Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Meta-microscope for high-quality phase imaging
Compact, stable metasurface-based microscope is established for quantitative phase imaging of transparent samples with high resolution and large field-of-view (FOV).
Carbon Quantum Dots as Multifunctional Nanomaterials for Sustainable Optoelectronic Biosensing and Green Photonics
Carbon Quantum Dots—Tiny Lights for Cleaner Water, Better Sensing, and Greener Photonics
How an ancient autophagy pathway shaped glycogen-based energy strategies in animals
By integrating molecular evolution with autophagy function, our Communications Biology study reveals how protein structural evolution shapes clade-specific diversification in glycogen utilization, offering new mechanistic insight into the evolutionary dynamics of energy metabolism.
Making cells bigger to see what was previously invisible
How signals move inside living cells has been hard to see because cells are small and signals propagate fast. We enlarged Dictyostelium cells by blocking division without harming function, enabling direct visualization of front–rear cAMP and calcium signal flow in single living cells.
STING Agonism and B Cells in Liver Cancer: How Immune Activation Can Drive Both Tumor Control and Metastasis—and Why Targeting Regulatory B Cells Can Unlock Durable Anti-Tumor Immunity
Immunotherapy can potently activate anti-cancer immunity, yet liver cancer often resists it. Our new research reveals one reason why: STING agonism or PD1/VEGFR2 blockade increases regulatory B cells that suppress T cells. Targeting these B cells can restore the immune balance and block metastasis.
