Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues, as the rapid increase in the production of single-use plastic products overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with it. Consequently, there has been a relentless research effort to create environmentally friendly alternatives to plastics that support the circular bioeconomy, reducing waste and reducing carbon footprint for a more sustainable future. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae show promising ability to produce citramalate, a key component of sustainable plastics such as transparent plastic. These photosynthetic microorganisms show the ability to use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into useful organic materials. Notably, they offer a sustainable alternative to conventional methods by producing valuable products from carbon dioxide. Citramalate is produced in a single enzymatic step by combining two metabolites: pyruvate and acetyl-CoA. By carefully adjusting factors such as light intensity, carbon dioxide levels, and nutrient availability, the researchers achieved a dramatic 23-fold increase in citramalate production by optimizing key process parameters. Initially, the researchers produced only small amounts of citramalate, and later used a systematic “design of experiment” approach to investigate how the different factors interacted. This led to increased citramalate production. This technique could be used to create other environmentally friendly materials. This is because pyruvate and acetyl-CoA are also used to create many other important biomolecules, such as biofuels and pharmaceuticals.

Volcanoes are powerful and most of their activities that occur before an eruption occur below the surface. Volcanic gases, such as carbon dioxide, are often released as magma pushes upward, so They can be difficult to detect. Researchers have been looking for additional ways to detect signs of unrest before an eruption occurs, especially for volcanoes far from populated areas. Now they are turning to plant life for clues and signs that a volcano is about to erupt. The research is revealing how plants respond to changes in the ground beneath them, which could indicate rising magma and increased risk of volcanic activity or an impending eruption. Plants adjust the way they grow when their environment changes. This includes changes in photosynthesis and leaf structure patterns. Changes in carbon dioxide, sulfur and soil temperature can also affect how trees thrive, and these factors are often seen in volcanic environments. Studies in volcanic regions suggest that small bursts of carbon dioxide and hot fluids can initially fertilize native plants. But higher concentrations of harmful gases or superheated soil can stress them out and even kill them. Small changes in vegetation can be difficult to see with the naked eye. Forests are vast, and weather can alter growth in ways that have nothing to do with volcanoes. That’s why satellite imaging has become so popular. It can scan large areas and detect subtle hints of stress or unusual greening that might not be apparent on the ground. And it provides broad coverage without requiring a permanent presence in difficult locations. These findings illustrate how forests can provide valuable clues to scientists.

For many years, scientists have been developing ways to create biological computers using brain like tissue, or brain organoids, grown in the laboratory and connected to computer chips. The ultimate goal is to create a type of hybrid intelligence, a potentially conscious entity capable of harnessing the strengths of both the human brain and artificial intelligence. Recently, they were able to connect organisms to computer chips in a meaningful way. In 2013, scientists grew the first mini-brain in a test tube, and since then, more research has combined these lab-grown brains with electronics. “Brain-computer interface on a chip is a technology that uses a laboratory-grown “brain” (such as brain organoids) coupled to an electrode chip to achieve information interaction with the outside world through encoding, decoding, and stimulus feedback. Although artificial brains capable of walking and talking are still far in the future, brain organoids will likely be a blessing to those with neurological conditions. Similar to how other brain-based interfaces (such as Neuralink’s brain-computer interface) aim to improve the lives of individuals with neurological disorders, it is also possible to graft these brain organoids onto living tissue in the brain to stimulate neuronal growth. So, while the debate still rages over whether the future will be built with human creativity or artificial intelligence, scientists are bringing these two worlds of intelligence closer than ever before.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have discovered that scents stimulate specific cells in the brain and may play a role in rapid decision-making. Researchers have discovered a new function of the hippocampus in decision- making, showing that certain cells in the brain, known as 'time cells', are stimulated by odors to facilitate quick decision-making. By tracking the activation of these cells in response to odors. It's found that smell is a stimulus that is transmitted through the nose to send nerve signals to the olfactory bulb and to the hippocampus. The two devices are closely linked. Information is processed quickly and the brain makes a decision based on the input. The team revealed a direct link between odor, hippocampal function, and associative learning, suggesting that these cells play a critical role beyond memory retrieval, and directly influence decision-making in the brain. This study shows how rats learned to associate fruity odors with reward, resulting in faster and more efficient decision-making. The scientists focused on the hippocampus, an area of ​​the brain important for memory and learning. They knew that so-called “time cells” played a key role in hippocampal function, but they did not know their role in associative learning. The hippocampus turns on time cells to predict a decision, which would give you a glimpse into what you should remember.” “In the past, it was thought that time cells only remind you of events and time, and here we see the memory is encoded in neurons and then immediately retrieved when a decision is made.”