Quarterly Highlights from the Mathematics, Physical and Applied Sciences Communities
Published in Earth & Environment and Materials
From global challenges such as water security and gender equality to breakthroughs in geoscience and photonics, these highlights showcase the breadth of research and conversations shaping global research. Together, they offer a snapshot of how researchers are advancing knowledge, sparking discussion, and connecting ideas across disciplines.
Can water security drive gender equality?
On World Water Day 2026, @Sofia Costa and @Margaret Deignan highlighted the powerful connection between access to safe water and gender equality. With over a billion women and girls still lacking reliable water access, the post explores how this challenge continues to impact health, education, and opportunities, and why achieving SDG 6 is inseparable from advancing gender equity.
Drawing on research and global perspectives, the authors emphasise the importance of inclusive, rights-based water governance and the need to empower women as leaders in shaping sustainable solutions. Their message is clear: meaningful progress depends on placing women and girls at the centre of water security efforts.
What does clean water really change in people’s lives?
Marking World Water Day 2026, @Noohi Nasim brings together research that shows how access to safe water goes far beyond basic need. It shapes health outcomes, gender equality, and everyday wellbeing. From reducing childhood disease through improved hygiene practices to revealing how water access impacts women’s safety and reproductive health, these studies highlight the deeply interconnected role water plays across communities.
The post also explores innovative solutions, including sustainable water purification using plant-based materials, pointing to how science can support scalable and environmentally friendly approaches. Together, these insights reinforce a simple but powerful idea: improving water access can transform lives in multiple, lasting ways.
Water is a topic that goes far beyond World Water Day. If you haven’t had a chance, take a look at our March roundup post and explore more World Water Day content.
Hidden Volcanoes Beneath the Reykjanes Ridge
@Jonas Preine explores new findings that reveal a surprising shift in volcanic activity along the Reykjanes Ridge. The research shows that, contrary to long-held assumptions, shallow submarine environments can host explosive volcanism, building hidden volcanic structures beneath the ocean surface rather than the classic lava-flow formations we associate with mid-ocean ridges.
These insights, published in Communications Earth & Environment, challenge the traditional view of mid-ocean ridge volcanism as predominantly effusive and suggest that explosive processes may be more common than previously thought, reshaping our understanding of how volcanic systems operate beneath the sea. Read the full Behind the Paper post to explore the study in more detail.
When “Imperfection” Unlocks New Light Physics
What if a small misalignment could lead to a major breakthrough? In this Behind the Paper post, @Yuruo Zheng , @Hooman Barati Sedeh , and @Natalia Litchinitser share how an unexpected fabrication imperfection revealed a completely new type of optical resonance in stacked metasurfaces, published in npj Metamaterials. Instead of limiting performance, a slight lateral shift between layers enhanced light confinement and significantly boosted nonlinear optical signals.
By turning what first appeared to be an error into insight, the study shows how controlled symmetry breaking can become a powerful design strategy for future photonic technologies. It’s a reminder that discovery doesn’t always come from perfect systems, but sometimes from noticing what doesn’t behave as expected.
Meet the Editor-in-Chief: Why Clean Planet?
In Why Clean Planet? shared by @Jess Xia , Editor-in-Chief Prof. Lin Wang reflects on the journal’s mission, its interdisciplinary scope, and the importance of research that contributes to a cleaner and more sustainable future.
Read the interview to learn how a new journal comes to life and why setting the right mission is pivotal.
These highlights represent just a small selection of the many insightful conversations happening across our Communities. We hope they inspire you to explore further, engage with the research, and join the discussion. If you have a story to share, whether it’s a Behind the Paper, Behind the Book, After the Paper, or your own research perspective, we’d love to hear from you!
Explore more research breakthroughs:
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Quarterly Highlights from the Medicine and Life Sciences Research Communities
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Quarterly Highlights from the Humanities & Social Sciences Communities
Passionate about connecting researchers and amplifying their voices through digital engagement. As Manager for the Research Communities by Springer Nature, I work with researchers to showcase their discoveries and experiences.
With a strong interest in public engagement and creative science communication, I’m dedicated to making research more accessible and inspiring wider conversations around scientific discovery and innovation.
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BMC Public Health
An open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on the epidemiology of disease and the understanding of all aspects of public health.
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Communications Earth & Environment
An open access journal from Nature Portfolio that publishes high-quality research, reviews and commentary in the Earth, environmental and planetary sciences.
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npj Metamaterials
This journal focuses on the latest research and advances in the design, fabrication and applications of metamaterials and metasurfaces.
Related Collections
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Appropriate use of antibiotics: public health strategies, knowledge, and practice gaps
BMC Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on Appropriate use of antibiotics: public health strategies, knowledge, and practice gaps.
Misuse of antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing a threat to the future management of bacterial diseases. However, it is a multi-faceted problem without a simple solution.
Antibiotic misuse can take various forms, each requiring different strategies to address. In healthcare systems, antibiotic overuse is often driven by the tension between clinical uncertainty and the desire to offer patients a treatment that may improve their symptoms or prevent them from developing complications. The prescription of antibiotics is often done empirically, driven by the difficulty of distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections at the point of care, or the worry that a lack of intervention could have consequences.
Added to this, people in the community can contribute to inappropriate use by reusing or sharing leftover antibiotics from prior prescriptions. Similarly, misplaced expectations around the benefits of antibiotics can drive misuse in the community, pointing to the need for community-focused and community-led initiatives to inform the public on the use of antibiotics and the collective impact of antimicrobial resistance.
However, social science reframes antibiotic overuse as more than an individual behaviour problem. Antibiotics frequently act as a social and structural “quick fix” that supports care, productivity, hygiene, and coping with inequality in everyday life. They are used to compensate for gaps in water, sanitation, social protection, and health-system capacity, suggesting that interventions focusing narrowly on individual knowledge and attitudes may be unlikely to succeed unless they also address these wider drivers.
This Collection aims to explore the various dimensions of the responsible use of antibiotics, examining the prevalence of misuse and strategies for reducing unnecessary use, covering interventions aimed at prescribers and pharmacists as well as 'bottom-up' strategies such as community education campaigns. We invite contributions that investigate the roles of healthcare providers, patients, professional guidance, communities, and policymakers in addressing this pressing issue.
Potential topics for submission include, but are not limited to:
Patterns of antibiotics overuse in various populations
The role of healthcare providers in preventing misuse
Public health campaigns and gross-roots initiatives to promote responsible use of antibiotics
Policy frameworks for improving the prescribing and dispensing of antibiotics
Social and structural drivers of antibiotic use (ethnographic, anthropological, and political-economy analyses).
Interventions that address upstream determinants (water, sanitation, social protection, labour conditions) alongside stewardship measures.
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Oct 03, 2026
Digital exclusion and health equity
Digital exclusion poses significant barriers to health equity, particularly in the context of an increasingly technology-driven healthcare landscape. Many individuals, especially from underserved communities face challenges in accessing digital health resources, including telehealth services, electronic health records, and health information online, alongside challenges from other social determinants of health. This Collection seeks to explore the intersection of digital health access and health equity, focusing on the disparities that arise from unequal access to digital tools and resources.
Addressing digital health exclusion is critical for promoting health equity and ensuring that all individuals can benefit from advancements in digital health. Recent strides in telehealth and digital health interventions have demonstrated the potential for technology to improve access to care, yet they also reveal significant disparities that must be acknowledged. By understanding the factors that contribute to eHealth disparities, we can develop targeted digital inclusion strategies that address the unique needs of diverse populations, ultimately fostering a more equitable health system.
Topics for submission include but are not limited to:
- Equitable digital health systems: policy, infrastructure, and community engagement
- Digital health access among underserved communities
- Digital literacy and health outcomes across diverse populations
- Innovations and implementation strategies for bridging digital health gaps in underserved communities
- Measuring and monitoring digital health disparities: metrics and methodologies
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well Being) and SDG 10: (Reduced Inequalities).
All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer-review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Dec 11, 2026
