Researchers have uncovered the initial adaptive mechanisms of Bacillus velezensis C5 when exposed to polyethylene microplastics. Using comparative transcriptomics, the study revealed a robust, polymer‑specific transcriptional program distinct from general starvation or surface‑contact responses. Exposure to polyethylene triggered massive upregulation of genes involved in biofilm formation and sporulation, while genes associated with canonical degradation were not induced. The bacterium remained viable without growth, formed dense biofilms, and increased surface hydrophilicity but caused only subtle physicochemical changes to the plastic. This survival‑first strategy represents a critical initial phase that must be overcome to enable efficient biodegradation.

Researchers have developed a multi‑objective optimization framework (MO‑DIDC) that handles infeasible solutions in complex distillation process optimization through data‑driven identification and adaptive directed correction. By identifying promising infeasible solutions near Pareto‑optimal designs and correcting their most influential variables, the framework reduces unnecessary exploration of infeasible regions. Demonstrated on a side‑stream double‑column extractive distillation system and a four‑column extractive distillation system, MO‑DIDC achieves optimization time reductions of 35.3 % and 20.8 %, respectively, compared to a widely used genetic algorithm, while delivering superior or comparable process designs.

Researchers who combine machine learning and economics are studying the social impact of algorithms that determine payouts on digital marketplaces. In a recently published study, the team highlights the structural imbalance in digital labor markets and provides a blueprint for fairer market with better working conditions for gig workers.

The generation of high-intensity, ultrashort, coherent terahertz pulses in the 5-15 THz frequency range presents a formidable challenge in ultrafast science. Recently, researchers have introduced a novel scheme for generating intense, broadband THz pulses over a gapless wide spectral range based on collinear phase matched Raman-resonance-enhanced four-wave mixing (R-FWM) in strained diamond, providing a scalable route toward high-field THz sources for driving and interrogating complex dynamics in matter.

A new clinical study shows that electroacupuncture (EA) can significantly improve long-term facial paralysis symptoms and help regulate brainstem excitability, even when using minimal stimulation that patients can barely feel. 

Severe early childhood caries affects millions of children worldwide and remains one of the most destructive forms of tooth decay. Although bacteria are known to play a central role in the disease, identifying the microbes actively involved in lesion progression has remained a challenge. In a new study, researchers combined DNA and RNA sequencing to investigate microbial communities residing within carious lesions, offering new insights into the biological processes that drive this debilitating childhood condition.