A new study published in Big Earth Data describes the development of the National Earth Observation Data Cube of Cyprus as a modern software-based infrastructure for efficiently storing, managing, and analyzing the rapidly growing volume of Earth observation data. It further demonstrates its value through a water resource monitoring case under the Mediterranean climate crisis and highlights the potential of semantic classification for more generalized and efficient environmental monitoring. An online platform has been developed and welcomes users to access the CEODC ecosystem at https://cypruscube.com/, while all tools and services are also integrated within the ERATOSTHENES Regional Exploitation Platform: https://rep.eratosthenes.org.cy/.

A new study published in Big Earth Data proposes GeoJSON agents, a novel multi-agent large language model (LLM) framework for geospatial analysis that transforms natural language instructions into structured GeoJSON operations through function calling and code generation. Experiments on a hierarchical benchmark of 70 spatial tasks show that the code generation–based agent achieved 97.14% accuracy and the function calling–based agent achieved 85.71%, both significantly outperforming general-purpose models, while highlighting the trade-off between flexibility and execution stability in GeoAI applications. The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29921492.

Research sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory shows that microgravity disrupts how engineered microbes absorb nutrients, limiting their ability to produce useful materials in space. Published in npj Microgravity, the study examined Escherichia coli engineered to produce melanin—a protective pigment that could help shield astronauts and spacecraft from radiation and environmental stress. While the microbes successfully activated the genetic pathway for melanin production, nutrient uptake was impaired in microgravity, leaving key resources unused. Complementary ground-based experiments confirmed that fluid mixing and nutrient transport are major challenges. In contrast, fungal strains tested in the study remained resilient and continued producing melanin, highlighting their potential for space-based biomanufacturing. The findings will inform the design of future bioreactors and systems to enable reliable production of protective materials, medicines, and other valuable compounds during long-duration missions.

Field investigation from CAS scientists uncovers zoning-driven vascular plant diversity gaps and invasive risks in three main urban green space types of subtropical Guangzhou to guide urban biodiversity conservation.

A University of Arkansas undergraduate researcher showed that 3D metal printing may work in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide, removing a key obstacle to manufacturing on Mars.

McGill University researchers have discovered a new way to fold flat sheets into smooth, curved shells that can switch from floppy and flexible to stiff and load-bearing on demand. By designing a special origami pattern and threading cable-like elements through it, they can control the material’s final three-dimensional shape and how rigid it becomes. The result, a “doubly curved lens box,” could advance the technology of such objects as temporary emergency tents, morphing robots and smart fabrics, the researchers said.