The Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons (HWE) reaction is commonly used in organic chemistry to synthesize conjugated aldehydes. However, traditional HWE reaction methods sometimes have inconsistent (E)- and (Z)-selectivity, and (E)-isomers of conjugated carbonyl compounds are important for the synthesis of hynapene analogues, which have anti-cancer properties. Researchers have developed a new HWE reaction using a Weinreb amide–type HWE reagent, featuring high robustness, scalability, and (E)-selectivity. Additionally, its key intermediate can be isolated and is exceptionally stable.

In biosynthetic production, controlling engineered bacteria to efficiently produce chemicals is challenging due to mismatches between process models and actual outcomes. To address this issue, researchers from Japan developed a hybrid control system that combines a computer-based model controller with a feedback mechanism engineered directly into Escherichia coli bacteria. Simulation results show that this hybrid control approach achieved higher yields than other methods, highlighting its potential to improve industrial bioprocesses efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

Scientists from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), together with a research team from Ericsson and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, have developed an artificial intelligence-based software programme that can search for information and make recommendations for biomedical image analysis. This innovation streamlines the work of individuals using large bioimage databases, including life sciences researchers, workflow developers, and biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

Increasing heat, droughts, floods, and salinization caused by climate change are lowering the amount of edible food produced by our staple crops. Since taking over more land for agriculture isn’t sustainable, our only path forward is to adapt the crops themselves to the new conditions. We have two options—domestication of crops’ wild relatives which are more resilient but have a lower yield, or including resilience genes in modern high-yield crops. Writing in Frontiers in Science, researchers discuss these possibilities and the critical need for more funding, research, and public understanding.

More than a third of women across 10 health care practices chose to enroll in a self-pay, artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced breast cancer screening program, and the women who enrolled were 21% more likely to have cancer detected, according to research being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

In a paper published in Science Bulletin, an international team of scientists studied the effects of China’s two-phase clean air actions, namely the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (APPCAP) in 2013-2017 and the Blue-Sky Defense War (BSDW) in 2018-2020, on the temporal trend of Beijing’s ambient concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and human exposure to PAHs in healthy young adults who traveled from Los Angeles to Beijing. The results demonstrated the superb effectiveness of long-term air pollution control in reducing population exposure to PAHs.