Diallyl disulfide is an organosulfur compound derived from garlic, and R-carvone is a monoterpenoid derived from spearmint. Researchers processed these compounds into oil-in-water nanoemulsions and applied it to the adzuki bean beetle—a known legume pest. The researchers found that the nanoemulsions were highly toxic against the pest, suggesting that they could be a promising environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic pest-control agents.

Added protein is showing up in foods from breakfast cereal to pasta, but not many condiments … yet. Researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology have now developed an enriched tomato ketchup by incorporating protein extracted from algae. A panel of taste testers preferred the recipes containing up to 3% added algal extract, saying the samples maintained the sweet, tangy taste and reddish appearance expected of the condiment.  

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that Empire AI Beta is officially online, giving researchers at New York's leading public and private universities access to the most powerful academic research computer in the country and marking a major milestone in New York's effort to lead the nation in responsible artificial intelligence for the public good. As convened by Governor Hochul and consortium partners, the Empire AI initiative is already serving as a national model for public-interest AI use. As the federal National Science Foundation has announced a major investment to support regional AI infrastructure and shared research capacity through their new State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs initiative, Empire AI is already powering world-class research and serving academics, students and communities across the state.

Rigoberto "Gobet" Advincula, a Governor's Chair Professor jointly appointed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Chemical Society's Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division.

Ultrathin magnetic films for next-generation memory devices face a trade-off between atomic ordering and surface flatness. Researchers from the University of Toyama addressed this using a two-step heating method to grow highly ordered 5-nm-thick FePd films. The process involves low-temperature deposition for smooth layer-by-layer growth, followed by an annealing step to promote atomic ordering. The findings provide a simple strategy for developing energy-efficient magnetic random-access memory and high-density magnetic storage technologies.

Portal hypertension is a serious complication of chronic liver disease that can lead to life-threatening conditions such as internal bleeding and liver failure. A new study examines how advances in imaging, blood-based biomarkers, predictive models, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the non-invasive diagnosis of the condition. By bringing together the latest evidence, the review highlights how these approaches could support earlier detection, improve disease monitoring, and reduce the need for invasive procedures.

Certain systems exhibit collective dynamics driven by nonreciprocal interactions, where particles do not exert equal influences on one another. Researchers from Tokyo University of Science demonstrated such behavior in a colloidal system containing more than 10,000 particles. Instead of growing into large static aggregates, the particles formed self-propelled pairs that sustained a dynamic, fragmented state. The experiment provides a platform for studying nonreciprocal interactions and their role in shaping collective dynamics in large-scale systems.

A pioneering study led by Aberystwyth University is set to investigate how everyday interactions between people and dogs in rural Wales could be helping a harmful tapeworm spread between species.