Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv
Preprint reports a zinc-air battery catalyst with trace amounts of metal
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports a catalyst made from a trace amount of CoNi alloy on polypyrrole-derived carbon nanoparticles, for zinc-air batteries (ZABs). The authors say it works in both alkaline and near-neutral electrolytes, with more than 650 cycles in alkaline electrolyte and more than 1100 cycles in near-neutral electrolyte.
- Published
- Oct 5, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009865/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv
Preprint reports a buprenorphine synthesis route starting from morphine
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports synthesizing buprenorphine, a medicine used to treat pain and opioid addiction, starting from morphine rather than thebaine. The authors say morphine is the most abundant and cheapest poppy alkaloid, and that the route could help ensure continued supply of a medicine that has faced recent global shortages.
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009962/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv
Preprint reports a more stable iron anolyte for all-iron flow batteries
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports a dual-ligand iron complex anolyte (a liquid used in the battery) for alkaline all-iron flow batteries, which are aimed at large-scale energy storage. The authors say one full cell kept 98.28% of its capacity over 1200 cycles, and a cell with more dissolved iron kept 96.87% after 1800 cycles.
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009967/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv
Preprint reports a more stable catalyst for green hydrogen production
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports that adding tin (Sn) to a cobalt oxide catalyst improves its activity for splitting water in acid, and that a very thin protective layer on top improves its stability more than eightfold. The authors link the work to green hydrogen, which they say is expected to help decarbonise hard-to-electrify sectors such as shipping, aviation, steel and fertiliser.
- Published
- Oct 6, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009984/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv
Preprint reports smoother zinc metal anodes with a nonaqueous electrolyte
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports that a nonaqueous zinc electrolyte in acetonitrile produces flatter, more uniform zinc deposits than water-based electrolytes. The authors report a 10-fold improvement in cycling stability over benchmark aqueous electrolytes, at both moderate and ultra-fast current densities, and say the result challenges the assumption that organic electrolytes are inferior.
- Published
- Oct 7, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010035/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedarXiv
Preprint proposes pairing models with human reviewers, with fewer reviews needed
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, describes CARE (calibrated adaptive rectification and escalation), a method in which models and human reviewers work together to keep decisions safe while learning from human feedback. The authors report that it reduced human queries by 25-81% relative to baselines in experiments on four safety-critical datasets covering driving, language and robotics.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
Peer-reviewed studyScience
Study links marine snow viscosity to ocean carbon storage
A peer-reviewed study in the journal Science, published October 8, 2026, reports that the viscosity of marine snow regulates how microbes break it down, and so the ocean carbon sink. This summary is limited to the title and citation, so see the original for details.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
DOI 10.1126/science.adx4170
Peer-reviewed studyScience
Peer-reviewed study says gut microbiome primes fever after vaccination
A peer-reviewed study in the journal Science, published October 8, 2026, reports that the human gut microbiome primes fever after vaccination. This summary is limited to the title and citation, so see the original for details.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
DOI 10.1126/science.aea7733
Preprint, not peer-reviewedChemRxiv
Preprint shortlists 19 catalysts it says outperform platinum for oxygen reduction
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, proposes that thin films of platinum (Pt), gold (Au) or silver (Ag) on low-cost carbide or nitride supports overcome the limits of oxygen reduction catalysts. It shortlists 19 stable catalysts that the authors say have superior reactivity to Pt(111), including gold-based ones that are inactive without a support.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
DOI 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010101/v1
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv
Preprint links a gut bacteria molecule to behavior and lifespan in worms
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports that enterobactin, a molecule made by Escherichia coli bacteria, changes behavior and lifespan in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. The authors describe enterobactin as a non-canonical neurotransmitter that regulates mitochondrial function in neurons. The study was done in worms.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.09.30.755717
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv
Preprint claims protein samples couple across distances of at least 40 mm
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports quantum-coherent communication between isolated protein samples in aqueous solution across distances of up to at least 40 mm. The authors describe the result as challenging established biophysics. The claims rest on the preprint's own experiments, and no independent review has yet been published.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.01.755905
Preprint, not peer-reviewedbioRxiv
Preprint reports brain fluid flow breaking down in an Alzheimer's mouse model
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, reports in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease that structural damage to the spaces around major arteries underneath the brain blocks the entry of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The authors also report that cholesterol clearance from capillaries fails, so cholesterol builds up in pericytes and neurons.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
DOI 10.64898/2026.10.01.755971
AnnouncementMax Planck Society
Max Planck Society says gut microbes may shape vaccine responses
The Max Planck Society says in its announcement, published October 8, 2026, that the human gut microbiome may help determine how strongly the immune system reacts to vaccination. As an institution's own account of its work, this is an announcement, so the claim is attributed to the Society rather than stated as settled fact.
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
Preprint, not peer-reviewedarXiv
Preprint finds language-model agents' group favoritism follows observed behavior
A preprint, not yet reviewed by other scientists, tests why language-model agents favor their own group, across fifteen OpenAI models and three Claude models in small experimental societies. The authors report that a bare group label drives favoritism only when giving others points costs the agent nothing, and that under a stake an agent's interaction history becomes the main source of favoritism. They also report that an individual's own record can override the group's behavior.
- Published
- Oct 9, 2026