This Review surveys progress in the development of carbon nanotubes as single-photon sources for emerging quantum technologies, with a focus on chemical synthesis and quantum defect engineering, computational studies of structure-property relationships, and experimental investigations of quantum optical properties.
A new study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience provides evidence that the human brain processes romantic partners differently than close friends, specifically within the reward system. The research suggests that while the brain creates a unique neural signature for a partner early in a relationship, this distinction tends to fade as the bond matures. These findings offer insight into how the biological drivers of romantic love may evolve from passion to companionship over time.
Relationships involve complex psychological states that differentiate a committed partner from a platonic friend. Scientists have sought to map these differences in the brain to understand the biological foundations of human bonding. Much of this research focuses on the nucleus accumbens. This small region deep within the brain, which relies heavily on the neurotransmitter dopamine, plays a central role in processing rewards and motivation.
Evidence from animal studies indicates that the nucleus accumbens is essential for forming pair bonds. Research on monogamous prairie voles shows that neurochemical signaling in this area drives the preference for a specific partner. The brain appears to undergo plastic changes that reinforce the bond.
A study led by the Center for Astrobiology (CAB), CSIC-INTA, using modeling techniques developed at the University of Oxford, has uncovered an unprecedented richness of small organic molecules in the deeply obscured nucleus of a nearby galaxy, thanks to observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The work, published in Nature Astronomy, provides new insights into how complex organic molecules and carbon are processed in some of the most extreme environments in the universe.
The study focuses on IRAS 07251–0248, an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy whose nucleus is hidden behind vast amounts of gas and dust. This material absorbs most of the radiation emitted by the central supermassive black hole, making it extremely difficult to study with conventional telescopes.
A pioneering study marks a major step toward eliminating the need for daily insulin injections for people with diabetes. The study was led by Assistant Professor Shady Farah of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, in co-correspondence with MIT, and in collaboration with Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Massachusetts. The findings are published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The research introduces a living, cell-based implant that can function as an autonomous artificial pancreas, essentially a living drug that is long-term, thanks to a novel crystalline shield-protecting technology. Once implanted, the system operates entirely on its own: it continuously senses blood-glucose levels, produces insulin within the implant itself, and releases the exact amount needed—precisely when it is needed. In effect, the implant becomes a self-regulating, drug-manufacturing organ inside the body, requiring no external pumps, injections, or patient intervention.
One of the study’s most significant breakthroughs addresses the longstanding challenge of immune rejection, which has limited the success of cell-based therapies for decades. The researchers developed engineered therapeutic crystals—called “crystalline shield”—that shield the implant from the immune system, preventing it from being recognized as a foreign object. This protective strategy enables the implant to function reliably and continuously for several years.
A single type of chemical structure that shows up again and again in modern medicine is the amide bond that links a carbonyl group (C=O) to a nitrogen atom. They’re so ubiquitous that 117 of the top 200 small-molecule drugs by retail sales in 2023 feature at least one amide bond. And now, researchers have discovered a clever new way to reengineer natural enzymes to build amides from simple chemicals like aldehydes and amines.
The team chose a naturally abundant enzyme family called aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs), specifically p-hydroxybenzaldehyde dehydrogenase (PHBDD), which can efficiently convert aldehydes into acids. The team turned it into a new catalyst, known as an oxidative amidase (OxiAm), by modifying its internal pocket of the enzyme in two major ways: making it hydrophobic to prevent the formation of unwanted acids and making it bigger to allow larger, diverse chemical parts to fit inside so they could be bonded together.
According to the results published in Science, the team was able to obtain amides directly from commercially available alcohols via a two-step enzymatic cascade reaction carried out in a single container. This approach could enable new, greener methods for producing five major drug molecules, including a key component of imatinib, an essential drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
The properties of a quantum material are driven by links between its electrons known as quantum correlations. A RIKEN researcher has shown mathematically that, at non-zero temperatures, these connections can only exist over very short distances when more than two particles are involved. This finding, now published in Physical Review X, sets a fundamental limit on just how “exotic” a quantum material can be under realistic, finite-temperature conditions.
A fascinating aspect of quantum physics is the concept that two particles that are spatially separated can communicate with each other. This so-called “spooky action at a distance,” as Einstein referred to it, is crucial for understanding the origin of the exotic properties that arise in some materials, particularly at low temperatures.
These unusual material properties are determined by the exact nature of the quantum correlation, and the material is said to be in a specific quantum phase. This is analogous to the traditional phases of matter—solid, liquid, and gas—being defined by the chemical interactions between the atoms.
Japan and California have embraced hydrogen fuel-cell technologies, a form of renewable energy that can be used in vehicles and for supplying clean energy to manufacturing sectors. But the technology remains expensive due to its reliance on precious metals such as platinum. Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are working on this challenge, finding ways to stabilize ubiquitous iron components for use in fuel cells to replace the expensive platinum metals, which would make hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles more affordable.
Cost challenges for fuel-cell vehicles
“The hydrogen fuel cell has been successfully commercialized in Japan and California in the U.S.,” said Gang Wu, a professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering. “But these vehicles struggle to compete with the battery vehicle and combustion engine vehicle, with cost being the main issue.”
Carbon’s unique chemical properties allow it to be an essential building block for life on Earth and many other molecules we rely on for day-to-day life—but what about carbon’s neighbor? Silicon is located one row below carbon in the periodic table of elements, and similarly has many possible uses, and is a key component of semiconductors, silicon carbide fibers, and silicones. However, silicon has some key weaknesses compared to carbon.
For example, carbon forms very stable π-electron compounds (compounds linked by pi bonds, or π-bonds, which affect a molecule’s reactivity) called benzene and fullerene. In comparison, silicon cannot readily form these compounds, as the π-bonds forming π-electron compounds are not strong in this element. Synthesizing such silicon-based π-electron compounds consequently becomes increasingly difficult as the number of silicon atoms increases. However, researchers at Tohoku University found a way to overcome these limitations.
A research group led by Professor Takeaki Iwamoto, Graduate Student Tomoki Ishikawa, and Associate Professor Shintaro Ishida at the Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, has successfully synthesized π-electron compounds with a pentagonal silicon framework, “pentasilacyclopentadienide,” and elucidated their molecular structures. The study is published in the journal Science.
Iridium oxide is one of the most important—and most problematic—materials in the global push toward clean energy. It is currently the most reliable catalyst used in the conversion of energy to chemicals by electrolysis, a process that uses electricity to split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen.
But iridium is among the rarest non-radioactive elements in Earth’s crust, and not unlike metal rusting over time, iridium oxide catalysts slowly degrade under the harsh acidic and high-voltage conditions required for electrolyzers (the devices used for electrolysis) to operate.
A new study by researchers at Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania offers an unprecedented view of that degradation process, capturing how iridium oxide nanocrystals restructure and dissolve—atom by atom—during electrolysis. The findings provide critical insight into why today’s best catalysts still fail and how future materials might last longer. The study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
UCLA chemists proved that some of chemistry’s oldest rules can be broken—and new molecules emerge when they are.
Organic chemistry is built on well-known principles that describe how atoms connect, how chemical bonds form, and how molecules take shape. These rules are often treated as firm boundaries that define what structures are possible. Researchers at UCLA, however, are showing that some of these limits are more flexible than long assumed.
Challenging a Century Old Rule.