Artiles
Open Access
Perspective
24 February 2026Synthetic Biology–Driven Innovation in the Production of Cosmetic Ingredients: From Natural Mimicry to Precision Creation
The cosmetics industry is undergoing a historic transition from natural extraction to precision biomanufacturing. Amino acid derivatives, as a kind of core functional cosmetic ingredient, have witnessed synthetic biology–based production technologies overcome traditional bottlenecks in efficiency and cost. In this Perspective, grounded in recent advances in the construction of amino acid derivative cell factories, we propose the core trends for the future development of cosmetic ingredients: enzyme engineering, dynamic metabolic control, and irrational strategies are converging to enable both functional customization and production intelligence. Star molecules such as ergothioneine, spermidine, and bioactive peptides are poised to redefine the boundaries of anti-aging efficacy, while AI-driven R&D paradigms offer broad prospects but must still overcome cost, regulatory, and consumer perception barriers. We emphasize that only by establishing an integrated “efficient synthesis–precise delivery–validated activity” end-to-end chain can cosmetic ingredients move from laboratory to market, achieving an industrial leap from chemical addition to biological empowerment.
Open Access
Article
24 February 2026Bi-Level Optimal Configuration of Multi-Building Flexible Interconnected Energy Systems Considering Multi-Energy Complementarity
Flexible interconnection among different building types holds significant importance for integrating distributed energy resources, mitigating regional load peak-valley differences, and enhancing the local consumption capacity of renewable energy. Addressing the issue of insufficient multi-energy synergy in multi-building clusters, this paper proposes a bi-level optimal configuration method for flexible interconnected energy systems that accounts for multi-energy complementarity. By constructing a comprehensive multi-energy flow model encompassing all elements of source, network, load, storage, and conversion, a bi-level optimization framework is established. The upper level aims to minimize total lifecycle cost and carbon emissions, while the lower level targets maximizing the renewable energy self-consumption rate and minimizing daily operational cost. An improved NSGA-II algorithm integrating Lévy flight and a good point set is employed for an efficient solution. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can achieve cross-spatiotemporal energy transfer and multi-energy collaborative optimization. In a typical summer day scenario, the system’s renewable energy self-consumption rate increased to 96.20%, operational cost was reduced by 8.83%, and carbon emissions decreased by 10.18%, validating the effectiveness and superiority of the method in improving energy utilization efficiency and supporting the low-carbon and economic transition of regional building systems. The outcomes of this study can provide theoretical support and engineering reference for the low-carbon, economical, and efficient planning of multi-building energy systems.
Open Access
Article
06 February 2026Dialogue of Water Stories as a Methodology: Storytelling Water Struggles and Embracing Resonance in Lake Titicaca
This article presents conceptual and methodological reflections that have emerged from a participatory action research project in the binational Lake Titicaca region. The ecosystem faces critical degradation due to mining contamination and untreated wastewater, which has led to the establishment of a series of local initiatives, as the recent recognition of the lake as a rights holder in Peru. In this spectrum, the research sought to bolster local defense initiatives by facilitating internal spaces for dialogue and co-production of knowledge, and by exploring avenues for strengthening collective strategies to transform water-related conflicts. Central to this study is the “Dialogue of Water Stories”, a community-based methodological proposal that integrates theoretical and practical components of dialoguing and storytelling. The findings demonstrate that this methodology effectively articulates the discussion of conflicts, unpacking several perspectives from multiple stakeholders. In this case, this led to the revelation of a plurality of community water values and historical care practices—particularly those upheld by women—while generating resonance for regional water defense. The article proposes the “Dialogue of Water Stories” as a transformative methodological approach to narrating water struggles and inspiring socio-environmental change.
Open Access
Communication
06 February 2026Buckling and Post-Buckling Behavior of the Delaminated Composite Plates
Multilayer composite materials, having high specific strength and rigidity, are sensitive to interlayer defects. The problem of interlayer laminations in a composite plate subjected to a plane compressive load is studied using a new analytical structure previously developed by the authors. Elastic characteristics of a multilayer package of thin lamination, including the elastic characteristics of separate layers, depending on modulus of elasticity, shear modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and angle of orientation of fibers of the unidirectional layer, are determined. Ratios are obtained for the unidirectional composite material that reflect the contribution of each component (fiber, matrix) in proportion to its volume fraction, according to the so-called “mixture rule”. This work examines the behavior after the loss of stability of an elliptical defect in a composite plate. Only the local bulging of the delamination type defect was considered. The difference between this work and others lies in the fact that the application of the developed method, based on the energy approach, makes it possible to obtain explicit analytical expressions for quantities characterizing the critical load and describing the supercritical behavior of the detached part. The energy method is generalized to the case of analyzing the stability of defects in a non-linear formulation. The value of the critical load was obtained, and the analysis of the supercritical deformation of the defect was made.
Open Access
Article
06 February 2026Genetic Strategies for Labeling AT2 Cells in Murine Lung via Abca3 and Etv5-Driven Reporters
Precise labeling of alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells is essential for elucidating lung development and injury responses. In this study, we evaluated Abca3 and Etv5-based genetic strategies for labeling AT2 cells in murine models. Using targeted genetic approaches, we generated Abca3-rtTA and Etv5-rtTA knock-in mouse lines and crossed them with pTRE-H2BGFP to create inducible reporter models driven by Abca3 or Etv5. Labeling specificity and efficiency were assessed by flow cytometry and co-immunostaining. Our results show that both Abca3 and Etv5 strategies faithfully label AT2 cells across developmental stages and following lung injury. Comprehensive analyses confirmed the high specificity and efficiency of labeling. These Abca3- and Etv5-driven systems offer robust tools for investigating AT2 cell biology and pathology and may serve as effective drivers for tetO-mediated gene knockout or overexpression studies specifically in AT2 cells in mouse models.
Open Access
Commentary
06 February 2026Novel Therapeutic Targets of Endothelial Inflammation in Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Lung microvascular endothelial inflammation and barrier dysfunction play critical roles in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Despite recent scientific advances, the mortality of ALI/ARDS is still extremely high because the molecular mechanisms involved in ALI/ARDS remain unclear. In a recent issue of the journal Advanced Science, Baoyinna and colleagues reported that deubiquitinase USP30 induces lung microvascular inflammation and endothelial barrier disruption through the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) cycle, DNA methylation, and miR-30a-5p down-regulation in ALI/ARDS. Their findings provide a strong rationale for targeting microRNAs, S-adenosylmethionine, DNA methylation, and deubiquitinating enzymes as potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of ALI/ARDS.
Open Access
Article
05 February 2026Geospatial Analysis of Energy Requirements for Supplying Desalinated Seawater to the Greek Territory
Greece confronts intensifying water scarcity driven by population growth, urbanization, tourism, and climate variability, despite its extensive coastline. Traditional sources are strained, with agriculture consuming ~80% of withdrawals (surface water ~38%, groundwater ~62%). Desalination, predominantly reverse osmosis (RO), offers a mature solution, already meeting 30–95% of domestic needs in Aegean islands, but its energy intensity challenge sustainability within the water–energy–food nexus. This study presents a geospatial framework to assess energy requirements for a hypothetical scenario in which seawater desalination fully supplies domestic water demand in Greece. High-resolution GIS data, WorldPop population grids, and hydrological networks enable estimation of daily demand (173 L/capita/day) and energy decomposition: desalination (SEC = 5 kWh/m3 SWRO), elevation pumping plus residual pressure (15 m head), and frictional losses. The hypothetical pipelines follow reverse natural drainage paths for realistic routing. Results highlight substantial spatial disparities: inland cities face significantly higher and more uniform energy costs (Ioannina: mean dynamic head 8.3 kWh/m3, ~43% higher than the coastal reference of Athens at 5.8 kWh/m3), driven by elevation and distance; coastal centres show lower means but greater variability (Athens: highest total ~3.35 GWh/day). In summary, fully supplying domestic water demand via desalination would necessitate an additional ~8% of the country’s total electricity consumption. Findings affirm desalination’s potential for coastal/island supply while revealing energy barriers inland.
Open Access
Review
04 February 2026Sustainable Economics: Systems Thinking and the More-Than-Global Pluriverse
This paper argues that since the Earth system is the organizational framework within which we find our place, and the ultimate arbitrator of ecological, social and economic sustainability and well-being, then any strategy that would deliver a prosperous, functional and flourishing future must circle around the properties of this complex system and be aware of the implications of these characteristics for our own activities and decisions. To do otherwise would be a strategy of doubtful value. The nature of the Earth system is then explored. We examine the global and the local aspects of this system, in terms of many worlds in one world, the pluriverse. The ecological, social, and economic pluriverses are seen to be nested within one another, and are each emergent entities that arise from the Earth system as a whole. The economies of the biosphere are examined across individual, population, community, and ecosystem levels, across a range of biomes, each of which is specialized in accordance with local conditions. In terms of human economic activities, it is suggested that regional strategies and policies are required, rather than global approaches such as the sustainable development goals. These must be designed to maximize ecosystem functioning and human well-being, which are themselves required for successful net economic growth. Furthermore, human economic activity in each region should resonate with the natural economies in that region. Finally, this thinking is applied to the urban setting, drawing on the work of Geddes and Magnaghi, exploring this in terms of the Earth system and its emergent local outcomes, the ecological, social, and economic pluriverse.
Open Access
Communication
04 February 2026BMAA-Producing Cyanobacteria and Fish Contamination in Italy: An Emerging One Health Concern
β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a non-proteinogenic amino acid produced by various cyanobacteria, has emerged as a significant concern in the context of the One Health framework due to its neurotoxic effects and potential ecological and public health implications. Cyanobacteria, found ubiquitously in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, can contaminate water sources and food chains with different toxins, including BMAA, which can produce a sinergic action with other environmental neurotoxic contaminants (such as Methylmercury) and other cyanotoxins, such as Microcystins. Human exposure occurs primarily through the consumption of contaminated drinking water and aquatic food products. BMAA accumulation in neural tissues has been linked to the degeneration of motor neurons and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, mimicking pathological features observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease. This exposure is associated with a spectrum of symptoms, collectively termed ALS/parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC), characterized by progressive muscular paralysis, rigidity, cognitive decline, and ultimately, fatal outcomes. The increasing prevalence of cyanobacteria blooms, driven by climate change and anthropogenic factors, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive research into BMAA toxicity, environmental monitoring, and mitigation strategies. This work shows BMAA contamination data of fish fauna living in several Italian lakes affected by recurrent cyanobacterial blooms, quantified by Elisa Assay. It also explores the emerging issue of BMAA contamination from a One Health perspective, highlighting its multifaceted impact on ecosystems, animal health, and human well-being.
Open Access
Article
04 February 2026Analysis of Sensor Locations in Drone Aided Environmental Monitoring System Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Studies
Recent advancements in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology have enabled flexible, high-resolution monitoring of atmospheric CO2, particularly in complex or otherwise inaccessible environments. This study employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to investigate the downwash flow field of a quadcopter UAV in hover condition with the objective of identifying low-disturbance regions suitable for accurate atmospheric sensor placement. A quadcopter model was simulated using the SST k-ω turbulence model. Simulations were performed at rotor speeds ranging from 1000 to 6000 rpm. Results show that the strongest downwash and turbulence occur directly beneath the rotors, while airflow above the central fuselage and regions laterally distant from the rotors remain significantly calmer. The findings strongly recommend placing gas sensors either above the drone body or sufficiently far horizontally from the rotor plane to minimize measurement errors caused by propeller-induced flow.
