A comprehensive review titled “From the Test Tube to the Cell: A Homecoming for DNA Computing Circuits?" published Mar. 4 in Intelligent Computing, a Science Partner Journal, highlights progress in operating DNA computing circuits for operation within living cells. According to the authors, dynamic nanodevices powered by DNA strand displacement reactions could soon enable real-time computing, sensing and actuation inside biological systems—and usher in a new era of “molecular robots” that interact with cellular environments.

A recent study led by researchers from Tsinghua University and Southwest University of Science and Technology has introduced a new method to directly regenerate heavily degraded lithium cobalt oxide [LiCoO₂ (LCO)] cathodes from spent lithium-ion batteries. Using a ball milling process to convert the damaged crystalline structure into a uniform amorphous phase, the team rebuilt lithium replenishment pathways and restored electrochemical performance through high-temperature sintering. The regenerated cathodes delivered a discharge capacity of 179.10 mAh·g⁻¹—comparable to commercial materials. This approach not only sidesteps the environmental and energy drawbacks of conventional recycling but also presents a scalable and economically viable solution for the reuse of retired battery components.

A striped charge order has been discovered in the Fu-Kane topological superconductor 2M-WS₂, and its interaction with Majorana bound states (MBS) demonstrates a potential way to manipulate the spatial positions of MBSs.

The largest radio telescope FAST detects 90% circular polarization and rapidly changing linear polarization in the bursts of a fast radio burst (FRB) repeater, imposing new constraint on radiative mechanism of FRBs.

In this study, researchers developed a highly alloyed Pd₃Pt₁ bimetallene (Pd₃Pt₁ BML) for efficient electrochemical hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran. The ultrathin structure and dispersed active sites of Pd₃Pt₁ BML deliver superior Faradaic efficiency (>93%) and selectivity (>66%) under mild conditions. Coupled with formic acid oxidation at the anode to lower energy consumption, this innovative approach overcomes high-temperature and high-pressure limitations, paving the way for greener, sustainable biomass conversion.