this forecasting challenge.