Indonesia’s policies on oil palm cultivation within state forest zones have shifted from gradual rehabilitation to stricter enforcement. However, a Hasanuddin University study finds that neither approach addresses the underlying drivers of forest conversion effectively. Drawing on field observations, stakeholder engagement, and policy analysis, the researchers identify gaps between forest restoration and smallholder livelihoods. The study calls for integrated governance that strengthens land rights and balances ecological protection with economic and social needs.

Enhancing low-light images with machine learning-based techniques becomes increasingly difficult as resolution rises. To address this challenge, researchers from China have developed LL-Refiner, a novel framework that first performs coarse enhancement at low resolution before progressively refining details at multiple scales. Tests on real-world datasets show that LL-Refiner achieves state-of-the-art image quality while also improving performance in computer-vision tasks such as depth estimation. 

Dynamic scene reconstruction is challenging because real-world scenes contain diverse types of motion, and no single motion representation consistently performs best across all scenarios. Researchers from Pusan National University developed a Mixture-of-Experts approaches that combine complementary dynamic representations to better capture diverse motions in dynamic 3D scenes. These approaches improve reconstruction quality while exploring different trade-offs between model flexibility, performance, and efficiency.

Biodiesel is a promising bridge technology for enhancing sustainability of the transport industry while renewable energy infrastructure scales up. However, the sustainability of biodiesel varies dramatically with feedstock choice. In a new study, researchers conduct a comprehensive life-cycle assessment of biodiesel production from different feedstocks, revealing significant variability in greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution characteristics, and emission mitigation potential between plant-based and waste-derived feedstocks.

Researchers in Korea are developing a new approach to localized brachytherapy that could improve the treatment of keloid scars. The strategy uses injectable, biodegradable hyaluronic acid microgels that act as tiny radiation reservoirs within target tissue. By combining rapid radiolabeling with localized delivery, the platform aims to overcome limitations of conventional radiation treatment while offering greater flexibility and precision. The study highlights a promising step toward targeted, minimally invasive microbrachytherapy. 

Traditional approaches for designing primary coolant pipes in nuclear power plants consider highly unlikely, extreme scenarios. Estimating pipe rupture frequency is a more practical approach. In a new study, researchers investigated the pipe rupture frequency of coolant pipes using a probabilistic framework that accounts for material properties, degradation pathway, and even inspection performance, offering a risk-informed approach to design and evaluation.

Researchers have developed a membrane-based strategy that separates complex light naphtha into valuable chemical streams at the molecular level. By mildly etching a metal–organic framework membrane with tannic acid, the team created complementary membranes that sort hydrocarbons by size and chemical affinity. The membrane cascade separated a 15-component petroleum mixture into three product streams while potentially reducing energy consumption by about 91% compared with conventional distillation.

Can chemical processes be designed based solely on the properties of the molecules involved? Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joachim Groß, Head of the Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Process Engineering (ITT) at the University of Stuttgart believes this is possible. He and his team plan to investigate this question as part of an ERC Advanced Grant, which Groß has now been awarded by the European Research Council (ERC).