Lineage tracing is a powerful tool to study development, tissue homeostasis, aging, and disease progression. Over the past decades, lineage tracing techniques have progressed substantially by employing new genetic engineering tools. However, due to their invasive nature, these approaches are difficult to apply to humans. Although endogenous DNA mutations can be used for in vivo lineage tracing in humans, their extremely low mutation rate presents substantial technical challenges. Mitochondrial DNA mutations are an alternative, but their inheritance may suffer from neutral drift or undergo both positive and negative selection, and their analysis is plagued by excessive data noise. Thus, developing non-invasive, high-resolution lineage tracing methods for human tissues is crucial.

As global warming intensifies, window technologies that can automatically regulate indoor light and humidity in response to environmental changes could help reduce building energy consumption and support the development of a low-carbon city. A research team at the International Centre of Urban Energy Nexus (UEX) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed an innovative smart window film that leverages the unique properties of various materials to lower indoor temperatures during the day while absorbing moisture and reducing its transparency at night, thereby enhancing energy efficiency as well as improving indoor comfort and privacy. Antibacterial, durable and cost-effective, this innovative window film is particularly suitable for use in humid regions such as Hong Kong, offering a promising solution for green building development.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Dr. Lee Ho Seong) has successfully developed a chlorinated graphene (Cl-Gr) gas sensor that uses readily available saltwater to rapidly detect and recover from harmful gases at room temperature. Because the sensor can operate without a separate heating element, it significantly improves the prospects for practical gas sensors in compact devices, where their use has long been limited by power consumption and heat generation.

DNA sequencing with nanopores has proven their power as single molecule sensors and highlighted their potential for next-generation protein sequencing. In protein nanopores, precise structural engineering through modification, reconstruction and de novo design has driven major advances, enhancing measurement accuracy and versatility and opening new frontiers in protein sequencing and sub nanometer analysis.

Adelaide University researchers have developed an innovative wearable glove that uses heat, touch and physical objects to transform data into a sensory experience.