Eutectic materials, naturally occurring composites of two or more crystals, are used in engine blocks, solder and 3D printing. A team of researchers has learned how the microstructure of these materials evolves upon heating, which may allow them to change the synthesis of eutectics to improve those mechanical properties.

Our bodies need neurotransmitters and hormones to stay healthy, but too much or too little can cause conditions such as breast cancer or Parkinson’s disease. A team of scientists has discovered a new class of enzymes from bacteria in our guts that can alter levels of serotonin and estradiol, among other compounds.

One of the essential elements of marine biochemical processes is zinc, which is a vital micronutrient for plankton and other marine life. A team of investigators has shed new light on the intricacies of the zinc cycle through the study of water and sediment samples taken from the Southern Ocean.

Finding alternative electrocatalysts is an important goal in the quest for a carbon-neutral energy grid. Researchers turned to the artificial intelligence technique of machine learning to efficiently screen thousands of possible catalysts and identify some likely choices.

Hydrogen doping, or hydrogenation, has been applied to many materials, including oxide compounds with complex crystalline structures. A research team recently demonstrated, for the first time, that transient polarization can spontaneously arise in H-NNO. The scientists also performed tantalizing experiments indicating the potential of H-NNO for neuromorphic computing, which mimics human brain processes.