Objectives: Runners from East Africa including Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda have dominated middle- and long-distance running events, for almost six decades. This narrative review examines and updates current understanding of the factors explaining the dominance of East Africans in distance running from a holistic perspective.

Content: The dominance of East African distance runners has puzzled researchers, with various factors proposed to explain their unparalleled success. Four key elements emerge: 1) biomechanical and physiological attributes, 2) training characteristics, 3) psychological motivations, and 4) African diet. Runners from East Africa often exhibit ectomorphic somatotypes, characterized by lean body compositions which lead them to an extraordinary biomechanical and metabolic efficiency. Their sociocultural lifestyle, training regimens beginning at a young age with aerobic activities, seem crucial, as well as moderate volume, high-intensity workouts at altitudes ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 meters. Psychological factors, including a strong motivation to succeed driven by aspirations for socioeconomic improvement and a rich tradition of running excellence, also contribute significantly. A multifactorial explanation considering these factors, without a clear genetic influence, is nowadays the strongest argument to explain the East African phenomenon.

Summary and Outlook: To unravel the mystery behind the dominance of East African distance runners, it is imperative to consider these multifaceted factors. The predominantly rural lifestyle of the East African population underscores the importance of aligning modern lifestyles with the evolutionary past of Homo sapiens, where physical activity was integral to daily life. Further research is required to explain this phenomenon, with a focus on genetics.

The emplacement mechanism of klippes along Longmen Shan foreland thrust belt has been long in debate. A pioneering study published in Science China Earth Sciences has unveiled critical insights into those controversial structures. Conducted by researchers from the China University of Geosciences (Beijing), the study employs structural analysis and low-temperature thermochronology to reveal the formation mechanism and emplacement time of the Longmen Shan klippes, thereby proposing a new tectonic model for the evolution of the klippes.

A research team from Westlake University has published a groundbreaking study in Science Bulletin, demonstrating the innovative use of thin-film deposition technology to create micron-scale metal patterns on the surface of tardigrades, often regarded as the "toughest creatures on Earth." This breakthrough not only adorns them with a "metallic armor" but also realizes the intriguing concept of artificially controlling biological movement. The study extends the boundaries of traditional fabrication techniques. Where precision nanotechnology intersects with billions of years of evolutionary wisdom, this extraordinary convergence may spark a technological singularity that redefines the boundaries of life and machine.

A groundbreaking integrated encryption and communication (IEAC) framework, enabled by end-to-end deep learning, has achieved a record-breaking single-channel secure transmission rate of 1 Terabit per second (Tb/s) over a 1,200-km optical fibre link. Published in National Science Review, this innovation optimizes mutual information for legal users while minimizing leakage to eavesdroppers, offering a scalable solution for high-speed, secure data transmission in the era of big data and AI.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences, a team of researchers employed systematic archaeobotanical flotation and AMS radiocarbon dating at two sites in Romania: Baia-În Muchie and Dobrovăț. It provides valuable data on the chronology of millet cultivation in the SW Eastern European Plain and enhances our understanding of early East-West exchanges and their impact on human-environment interactions in critical regions.

Recently, Professor Peng Xue's team from the Beijing Computational Science Research Center published an article titled "Quantum cooling engine fueled by quantum measurements" in Science Bulletin. The research team employed a linear optical platform to simulate a two-stroke, two-qubit engine. In the experiment, they demonstrated various quantum thermodynamic processes by tuning the energy level spacing of the working substance and adjusting the temperature parameters of the bath. They successfully realized a quantum cooling engine driven by quantum measurements and discovered the influence of entanglement on the energy exchange between the working substance and the measurement apparatus.

A research team has developed an organic radical-activable charge-transfer (CT) cocrystal with a remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency of 67.2% for solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs). This innovation enables STEGs to generate 143 mV under 1 sun irradiation, offering a promising solution for self-powered wearable electronics and Internet of Things. The cocrystal's strong near-infrared absorption and nonradiative recombination properties pave the way for applications in non-contact information conversion and real-time photodetection.

Postoperative delirium is one of the most common complications in the older surgical population, but its pathogenesis and biomarkers are largely undetermined. Retinal layer thickness has been demonstrated to be associated with cognitive function in mild cognitive impairment and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. However, relatively little is known about possible retinal layer thickness among patients with postoperative delirium.

Free electron lasers have unique advantages of high power, wide frequency tunablility and et al, however, they face challenge in narrowing the spectral linewidth.  Scientists in China proposed and realized the pump-induced stimulated superradiant Smith-Purcell radiation (PIS-SPR) and achieved an ultra-narrow spectral linewidth of 0.3 kHz at ~0.3 THz in a compact device. The mechanism and technique provides a way to further narrow the spectral linewidth of free electron radiation and broaden its applications.

The tandem reaction achieved by the synergistic effect of Zn-O-Zr sites and oxygen vacancies, the ethane C–H bond was selectively clipped over the Zn-O-Zr sites and the CO₂ C=O bonds was activated over the oxygen vacancies.