The rapid expansion of high-throughput sequencing technologies has generated unprecedented amounts of multi-omics data, essential to advancing research in biodiversity, evolution, agriculture, medicine, and environmental science. 

A new study from a research team at the Centre for Wireless Communications Network and Systems (CWC-NS) at the University of Oulu has introduced an approach using near-infrared (NIR) light beyond light therapy for facilitating simultaneous wireless power transfer and communication to electronic implantable medical devices (IMDs). Previously, the research team demonstrated that NIR light for wireless communication is feasible, and now the team made progress by involving wireless charging capabilities using the same light.

 

Featured in Optics Continuum, the research outlines an approach that promises to enhance the performance and durability of IMDs while providing more secure, safer, more private, and radio interference-free communication. The published paper, authored by Syifaul Fuada, Mariella Särestöniemi, and Marcos Katz at the CWC-NS, has demonstrated research merit as it was designated an Editor's Pick, highlighting articles of excellent scientific quality and representing the work occurring in a specific field.  The paper is a part of Syifaul Fuada's doctoral research, which is funded by Infotech, University of Oulu, Finland.

The proliferation of 5G communication technology and the miniaturization of electronic devices have made protection against human electromagnetic radiation an urgent global public health issue. Concurrently, intensifying great power arms races are driving electromagnetic warfare environments towards full-spectrum capabilities and intelligentization. Microwave (300 MHz–300 GHz) and terahertz wave (0.1–10 THz) technologies, as core frequency bands in electromagnetic spectrum engineering, have deeply penetrated critical fields such as communications, military, healthcare, and industrial inspection. Consequently, electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding have become imperative problems to solve. However, traditional absorbing materials face numerous challenges, such as singular loss mechanisms, a lack of adaptive cross-band regulation capability, and excessive thickness. These limitations severely restrict their application in complex electromagnetic compatibility scenarios.

Powdery mildew poses a major threat to black currant production, yet some cultivars naturally withstand infection far better than others. This study reveals that resistant black currants deploy a multilayered defense system involving physical structures, specialized metabolites, and the assembly of protective microbial communities on leaf surfaces. By integrating metabolomics and phyllosphere microbiome profiling, the research identifies key leaf metabolites—such as salicylic acid, trans-zeatin, and griseofulvin—that help recruit beneficial bacteria and fungi linked to disease suppression. These metabolites also directly reduce pathogen growth. Together, these processes explain how resistant cultivars mount a coordinated defense that limits pathogen invasion and maintains plant health.

Tea plants are known for their ability to accumulate aluminum (Al), a trait that is beneficial for growth at optimal levels but may pose health risks when consumed in excess. This study identifies a key gene, CsWRKY17, that plays a crucial role in the accumulation of aluminum in the leaves of tea plants. By enhancing pectin deesterification in the cell walls, this gene helps facilitate the binding of aluminum, which is essential for managing Al toxicity. This discovery provides a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating aluminum accumulation in tea plants, offering potential strategies for breeding tea varieties with reduced aluminum content and improved safety.

A new study published in Biochar reveals that biochar, a carbon rich soil amendment widely used to improve soil health and reduce pollution, continues to influence the movement of veterinary antibiotics in farmland soils even after five years in the field. The work shows that biochar’s ability to retain pollutants changes in surprising ways over time, shifting from adsorption driven effects in the first year to soil structure driven mechanisms after long term aging.

Understanding how fluoride moves from the soil into tea leaves is critical for both plant health and consumer safety.