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Carbon–carbon bonds are ubiquitous in lignin, limiting monomer yields from current depolymerization strategies mainly targeting C–O bonds. Now, a bifunctional hydrocracking approach uses a Pt/zeolite catalyst to break C–C bonds in lignin waste, achieving monocyclic hydrocarbon yields up to 54 C%.

Co-lead authors Wang, Zhang, Qiu, Lu and their colleagues model an incentive-based emergency demand response to counter heatwaves. The modelled responded leads to the peak load reduction of 7.32% for the covered households, and can achieve a 1.02% peak load reduction when reaching a wide audience with no additional financial burden on vulnerable groups.

ALMA and Gaia data combine to reveal a young gas giant in the protoplanetary disk around MP Mus. Previously unseen substructures, visible only at longer wavelengths, suggest that more planets may hide in disks than previously thought.

As perovskite-based solar cells are reaching high efficiency, issues of stability and end-of-life become predominant. Here, Kim et al. selectively dissolve the perovskite layer and reuse the electron transport layer to fabricate devices with efficiency and stability comparable to those of the original solar cells.

Estimates from the Global Dietary Database indicated that 2.2 million new type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease cases were attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages worldwide in 2020, with the highest burdens in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dedicated wind-sourced hydrogen (H2) can decarbonize industries but requires thousands of tonnes of H2 storage. Storing H2 as methylcyclohexane can outcompete alternative aboveground solutions with modest effects on delivery costs.

Preparing suitable lithium anodes is crucial for high-performance solid-state batteries. This study evaluates methods for producing thin lithium films, emphasizing thermal evaporation as a cost-effective approach while estimating associated pack costs.

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formic acid is a promising and sustainable pathway for valuable chemical generation. However, direct production of formic acid rather than formate is challenging. Herein the authors report a zero-gap membrane electrode assembly architecture with perforated cation exchange membrane for the direct electrochemical synthesis of formic acid from CO2.

The US aviation sector is the world’s largest single air transportation system. Modelling shows that fuel burn strategies could reduce emissions from narrow-body passenger aircraft by 2% per kilometre travelled, at zero marginal cost.

Meat taxes could help to induce dietary changes beneficial for the environment, animal welfare and public health. Through a referendum choice experiment, this study examines how level and differentiation of the tax, its justification and behavioural salience impact support for meat taxation in Germany.

An economic evaluation of the E-MOTIVE intervention for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) compared with usual care in 210,132 women, carried out from a healthcare system perspective, uncovered the cost per case of severe PPH prevented and cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted.

Small molecule machine learning aims to predict properties from molecular structures. Here, the authors introduce the myopic MCES distance and show that frequently used datasets fail to uniformly cover biomolecular structures, limiting resulting models.

In the Tumor Profiler proof-of-concept observational study, a multiomics approach for profiling tumors from patients with melanoma was feasible, returning data within 4 weeks and informing treatment recommendations in 75% of cases.

Various policy instruments are proposed to meet mitigation targets, yet the synergistic and trade-off effects of interactions are less understood. With rich scenarios of policy mixes, the authors demonstrate that in most cases these interactions will delay the achievement of carbon targets in China.

Extracting lithium from alternative aqueous sources becomes crucial in meeting increasing lithium demand. Here, authors design an economically feasible electrochemical process that achieves selective lithium extraction from geothermal brine and finally produce battery grade lithium hydroxide.

An equitable low-carbon energy transition will require increased investments in renewable energy and transmission alongside more informed infrastructure system planning. With low renewable investments, equity can be improved, but at the cost of higher emissions and electricity supply curtailments.

Payments awarded for renewables are sometimes labelled as subsidies, suggesting support for uneconomic activity. This Perspective argues that the primary role of contracts for difference is risk management by creating a market for electricity supply at stable long-term prices.

Magnetocaloric materials are used in adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators to reach extremely low temperature without using Helium. Here, the authors report a large magnetocaloric effect in YbPt2Sn, and show how the properties of this alloy makes it a good magnetocaloric material.

Satellite data used to generate high-resolution maps across Southeast Asia show that rubber-related deforestation is at least twofold to threefold higher than suggested by estimates used for setting policy.

Developing high-productive and energy-saving systems in formate electrosynthesis is attractive but challenging. Here, the authors report an efficient Rh-dispersed In₂O₃ catalyst for CO₂ reduction, benefiting the ampere-level formate coproduction when pairing with anodic aldehyde oxidative dehydrogenation.

Using multi-ancestry genome-wide association study and fine-mapping, 298 loci and 36 credible genes are identified in the aetiology of bipolar disorder.

The development of superior and cost-effective catalysts for the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions is pivotal for the future hydrogen economy. Now a series of Ru-modified Li₂MnO₃ catalysts have been designed to optimize the electronic structure and achieve a high performance in both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions, as demonstrated in practical anion exchange membrane fuel cell and water electrolyser tests.

It is important to understand the cost-effectiveness of natural regeneration and plantations, which are common reforestation methods for mitigation. The authors estimate and map abatement costs for the two approaches across low- and mid-income countries, helping to guide reforestation initiatives.

Negative emissions technologies are essential in scenarios for meeting Paris climate targets. Modelling results show that direct air capture could play an important role with less demand for land yet high energy and water use compared with BECCS and afforestation.

Von Dulong analyzes owners and incidence of asset stranding in the power sector globally. She shows that Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the US are highly exposed to stranded assets, especially coal plants and explores the linkages between asset stranding and climate policy resistance.

There is substantial research into minimizing platinum use in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers. Here, the authors report that the hydrogen evolution activity of platinum(111) electrodes can be significantly enhanced by monolayer amounts of copper, which weaken the binding of hydrogen intermediates.

As climate change drives more frequent extreme heat, this study reveals how global trade has intensified heat exposure for workers. Between 1995 and 2020, labour exposure to extreme heat rose by 89%, with many workers now spending nearly half their work hours in dangerous temperatures.

Here the authors show in male mice that acute and chronic complex simulated galactic cosmic radiation exposure differentially reorganized prefrontal cortex neurotransmitter networks in vivo, which was associated with cognitive deficits.

A well-designed national coal phase-out pathway in China that considers diverse technology portfolios and plant-level sequential decision-making processes can save over 700 billion dollars and elevate mitigation potential.

Assumptions about the use of biomass and CO₂ sequestration drive key differences in how emissions from remaining fuels are mitigated in net-zero energy systems, with potentially significant tradeoffs that will need to be evaluated and managed.

Consumers in Germany are much more likely to purchase expensive ‘green’ energy produced from renewable resources if they have to actively opt out if they do not want it. In absence of such a ‘nudge’, behaviour depends more on political allegiance.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).