New membrane technology delivering faster and more precise molecule separation could improve the efficiency and sustainability of energy-intensive industrial processes—from purifying chemicals and recovering valuable resources to producing sustainable fuels.
University of Queensland chemical engineering researchers have developed technology that makes molecules move efficiently through membranes without impacting separation performance. The paper is published in the journal Science.
Quantum networks could one day connect quantum computers into more powerful systems and enable new forms of secure communication. But a fundamental obstacle stands in the way: Quantum information is extraordinarily fragile, and the entanglement between particles of light on which such networks would depend is easily disrupted.
Now, in a new paper in Nature Physics, engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a potential workaround using topology, the branch of mathematics that famously considers a doughnut and a coffee mug equivalent because they both have a single hole that remains unchanged even when their shapes are distorted.
To explore whether topology’s focus on properties that persist under deformation could lend resilience to quantum systems, the researchers built a chip that generates a pair of entangled photons, then gives one of them a distinctive pattern, known as a skyrmion, by polarizing its light in a particular way.
For decades, physicists recognized only two types of magnetism that occur in materials without external influence: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. In findings published in Science, a team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has delivered conclusive experimental proof of a third magnetic phase called altermagnetism.
“In the past few years, scientists have observed phenomena that don’t fit neatly into the ferromagnetism-antiferromagnetism dichotomy,” explained lead author Daniel Jost, associate scientist at SLAC and Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences.
“Researchers have been compiling evidence of a third type of magnetism that bridges the qualities of these two classes. We believe our results provide robust experimental confirmation that this third phase—altermagnetism—is real.”
Nitrogen dioxide is a harmful gas that requires sensitive detection. Researchers used intense light pulses lasting 10 milliseconds to make molybdenum disulfide flakes and anchor isolated metal atoms in one step. Adding platinum improved the material’s room-temperature response to nitrogen dioxide, reaching 100.8% at 400 parts per billion and a detection limit of 17.2 parts per billion. This approach could support advanced gas sensors and applications in catalysis and energy technologies.
Many gas sensors detect gases through changes in a material’s electrical properties. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is promising, but much of its surface is inactive. Its more reactive edges can be difficult to preserve during conventional heating, while added catalyst metals may clump together instead of remaining as individual atoms.
The research was jointly led by Professor Il-Doo Kim from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Assistant Professor Dong-Ha Kim from Hanyang University-ERICA as co-corresponding authors, with Dr. Euichul Shin from KAIST serving as the first author.
A new light-powered chemical technique could give scientists more freedom to design drug molecules with complex three-dimensional shapes. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have developed a way to produce molecular structures that could serve as alternatives to benzene rings, which are widely used in medicines but can sometimes limit their properties.
Led by Professor Jian He from HKU’s Department of Chemistry, the team developed specialized copper(I) photosensitizers that use visible light to construct bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes, or BCHs. Published in Nature Chemistry, the research addresses two major challenges in producing these structures: the limited range of compatible starting materials and unwanted chemical reactions that interfere with synthesis.
A new silicon-based coating could dramatically reduce the weight and environmental impact of conventional paints.
15.83 fixes CVE-2026–111585, which lets malicious hosts crash remote viewers and may enable code execution on some platforms.
Attackers target a WordPress Core RCE flaw during upgrades, with Wordfence blocking 62,969 attempts in 24 hours. Patch available in 7.1.4.
Trezor warns CryptoBilis buyers to replace wallet recovery phrases after a customer reported a Safe 5 implant that transmits them over cellular.
Ahmad Umar Agha, a Syrian Electronic Army hacker known online as “Th3Pr0,” has been sentenced by a U.S. federal court to 42 months in prison for his role in a hacking conspiracy that targeted Western news outlets.
The conspiracy was organized and led by members of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle, including the commander of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate, the U.S. Justice Department said on October 29.
The pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army began its attacks in 2011. Its members sent phishing emails to steal employees’ passwords, then used those passwords to deface websites, redirect web traffic, and hijack social media accounts, according to a 2014 FBI affidavit.
