A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has constructed a copper (Cu) single-atom catalyst (Cu-N3 SAs) with a nitrogen-coordination structure. They used two-dimensional g-C3N4, derived from melamine pyrolysis, as a carrier to achieve efficient electrocatalytic urea synthesis under mild conditions.

Ferroic materials such as ferromagnets and ferroelectrics underpin modern data storage, yet face limits: They switch slowly, or suffer from unstable polarization due to depolarizing fields respectively. A new class, ferroaxials, avoids these issues by hosting vortices of dipoles with clockwise or anticlockwise textures, but are hard to control.

Compounds emitted by trees, diterpenes, could have a previously unconsidered impact on the formation of particles in the atmosphere.

The dairy industry has been plagued by a persistent global problem for decades—bacterial infection of cow udders that significantly reduces milk production.

Inspired by ancient Roman concrete techniques, a team led by Prof. Ma Xiao from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) developed a novel low-cost, highly durable calcium-silicate-hydrate-based grouting material for grotto conservation. Their research is published in Advanced Science.

Every organism's genome contains mutations that often have unknown biological effects. In partnership with Stanford University, researchers at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now discovered a way to predict the effects of numerous mutations in yeast.

A research team at CiQUS (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain) has unveiled an innovative molecular approach that enables anticancer drugs to reach the nucleus of tumor cells, where they can exert their therapeutic effect. The study focused on doxorubicin, a widely used chemotherapy agent. Prolonged exposure to this drug often leads to the emergence of resistant cells, a major clinical challenge that this strategy successfully overcomes while preserving the drug's antitumor activity.

Scientists have long suspected connections between heredity and disease, dating back to Hippocrates, who observed certain diseases "ran in families." However, through the years, scientists have kept getting better at finding ways to also understand the source of those genetic links in the human genome.

Glaciers are fighting back against climate change by cooling the air that touches their surfaces. But for how long? The Pellicciotti group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has compiled and re-analyzed an unprecedented dataset of on-glacier observations worldwide. Their findings, published today in Nature Climate Change, demonstrate that glaciers will likely reach the peak of their self-cooling power by the next decade before their near-surface temperatures spike up and melting accelerates.

Michigan State University scientists have pinpointed the molecular "switch" that supercharges sperm for their final sprint to an egg—a breakthrough that could reshape infertility treatments and pave the way for safe, nonhormonal male contraceptives. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.