Artiles
Open Access
Review
03 August 2026Life by Assembly Line1: A Century-Long Quest to Build Life—And Define It
Synthetic biology increasingly pursues the construction of engineered biological systems, yet the field lacks operational categories for interpreting claims of “life creation”. Rather than asking whether life has already been created in the laboratory, this article argues that synthetic biology requires a pragmatic framework that distinguishes modification, reconstruction, assembly, and autonomous synthesis of biological systems. Building on a historical analysis of recurring life-creation claims throughout twentieth-century biology, we develop a taxonomy that situates contemporary synthetic biology and xenobiology along a continuum of increasing engineering depth. Current achievements—including genome rewriting, orthogonal translation systems, and expanded genetic codes—represent a deep reconstruction of living systems, but do not yet constitute fully autonomous synthetic life. To clarify these distinctions, we introduce several conceptual tools: the Pasteurian Wall separating living from non-living systems, the Genetic Firewall as a biosafety principle for engineered organisms, and an Expanded Chemoton framework that provides an engineering-oriented operational definition of life based on metabolic autonomy, informational closure, and evolvability. Together, these elements allow experimental systems to be positioned along a functional continuum from sophisticated biochemical artifacts to genuinely alternative living systems. By replacing metaphor-driven narratives with operational categories, this framework aims to strengthen conceptual clarity, experimental comparability, and governance of emerging synthetic life technologies.
Open Access
Article
03 August 2026Green Synthesis of NiFe2O4 Nanoparticles Using Combretum Indicum Leaf Extract for the Synthesis of 2-Aryl Benzimidazole
The versatile applications of nitrogen-containing heterocycles in different industries have engendered a lot of research. Benzimidazole derivatives, as isostructural pharmacophores of naturally occurring active biomolecules, are popular chemotherapeutic drugs. The present study focuses on a green methodology for the synthesis of NiFe2O4 nanocomposite using Combretum indicum leaf extract, and for the synthesis of 2-aryl benzimidazole derivatives via the condensation of aromatic aldehydes and O-phenylenediamine. The synthesized catalyst was characterized through various analytical techniques, including FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, and BET. It has several advantages, including a rapid reaction at room temperature, easy work-up, high product yield, simple purification, and a reusable catalyst. The catalyst was reused for up to six consecutive cycles, with the yield decreasing only marginally from 95% (fresh catalyst) to 89% (sixth reuse).
Open Access
Article
03 August 2026Design of Micro/Nano-Lamellar C4AcH11 and Hydrotalcite in Alumina-Spinel Castables: Enhanced High-Temperature Damage Resistance
In the present study, lamellar hydrates were designed via curing regimes and additives. Structural and high-temperature fracture behavior analyses were employed to elucidate the influence of initial lamellar hydrates on microstructural evolution and thermal stress resistance at elevated temperatures. Key findings reveal that: Pure CAC cured at 25 °C for 24 h predominantly forms metastable CAH10 and C2AH8, whereas under the two-step curing regime, the hydration products are granular C3AH6 and lamellar AH3. Incorporating CaCO3 and MgO under two-step curing promotes the simultaneous generation of micro/nano-lamellar C4AcH11 and Mg-Al Hydrotalcite (M-A-H). The enhanced extent of hydration and pore-filling effect of M-A-H refines matrix porosity, increasing the volume fraction of 5–100 nm pores and elevating the fractal dimension (Ds). This microstructural optimization improves bonding strength, as evidenced by an 82% increase in demolding strength in the designed samples compared with the R samples. C4AcH11 and M-A-H serve as reactive CaO and MgO sources, respectively, facilitating the interlocking distribution of in-situ CA6 and MgAl2O4 at 1600 °C and optimizing pore structure. The hierarchical pore structure and refined crystals synergistically enhance thermal stress resistance by increasing crack deflection, dissipating energy, and improving plastic deformation capacity.
Open Access
Article
31 July 2026Non-Destructive Testing of Multilayer Composite Materials
Multilayer composite materials are used in advanced engineering as a material for heavy-duty products. However, the use of multilayer composite materials requires consideration of their inherent specific properties, such as anisotropy of mechanical characteristics and the possibility of the presence of hidden defects in the form of discontinuity of the material along the interfaces of individual layers (laminations). Evaluation of interlayer failures throughout the life cycle is critical to reducing composite product safety risks. In this article, the analysis of interlayer defects in composites employs comprehensive control, including several non-destructive testing methods: visual inspection, ultrasonic flaw detection, active thermography, and numerical modeling. Interlayer defects obtained as a result of low and high-speed impact on multilayer composite materials are considered. It has been found that the results from numerical modulation of interlayer defects and from non-destructive inspection of defects such as laminations, obtained by different methods, agree satisfactorily.
Open Access
Article
31 July 2026The Lanthanum-Modified Zeolite for Efficient Removal of Glyphosate: Adsorption Behaviors and Mechanisms
Glyphosate is one of the most extensively used organophosphorus herbicides; however, its excessive application and environmental residues have severely threatened aquatic ecosystems and human health. In this study, a highly efficient lanthanum-modified zeolite (LMZ) adsorbent was synthesized via a hydrothermal method, and its adsorption behaviors and underlying mechanisms for glyphosate removal were systematically investigated. LMZ exhibited exceptional adsorption performance over a broad pH range of 3.0–7.0, achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 217.39 mg/g. The adsorption process was well described by the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, indicating a monolayer chemisorption process. Notably, LMZ demonstrated remarkable adsorption selectivity and excellent regenerability, maintaining a high adsorption capacity even after five consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. In practical application assessments with simulated wastewater, glyphosate removal efficiency exceeded 90% at an adsorbent dosage of 7.5 g/L. Furthermore, dynamic column experiments confirmed that LMZ could maintain effective continuous adsorption, highlighting its substantial application potential for treating glyphosate-contaminated wastewater. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopic characterizations revealed that this outstanding adsorption capability is primarily driven by inner-sphere complexation induced by ligand exchange at the La-OH active sites.
Open Access
Article
31 July 2026International Policies in the Face of Climate and Human Impacts Occurring in the Sahel
The Sahel is a strip of land that begins in Mauritania and ends in Eritrea. It is approximately 5400 km long and varies in width from 100 to 1000 km. Based on different historical perspectives, the Sahel can be considered to encompass a total of five countries. Subsequently, other countries have been added that, due to their geographical and climatic characteristics, can be considered Sahelian. The Sahelian countries emerged after 1960, the year in which decolonization began, but also the instability that was initially triggered by military coups aimed at destabilizing power. Later, climatic instability, famine, political instability, terrorism, and other factors have also played a role. This essay focuses on analyzing the actions and current activities of certain actors in the Sahel.
Open Access
Article
31 July 2026Fine-Scale Taxonomic and Functional Diversity Patterns Inform Within-Site Sampling Strategies for Benthic Macroinvertebrates in an Alpine Stream
Fine-scale habitat heterogeneity can generate marked short-distance variation in alpine-stream benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages, yet routine surveys often characterize a site using five Surber-net replicates collected within an approximately 100 m reach. We analyzed 99 quantitative samples collected at 10 m intervals along a 1 km reach of Qingbixi Stream on Cangshan Mountain, Dali, Yunnan, China, to relate taxonomic and functional diversity patterns to within-site sampling design. The samples contained 69 taxa and 15,034 individuals. Across 20 consecutive 50 m sections, turnover accounted for 70.9% of mean total pairwise taxonomic beta diversity, whereas nestedness accounted for 96.3% of mean total functional trait-state beta diversity. Taxonomic dissimilarity increased weakly but significantly with longitudinal distance. In ten simulated nominal 100 m sampling units, five spatial replicates detected an average of 82.9% of the locally observed taxon pool; completeness increased to 87.4% with six replicates and 94.6% with eight. These results support five replicates as a practical baseline for routine community characterization, while more intensive or microhabitat-stratified sampling is preferable when near-complete taxon detection or fine-scale beta-diversity assessment is required.
Open Access
Review
31 July 2026From Physical Amplification to Biological Effect: The Evolving Landscape of Nucleic Acid Nanomedicines in Radio-Immunotherapy
Radiotherapy (RT) remains a mainstay of cancer treatment, but its efficacy is limited by radioresistance and immunosuppression. Nucleic acid therapeutics, including siRNA, microRNA modulators, antisense oligonucleotides, aptamers, CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, and CRISPR systems, can remodel tumor responses at multiple levels. Nanotechnology enables their precise delivery, protection, and spatiotemporal activation. This review synthesizes recent advances in nucleic acid-enabled radiosensitization across four dimensions: (1) precise delivery via passive/active targeting and radiation-triggered release; (2) target selection from dominant-node inhibition to coordinated network regulation; (3) immune remodeling from checkpoint blockade to active immune instruction; and (4) multimodal integration where RT serves as a biological switch. We formally define programmable radio-nanomedicine as the co-design of nucleic acid cargo, carrier logic, activation trigger, and radiation schedule so that irradiation acts as a context-defining event. Translational barriers and a framework for next-generation design are discussed.
Open Access
Article
30 July 2026Normalized Source-Storage-Load Flexibility-Loss Indicators for Day-Ahead Scheduling of Renewable Virtual Power Plants
Renewable virtual power plants (VPPs) require day-ahead schedules that coordinate renewable generation, storage, gas turbines, and demand-side flexibility while retaining interpretable operating signals. This paper develops a normalized source-storage-load flexibility-loss-indicator (FLI) framework for renewable VPP scheduling. The indicators are engineering proxies for renewable-curtailment value loss, storage availability loss, and interruptible-load activation burden, rather than market-settled opportunity costs or a complete uncertainty-risk measure. The scalar objective combines net operating cost, operating coordination cost, and normalized FLI terms with reference scales fixed within each comparative setting. In a PJM-scaled day-ahead scheduling case, the baseline, scalarized multi-term reference, and proposed FLI schedules achieved net operating profits of 69,590.98 USD, 60,377.26 USD, and 66,856.81 USD. The proposed schedule reduced SOC boundary contacts from 9 to 3 and equivalent full cycles from 1.7253 to 1.6647, with a 3.93% profit concession relative to the baseline. Weight sensitivity, channel ablation, and eight representative operating and stress-test scenarios show state-dependent effects: the storage channel was active in seven scenarios, the interruptible-load channel under peak and flexibility-stressed conditions, and the renewable channel remained weak because curtailment was nearly zero. The framework provides a diagnostic coordination signal for renewable VPP operation.
Open Access
Article
30 July 2026Parent-Offspring Conflict and Age at Weaning in a British Cohort
Evolutionary theory has been applied to help understand and predict parenting decisions. Parent-offspring conflict theory posits that conflicts between mothers and infants are inevitable because they share only half of their genes. A prediction drawn from this body of theory is that infants will typically benefit from later weaning than the timing that most benefits the mother, who has other arenas in which she must allocate her energy to ensure her family has enough resources, that her other children are cared for, and that she has energy to allocate to future pregnancies. This research tested whether the timing of weaning from breastmilk, measured as the maternally reported age at which their infant last breastfed, is consistent with expectations from parent-offspring conflict theory in the UK Millennium Cohort. Cox proportional hazards models predicting age last breastfed for the entire sample, including those never breastfed (adjusted model N = 15,825), and models for the subsample who ever breastfed were carried out (adjusted model N = 9678). Many of the results were consistent with predictions, including for variables that would not logically link to early weaning without thinking from an evolutionary perspective, such as preeclampsia (HR for weaning ever-breastfed infants = 1.08; 95% CI 1.00–1.17), and birthweight (HR for each 1 kg increment = 0.90; 95% CI 0.88–0.93). Older mothers weaned their infants later (HR for each year of maternal age = 0.94; 95% CI 0.92–0.97). The findings are discussed from evolutionary and public health perspectives as an example of the utility of evolutionary thinking for understanding health-related behaviours.
