A new study finds a widely-used technique for assessing the health of freshwater streams is not effective at detecting a range of water quality problems, including those related to acidity, oxygen levels, and presence of pathogens.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) are collaborating to advance solid-state battery technology. Solid-state batteries are safer, longer-lasting, and more efficient alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries, offering faster charging and greater energy storage potential. They are especially promising for powering electric vehicles, but current designs are held back by electrodes and interfaces that degrade over time. SwRI and SMU will address this bottleneck and work together to develop a more stable solid-state battery design architecture. 

Inside the cell nucleus, genes must be turned on and off with precision to regulate biological processes. The first models of gene regulation were developed in the 1960s, yet modern science continues to uncover new layers of control. A new study involving researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), the Institut Pasteur and Princeton University, published in PNAS, now suggests that genes obey an optimal switching principle—random at any given moment, yet precise on average.

Progress in chemistry is often gradual, with some of its most important advances taking years – sometimes decades – to unfold. A case in point is the discovery of a novel ‘ferrocenophane’ from the class of compounds known as ‘sandwich molecules’ – so named because of their particular structure. In a ferrocenophane, the ‘bread slices’ are two carbon rings that enclose an iron atom as the sandwich ‘filling’. A team of chemists at Saarland University has now succeeded in developing a highly unusual bent sandwich molecule that opens up new possibilities for designing iron-containing materials.

Researchers report a new lightweight cast aluminium alloy that is both exceptionally strong and remarkably ductile, making it a promising material for aerospace, automotive, and energy applications.

The growing presence of nanoplastics in the environment has highlighted the need for simpler detection methods, leading researchers at Science Tokyo to develop a rapid biosensor for detecting polystyrene nanoparticles in water. Tested in both model water samples and real water samples spiked with polystyrene nanoparticles, the device detected 50 nm particles within 20 minutes without labeling or extensive sample preparation. The technology could support efforts to understand and address nanoplastic accumulation in the environment.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) provides new insights into oxygen vacancy oscillation modes in amorphous zirconia films. Researchers from Xidian University, the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology used THz-TDS along with infrared spectroscopy and first-principles calculations to demonstrate that oxygen-vacancy migration play a key role in ionic conductivity and ferroelectric-like behavior

Developing secure hardware capable of generating truly random numbers is becoming increasingly important as artificial intelligence-generated forgeries and cyber threats grow more sophisticated. Now, researchers have developed a light-driven true random number generator and demonstrated how these numbers can be embedded into images as hidden security signatures to detect tampering. The device could be integrated into image sensors, enabling hardware-based detection of image modifications.

EPFL researchers have discovered that a soft material originally optimized for 3D printing may solve a longstanding challenge in materials science: make 3D printable elastomers both tough and durable.