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Key enzyme for high-value natural sweetener production identified and characterized

Steviol glycosides, natural sweeteners extracted from Stevia rebaudiana, are widely used as sucrose substitutes due to their high sweetness and low caloric value. Among them, Rebaudioside M (Reb M) is regarded as a next-generation, high-value steviol glycoside product because of its intense sweetness and superior taste profile. However, the natural abundance of Reb M in Stevia is extremely low.

Efficient biosynthetic methods are needed to meet market demand. Until now, the key enzyme catalyzing the conversion of Rebaudioside D (Reb D) to Reb M in the has not been identified, and it is generally assumed to be UGT76G1. However, UGT76G1 exhibits strict regioselectivity for the C13 position of steviol glycosides, while its at the C19 position is very weak.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on September 17, a team led by Prof. Yin Heng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified the key glycosyltransferase that catalyzes the conversion of Reb D to Reb M, and revealed the underlying its substrate regioselectivity.

Evidence of a spin-liquid state emerges in pressurized oxygen

Oxygen, the colorless and odorless gas that is essential to the survival of humans and other living organisms, is estimated to make up around 21% of Earth’s atmosphere. While the primary properties of oxygen are now well understood, the states that can emerge in it at extreme conditions (e.g., at high pressures) are still under investigation.

Researchers at Shanghai Advanced Research in Physical Sciences (SHARPS), the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research in China, the Italian National Institute of Optics of the National Council of Research (CNR-INO), the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and University Montpellier carried out a study exploring the properties of a high– phase of solid , known as epsilon oxygen (ε-O2).

Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, offers the first indirect evidence that a dynamic magnetic state, known as a spin-liquid state, emerges in epsilon oxygen.

Primordial black holes may trigger Type Ia supernovae without companion stars

A new article published in The Astrophysical Journal explores a new theory of how Type Ia supernovae, the powerful stellar explosions that astronomers use to measure distances across the universe, might be triggered. Traditionally, these supernovae occur when a white dwarf star explodes after interacting with a companion star. But this explanation has limitations, leaving open questions about how these events line up with the consistent patterns astronomers actually observe.

Scientists sidestep Heisenberg uncertainty principle in precision sensing experiment

Physicists in Australia and Britain have reshaped quantum uncertainty to sidestep the restriction imposed by the famous Heisenberg uncertainty principle—a result that could underpin future ultra-precise sensor technology used in navigation, medicine and astronomy.

Space-time doesn’t exist, but it’s a useful framework for understanding our reality

Whether space-time exists should be neither controversial nor even conceptually challenging, given the definitions of “space-time,” “events” and “instants.” The idea that space-time exists is no more viable than the outdated belief that the celestial sphere exists: both are observer-centered models that are powerful and convenient for describing the world, but neither represents reality itself.

Doping triggers tunable charge density wave in 2D antiferromagnetic semiconductor

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have observed a doping-tunable charge density wave (CDW) in a single-layer semiconductor, Chromium(III) selenide (Cr2Se3), extending the CDW phenomenon from metals to doped semiconductors.

CDWs are intriguing electronic patterns widely observed in metallic two-dimensional (2D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs). The study of CDW provides insights into emergent orders in , where electron correlations play a non-negligible role. However, most reported TMCs exhibiting CDW are intrinsic metals, and tuning their carrier density is predominantly accomplished through intercalation or atomic substitution. These approaches may introduce impurities or defects that complicate the understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

A research team led by Professor Chen Wei from the Department of Physics and the Department of Chemistry at NUS, synthesized single-layer semiconducting Cr2Se3 and demonstrated the CDW phenomenon using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

Routing photonic entanglement toward a quantum internet

Imagine the benefits if the entire internet got a game-changing upgrade to speed and security. This is the promise of the quantum internet—an advanced system that uses single photons to operate. Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new photonic router that can direct single and quantum entangled photons with unprecedented levels of efficiency. This advancement in quantum optics brings us closer to quantum networks and next-generation photonic quantum technologies becoming an everyday reality.

The findings were published in Advanced Quantum Technologies on September 2, 2025.

Photons are the backbone of many emerging quantum applications, from secure communication to powerful quantum computers. To make these technologies practical, photons must be routed quickly and reliably, without disturbing the delicate quantum states they carry.

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