Researchers have developed a copper-based metal-organic framework that converts CO₂ into N-formamides in a fully light-driven tandem process. The system combines CO₂ reduction and C-N coupling without Pd metal, external heating or high pressure.

Dendritic mesoporous silica-lanthanide fluoride (DMS-CeF₃:Tb) nanocomposites with a pomegranate-like architecture have been fabricated through a facile in situ enrichment strategy. The strong single-particle luminescence and long photoluminescence lifetime of DMS-CeF₃:Tb nanoprobes enabled an ultrasensitive immunoassay for prostate specific antigen (PSA) with a detection limit of 41 fg mL^-1, which represents a 976-fold improvement over a commercial PSA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Validation with PCa serum samples revealed a strong correlation with the hospital’s electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, confirming the clinical applicability of the nanoprobes. Additionally, targeted imaging and in vitro detection of cervical cancer cells were realized utilizing biotinylated DMS-CeF₃:Tb nanoprobes, enabling rapid cancer screening. These findings reveal the great potential of DMS-CeF₃:Tb as an efficient nano-bioprobe for early cancer diagnosis.

In a new study published in China Welding, researchers have optimized pulse frequency in local dry underwater laser welding (LDU-LW) of Q355B steel. The optimized pulsed laser process significantly improves weld formation, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, offering a reliable solution for underwater repair and manufacturing of marine engineering structures.

A large-scale study with data from Brazilian Cerrado streams found that about half of the field sampling effort preserved the ability of most habitat and biological indices to distinguish stream disturbance levels, while greatly reducing time and costs. Macroinvertebrate indices remained robust under reduced sampling, and only fish richness was more sensitive to lower effort. The findings suggest that faster, more cost-effective stream assessments could support biomonitoring programs in tropical regions with limited funding.

Writing in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, researchers in Norway and Canada recently investigated the evolution of butchering technology using newly analyzed zooarchaeological data from Bronze Age Tell Aphek, an archaeological site in north Israel. They showed that stone tools dominated during the Early Bronze Age (3000–2500 BCE) followed by a dramatic and sudden shift towards metal tools with the onset of Middle Bronze Age occupation (2000–1550 BCE). By the end of the Late Bronze Age (1550–1200 BCE), metal tools had almost completely replaced stone tools as the main butchering tools.

KAIST announced on May 19th that the KAIST-Hanwha Solutions Future Technology Research Institute, has secured bio-technology capable of mass-producing eco-friendly raw materials for plastics and textiles using waste resources, offering an alternative to petroleum-derived naphtha.