Topics and articles attracting the most attention over the past week.
Researchers identified a carboxylesterase enzyme from Bacillus halotolerans that rapidly converted the PET intermediates BHET and MHET. It showed much weaker activity against commercial PET powder, highlighting its main strength as an intermediate-processing enzyme rather than a bulk-plastic degrader.
A living systematic review of six randomized trials involving 286 people found that MDMA-assisted therapy produced greater short-term reductions in PTSD symptoms than control conditions. The researchers rated the overall certainty of the evidence as low because standard bias assessments may miss problems such as expectancy and functional unblinding.
Adult domestic dogs associated the sound “Bouba” with rounded shapes and “Kiki” with spiky shapes, according to a study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The result resembles a sound-and-shape association reported in humans and young chicks, but its function and development remain unknown.
Carrion crows were trained to respond to visual cues with either a vocalization or a peck. Vocal responses were slower and more variable, and switching into them caused additional delays and occasional errors that were largely absent for pecking.
An exploratory study compared four ways to develop software with and without conversational AI systems. Human–AI collaboration produced higher-quality, better-organized test suites, while autonomous AI agents generated functionally correct code more quickly but added complexity and untested decisions.
This human randomized trial compared repeated use of a study hand-sanitizer formulation with a commercially available 79.7% ethanol sanitizer among 568 employees and cohabiting family members in Japan. The study-formulation group had fewer reported upper respiratory symptoms and illness-related work restrictions during the 72-day winter study, although the findings do not establish how well they apply to other populations or longer periods.
The European Union’s land carbon sink is not strengthening as quickly as climate-neutrality plans assume. Recent projections point to a 40–55 million-tonne gap to the EU’s 2030 target, while disturbances, harvesting and biomass demand could further reduce land-based removals.
Hospital wastewater can provide a pooled view of antimicrobial resistance, but its results did not consistently match traditional hospital surveillance. A review of 36 studies found that differing sampling and testing methods, along with poor timing alignment, make comparisons difficult.
A study of Galápagos tree finches has identified a highly differentiated stretch of DNA associated with differences in beak and body size. The result suggests that one genomic region may have helped the finches expand into different ecological roles despite hybridization between species.
Researchers created light-emitting W centers in silicon photonic circuits made by a commercial, CMOS-compatible foundry. The centers produced photoluminescence comparable in brightness to earlier custom-made versions, while the circuits’ electrical function remained intact.
Researchers have reviewed genetic circuits that use light, ultrasound or magnetic fields to control gene activity and cell functions. The analysis compares how these systems sense outside signals, process them inside cells and produce genetic responses, while outlining the tests needed for potential medical use.
Japanese bent-winged bats adjusted their echolocation frequencies in response to sounds that could interfere with their calls. A mathematical model and a two-dimensional group simulation indicate that this self-organized behavior can reduce potential misdetections across a flying group.
