By simulating the life cycle of a minimal bacterial cell — from DNA replication to protein translation to metabolism and cell division — scientists have opened a new frontier of computer vision into the essential processes of life.

RMIT University engineers in Australia have built a remote-controlled minibot that hoovers up oil spills using an innovative filtering system inspired by sea urchins.

Oil spills are still a serious problem around the world. They can badly damage oceans and coasts, kill or injure sea animals and birds, and cost billions of dollars to clean up and repair the damage.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), with their ultrahigh theoretical energy density, environmental benefits, and cost advantages, are considered a promising next-generation energy storage technology, but their practical application has long been hampered by the polysulfide shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics. To overcome these challenges, researchers from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, led by Prof. Gaoran Li, have developed an undercoordinated chromium single-atom catalyst (CrN₃) that precisely tunes the local coordination environment to accelerate sulfur redox reactions. Compared with the conventional CrN₄ structure, the CrN₃ motif optimizes 3d orbital electronic states and activates in-plane orbital interactions with sulfur species, enabling balanced polysulfide adsorption and reduced conversion barriers. Supported by theoretical modeling, advanced characterization, and electrochemical validation, the CrN₃ catalyst endows LSBs with high sulfur utilization, long cycling stability over 1000 cycles, and excellent rate performance, while maintaining high capacity under practical conditions of high sulfur loading and lean electrolyte. This work highlights undercoordination engineering as a powerful approach for advancing sulfur electrocatalysts and accelerating the practical implementation of LSBs.

Cobalt-free LiNiO₂ (LNO) is considered a promising cathode for its high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, its structural instability under deep delithiation severely limits practical application in next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Microstructure engineering enhances structural stability through precisely controlled lattice modulation strategies, particularly via high-valence element doping which effectively stabilizes the crystal framework through strong bonding characteristics and charge compensation effects.