From harmful to helpful; researchers at Tohoku University and Hokkaido University have developed a record-breaking method to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into a fuel source.

A new study uses digital tools to analyze nearly 1,000 Syriac manuscripts from the British Library, focusing on how scribes and editors selected and rearranged parts of texts—a practice known as excerpting. The researcher introduces a new measurement called Excerpts Per Manuscript (EPM) to track how often this happened. This approach reveals that the people who copied and compiled these manuscripts were not just preserving texts—they were actively shaping what future generations would read and remember. By highlighting these editorial choices, the study shifts attention away from authors alone and shows that scribes played a key role in organizing knowledge, adapting texts for new purposes, and influencing how Syriac literary culture developed over time.

In an exclusive Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Romina Mizrahi discusses how PET imaging allows scientists to explore the molecular underpinnings of psychiatric illness. Her work on dopamine, inflammation, and cannabis use disorder paves the way for personalized interventions in schizophrenia, addiction, and suicide risk.

The research team led by Dr. Jongwon Yoon, Dr. Jeongdae Kwon, and Dr. Yonghoon Kim from the Energy & Environmental Materials Research Division at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), has successfully developed the world’s first ammonia (NH₃) gas sensor based on a copper bromide (CuBr) film that can be fabricated through a simple solution process at low temperatures.

In the Amazon, gold mining is a thriving business, pushing deep into the rainforest and indigenous lands. Small-scale operations set up primarily illicitly and operated in the shadows use mercury, a substance with neurotoxic properties, for gold extraction. Now, a team of researchers examined if trees native to the Peruvian Amazon could be used as biomonitors for gold mining activities. By examining mercury concentrations in tree rings, they concluded that some species could bear witness to illegal mining activities.