What climate change means for the Mediterranean Sea

GEOMAR study highlights urgent need for action

Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)

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Temperatures in the Mediterranean are currently rising to record levels. Instead of a refreshing dip, holidaymakers in places like Greece, Italy, and Spain, among other places, are now facing water temperatures up to 28°C or even higher. With an average water temperature of 26.9°C, July 2025 was the warmest since records began for the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Copernicus Earth Observation Service. Warming caused by climate change is considered – alongside stressors such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction – a major factor threatening marine and coastal habitats. “The consequences of warming are not only projections for the future, but very real damages we are witnessing now. The continuing rise in temperatures, sea level and ocean acidification cause severe risks for the environment in and around the Mediterranean Sea,” says Dr. Abed El Rahman Hassoun, Biogeochemical Oceanographer at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Meta-study on climate change scenarios

Together with Prof. Dr. Meryem Mojtahid, Professor of Paleo-Oceanography at the University of Angers and at Laboratory of Planetology and geosciences (France), they have investigated the effects of climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems in the Mediterranean region. The projections of the meta-study are based on recognized climate scenarios of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The research team analyzed 131 scientific studies on Mediterranean published up to August 2023. For the first time, this resulted in a so-called 'burning ember' diagram for Mediterranean marine and coastal ecosystems – a risk assessment tool originally developed by the IPCC. “The diagram clearly shows how strongly climate change threatens key ecosystems. I hope our results will help raise awareness and inspire real action to protect these unique ecosystems,” says Meryem Mojtahid. The study also draws on the Research Initiative on Climate Change and Environmental Degradation in the Mediterranean Region (MedECC). In 2020, the initiative published the first Mediterranean Assessment Report under the name MAR1, thus playing a key role in consolidating knowledge on climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean area.

Mediterranean as a “Climate Change Hotspot”: Every Tenth of a Degree Counts

The Mediterranean Sea – similar to the Baltic Sea or the Black Sea – is a semi-enclosed sea and connected to the global ocean only through the Strait of Gibraltar. As a result, the Mediterranean Sea is warming faster and acidifying more strongly than the open ocean. Between 1982 and 2019, the surface seawater temperature already increased by 1.3°C, while the global increase was only 0.6°C. Therefore, the IPCC also refers to the Mediterranean Sea as a 'hotspot of climate change'. Also, scientists consider it as a natural laboratory because it reacts faster and more strongly to climate pressures than the open ocean, while at the same time concentrating multiple drivers and stressors in a relatively small, well-observed system. “What happens in the Mediterranean often foreshadows changes to be expected elsewhere, so the Mediterranean Sea acts like an early warning system for processes that will later affect the global ocean,” says Abed El Rahman Hassoun."

If international climate protection targets are met in the coming years, some environmental changes could still be slowed. Two IPCC scenarios – known as RCPs, or Representative Concentration Pathways – can be used to illustrate this: In a medium emissions scenario (RCP 4.5), emissions will stabilise over the next few years thanks to moderate climate policies. Even in this case, the Mediterranean Sea is expected to warm by an additional 0.6 to 1.3 °C (compared to current values) in 2050 and 2100 respectively. In contrast, the high emissions scenario (RCP 8.5) describes the “business as usual” path with continuously rising emissions. In this scenario, additional warming would likely range between 2.7°C and 3.8°C by 2050 and 2100 respectively. Such warming, together with sea level rise and ocean acidification, would have significant disruptions on ecosystems: seagrass meadows would be lost, coral reefs might witness significant damages, and severe chain reactions would occur in food webs.

“These scenarios show: We can still make a difference! Every tenth of a degree counts!” says study leader Abed El Rahman Hassoun. “Political decisions made now will determine whether ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea collapse, partially or totally, or remain functional feeding the ecosystem services they provide. At the same time, our study also shows that even with moderate climate protection and an additional 0.8°C warming, we must expect some consequences. Thus, our focus should be on minimizing the impacts as low as possible.”

Impacts on Marine Ecosystems

The researchers examined a wide range of marine ecosystems: from seagrass meadows to fish and macroalgae, as well as marine mammals and turtles. Warming and acidification of the Mediterranean are altering entire communities. Plankton species are shifting, and toxic algal blooms and bacteria are occurring more frequently. With an additional warming of 0.8°C, seagrass plants such as Posidonia oceanica would decline massively and disappear completely by 2100. Seaweed species such as Cystoseira would also decline, while populations of heat-loving invasive algae could increase. Fish stocks are under pressure from +0.8 °C as well: they could shrink by 30 to 40 percent, shift northwards, and make room for invasive species such as the lionfish, which threatens biodiversity. Corals, probably due to their long evolutionary history, are relatively more resilient than other ecosystems, as they are at moderate to high risk from +3.1 °C. Data on marine mammals and sea turtles are limited, but changes in feeding grounds, migration behavior, and energy budgets are likely to occur.

Coastal Ecosystems: Particularly Vulnerable

Due to the combined effect of warming and sea-level rise, coastal ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The zone affected includes areas up to ten meters above sea level, such as dunes and rocky coasts. Rising sea levels increase coastal erosion and thereby threaten the nesting sites of sea turtles – more than 60 percent could be lost. Even at an additional warming of just +0.8 °C, the risk rises significantly: sandy beaches and dunes are particularly endangered, and rocky coasts also lose habitat and biodiversity, although they are somewhat more resilient.

Wetlands, lagoons, deltas, salt marshes, and coastal aquifers are also affected and can experience considerable damage already at +0.8°C to +1.0°C. Here, the loss of important plant species, the spread of invasive species, and large-scale vegetation changes are very likely. At the same time, rising sea levels can lead to reduced precipitation and consequently water scarcity. From +1.0 °C onward, the risks are expected to increase further due to flooding and higher nutrient inputs.

“We found that Mediterranean ecosystems are remarkably diverse in how they respond to climate-related stress. Some are more resistant than others, but none are invincible”, says Meryem Mojtahid. “Only strict climate protection measures can keep the risks at a level to which ecosystems can still adapt. Through this study, we were able to make visible that even a comparatively small increase in temperature and other climate change-related stressors has significant effects. “Now it’s time to turn knowledge into action”, adds Abed El Rahman Hassoun.

Research Gaps

For several ecosystems, scientific studies for the assessment of risks are still limited. There are only few projections for deep-sea habitats, salt marshes, macroalgae, and megafauna. Significant geographical gaps also remain, particularly in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, leading to a possible underestimation of risks in underrepresented countries. Moreover, long-term observations that address multiple stressors such as pollution and invasive species simultaneously are lacking. Addressing these gaps will require stronger interdisciplinary research efforts and expanded monitoring, especially in underrepresented regions.

 

Background:

The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), also known as the World Climate Council, is the United Nations’ international expert body that assesses the current state of climate research. Its reports summarize scientific findings, highlight risks, and provide a basis for decision-making for policymakers and society. A well-known tool from the IPCC reports is the so-called “Burning Ember Diagram.” It visualizes the likelihood of harm to humans and nature depending on global warming. Orange and red areas indicate where risks become high and very high – similar to a “glowing ember,” which explains the name.

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-025-07858-x 

Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Article Title

Climate change risks on key open marine and coastal mediterranean ecosystems

3D printing “glue gun” can generate bone grafts directly onto fractures in animals

Cell Press

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Graphical abstract CREDIT Jeon et al. / Device

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Credit: Device / Jeon et al.

Scientists have developed a tool made from a modified glue gun that can 3D print bone grafts directly onto fractures and defects during surgery. The tool, described September 5th in the Cell Press journal Device, has been tested in rabbits to quickly create complex bone implants without the need for prefabricating in advance. What’s more, the team optimized the 3D-printed grafts for high structural flexibility, release of anti-inflammatory antibiotics, and promotion of natural bone regrowth at the grafting site.

Historically, bone implants have been made of metal, donor bone, or even more recently 3D-printed material. However, in cases involving irregular bone breaks, these implants must be designed and produced prior to surgery to allow for appropriate fitting.

“Our proposed technology offers a distinct approach by developing an in situ printing system that enables a real-time fabrication and application of a scaffold directly at the surgical site,” says Jung Seung Lee, co-author and associate professor of biomedical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. “This allows for highly accurate anatomical matching even in irregular or complex defects without the need for preoperative preparation such as imaging, modeling, and trimming processes.”

The material fed into the glue gun is a filament comprised of two major components: a feature of natural bone known to promote healing called hydroxyapatite (HA) and a biocompatible thermoplastic called polycaprolactone (PCL). PCL can liquify in temperatures as low as 60°C, which when applied with a heat-modified glue gun, is cool enough to prevent tissue damage during surgical application while being able to conform to the jagged grooves of fractured bone. By adjusting the proportion of HA to PCL within the filament, the team can customize the hardness and strength of the grafts to fit different anatomical needs.

“Because the device is compact and manually operated, the surgeon can adjust the printing direction, angle, and depth during the procedure in real time,” says Lee. “Also, we demonstrated that this process could be completed in a matter of minutes. This highlights a significant advantage in terms of reducing operative time and improving procedural efficiency under real surgical conditions.”

Since infection is a common concern with surgical implants, the researchers incorporated vancomycin and gentamicin, two anti-bacterial compounds, into the filament. In both petri dish culture and liquid medium, the filament scaffold successfully inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. aureas, two common bacteria prone to cause infection post-surgery. Due to physical properties of HA and PCL within the filament, the drugs are released slowly and are able to diffuse directly onto the surgical site over several weeks.

“This localized delivery approach offers meaningful clinical advantages over systemic antibiotic administration by potentially reducing side effects and limiting the development of antibiotic resistance, while still effectively protecting against postoperative infection,” says Lee.

As a proof of concept, the device was tested on the severe femoral bone fractures in rabbits. Within 12 weeks after surgery, the team found no signs of infection or necrosis and greater bone regeneration outcomes when compared to rabbits grafted with bone cement—a sealing compound commonly used for treating bone defects.

“The scaffold was designed not only to integrate biologically with surrounding bone tissue but also to gradually degrade over time and be replaced by newly formed bone,” says Lee. “The results showed that the printing group exhibited superior outcomes in key structural parameters such as bone surface area, cortical thickness, and polar moment of inertia, suggesting more effective bone healing and integration.”

Next the team is setting their sights on optimizing the anti-bacterial potential of the scaffold even further and preparing the procedure for human trials.

“Clinical adoption will require standardized manufacturing processes, validated sterilization protocols, and preclinical studies in large animal models to meet regulatory approval standards,” says Lee. “If these steps are successfully achieved, we vision this approach becoming a practical and immediate solution for bone repair directly in the operating room.”

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Device, Jeon et al.“In situ printing of biodegradable implant for healing critical-sized bone defect” https://www.cell.com/device/fulltext/S2666-9986(25)00186-3

Device (@Device_CP), is a physical science journal from Cell Press along with Chem, Joule, and Matter. Device aims to be the breakthrough journal to support device- and application-oriented research from all disciplines, including applied physics, applied materials, nanotechnology, robotics, energy research, chemistry, and biotechnology under a single title that focuses on the integration of these diverse disciplines in the creation of the cutting-edge technology of tomorrow. Visit http://www.cell.com/device/home. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com. 

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Journal

Device

DOI

10.1016/j.device.2025.100873 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

In situ printing of biodegradable implant for healing critical-sized bone defect

Article Publication Date

5-Sep-2025

 

150-million-year post-mortem reveals baby pterosaurs perished in a violent storm

University of Leicester scientists have identified two extraordinary new fossils -- tiny prehistoric flying reptiles, pterosaurs, with broken wings

University of Leicester

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An artist’s impression of a tiny Pterodactylus hatchling struggling against a raging tropical storm, inspired by fossil discoveries. Artwork by Rudolf Hima.

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Credit: Artwork by Rudolf Hima.

The cause of death for two baby pterosaurs has been revealed by University of Leicester palaeontologists in a post-mortem 150 million years in the making.

Detailed in a new study in the journal Current Biology, their findings show how these flying reptiles were tragically struck down by powerful storms that also created the ideal conditions to preserve them and hundreds more fossils like them.

The Mesozoic, or age of reptiles, is often imagined as a time of giants. Towering dinosaurs, monstrous marine reptiles, and vast-winged pterosaurs dominate museum halls and the public consciousness. But this familiar picture is skewed. Just as today’s ecosystems are mostly populated by small animals, so too were ancient ones. The difference? Fossilisation tends to favour the largest and the most robust organisms. Small, fragile creatures rarely make it into the palaeontological record.

On rare occasions, however, nature conspires to preserve the delicate and the diminutive inhabitants of these lost worlds. One of the most famous examples is the 150-million-year-old Solnhofen Limestones of southern Germany. These lagoonal deposits are renowned for their exquisitely preserved fossils, including many specimens of pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic.

Yet here lies a mystery: while Solnhofen has yielded hundreds of pterosaur fossils, nearly all are very small, very young individuals, perfectly preserved. By contrast, larger, adult pterosaurs are rarely found, and when they are, they’re represented only by fragments (often isolated skulls or limbs). This pattern runs counter to expectations: larger, more robust animals should stand a better chance of fossilisation than delicate juveniles.

Lead author of the study Rab Smyth, from the University of Leicester’s Centre for Palaeobiology and Biosphere Evolution, was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council through the CENTA Doctoral Training Partnership

Rab said: “Pterosaurs had incredibly lightweight skeletons. Hollow, thin-walled bones are ideal for flight but terrible for fossilisation. The odds of preserving one are already slim and finding a fossil that tells you how the animal died is even rarer.”

The discovery of two baby pterosaurs with broken wings has helped to solve this mystery. These tiny fossils, though easily overlooked, are powerful evidence of ancient tropical storms and how they shaped the fossil record.

Ironically nicknamed Lucky and Lucky II by the researchers, the two individuals belong to Pterodactylus, the first pterosaur ever scientifically named. With wingspans of less than 20 cm (8 inches) these hatchlings are among the smallest of all known pterosaurs. Their skeletons are complete, articulated and virtually unchanged from when they died. Except for one detail. Both show the same unusual injury: a clean, slanted fracture to the humerus. Lucky’s left wing and Lucky II’s right wing were both broken in a way that suggests a powerful twisting force, likely the result of powerful gusts of wind rather than a collision with a hard surface.

Catastrophically injured, the pterosaurs plunged into the surface of the lagoon, drowning in the storm driven waves and quickly sinking to the seabed where they were rapidly buried by very fine limy muds stirred up by the death storms. This rapid burial allowed for the remarkable preservation seen in their fossils.

Like Lucky I and II, which were only a few days or weeks old when they died, there are many other small, very young pterosaurs in the Solnhofen Limestones, preserved in the same way as the Luckies, but without obvious evidence of skeletal trauma. Unable to resist the strength of storms these young pterosaurs were also flung into the lagoon. This discovery explains why smaller fossils are so well preserved – they were a direct result of storms – a common cause of death for pterosaurs that lived in the region.

Larger, stronger individuals, it seems, were able to weather the storms and rarely followed the Luckies stormy road to death. They did eventually die though but likely floated for days or weeks on the now calm surfaces of the Solnhofen lagoon, occasionally dropping parts of their carcasses into the abyss as they slowly decomposed.  

“For centuries, scientists believed that the Solnhofen lagoon ecosystems were dominated by small pterosaurs,” said Smyth. “But we now know this view is deeply biased. Many of these pterosaurs weren’t native to the lagoon at all. Most are inexperienced juveniles that were likely living on nearby islands that were unfortunately caught up in powerful storms.”

Co-author Dr David Unwin from the University of Leicester added: "When Rab spotted Lucky we were very excited but realised that it was a one-off. Was it representative in any way? A year later, when Rab noticed Lucky II we knew that it was no longer a freak find but evidence of how these animals were dying. Later still, when we had a chance to light-up Lucky II with our UV torches, it literally leapt out of the rock at us - and our hearts stopped. Neither of us will ever forget that moment.”  

• ‘Fatal accidents in neonatal pterosaurs and selective sampling in the Solnhofen fossil assemblage’ is published in Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.006 Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.006 

• Funding Acknowledgement
  This research was supported by the Central England NERC Training Alliance (CENTA), under grant number NE/S007350/1.

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Journal

Current Biology

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.006 

Article Title

Fatal accidents in neonatal pterosaurs and selective sampling in the Solnhofen fossil assemblage

Article Publication Date

5-Sep-2025

The hatchling Pterodactylus, nicknamed Lucky, illuminated UV light. Both part and counterpart show the delicate bones of this tiny pterosaur, capturing a fractured wing in extraordinary detail.





Lucky II, another hatchling Pterodactylus, preserved as a part and partial counterpart under UV light. Like the other individual, it has a fractured wing, providing rare insight into how even the youngest pterosaurs experienced injuries.



Skeletal reconstructions of the two Pterodactylus hatchlings are shown in flight position, with broken bones marked in red. UV images reveal clear breaks in the upper arm bones. A silhouette of a house mouse (Mus musculus) is included for scale.

(A) Most of the time, pterosaurs stood little chance of becoming fossils. Decaying larger individuals sometimes left behind scattered bones that reached the lagoon floor, but smaller pterosaurs were usually lost without trace.

(B) Storms, however, created very different conditions. Powerful winds and waves dragged the bodies of small and young pterosaurs into deeper waters. At the same time, these storms stirred up salty water from the lagoon floor. This water contained almost no oxygen, and when it mixed with the surface waters, it triggered sudden die-offs of marine life. These toxic waters acted as a barrier to scavengers and decay, allowing pterosaur bodies to sink largely untouched.

The final step came when lime-rich mud, carried by the storm, rapidly buried the remains. This quick covering not only protected soft tissues from decay but also preserved fragments of larger pterosaurs that had been deposited earlier. Together, these rare conditions explain why fossils from Solnhofen are so well preserved.



Credit

University of Leicester

 

U.S. Food insecurity and rural child and family functioning

JAMA Network Open

About The Study: 

The findings of this study suggest that caregiver stress and household instability may be key mechanisms by which food insecurity is negatively associated with child mental health.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Merelise R. Ametti, PhD, MPH, email merelise.ametti@mainehealth.org.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.30691)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article 

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About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication. 

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Journal

JAMA Network Open

New and recurring food insecurity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

JAMA Health Forum

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About The Study:

 In this survey study examining food insecurity in the U.S. during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity declined among all subgroups between 2019 and 2021 but exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 2023; new food insecurity accounted for much of that increase. The increase in new food insecurity is concerning, as these households face elevated risk for adverse health outcomes.

Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Elise Sheinberg, MPH, RDN, email esheinberg@g.harvard.edu.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.3603)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article 

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About JAMA Health Forum: JAMA Health Forum is an international, peer-reviewed, online, open access journal that addresses health policy and strategies affecting medicine, health and health care. The journal publishes original research, evidence-based reports and opinion about national and global health policy; innovative approaches to health care delivery; and health care economics, access, quality, safety, equity and reform. Its distribution will be solely digital and all content will be freely available for anyone to read.

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Journal

JAMA Health Forum

 

Physicists create a new kind of time crystal that humans can actually see

University of Colorado at Boulder

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The stripes in a time crystal as seen under a microscope.

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Credit: Zhao & Smalyukh, 2025, Nature Materials

Imagine a clock that doesn’t have electricity, but its hands and gears spin on their own for all eternity.

In a new study, physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have used liquid crystals, the same materials that are in your phone display, to create such a clock—or, at least, as close as humans can get to that idea. The team’s advancement is a new example of a “time crystal.” That’s the name for a curious phase of matter in which the pieces, such as atoms or other particles, exist in constant motion.

The researchers aren’t the first to make a time crystal, but their creation is the first that humans can actually see, which could open a host of technological applications.

“They can be observed directly under a microscope and even, under special conditions, by the naked eye,” said Hanqing Zhao, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the Department of Physics at CU Boulder.

He and Ivan Smalyukh, professor of physics and fellow with the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), published their findings Sept. 4 in the journal "Nature Materials."

In the study, the researchers designed glass cells filled with liquid crystals—in this case, rod-shaped molecules that behave a little like a solid and a little like a liquid. Under special circumstances, if you shine a light on them, the liquid crystals will begin to swirl and move, following patterns that repeat over time.

Under a microscope, these liquid crystal samples resemble psychedelic tiger stripes, and they can keep moving for hours—similar to that eternally spinning clock.

“Everything is born out of nothing,” Smalyukh said. “All you do is shine a light, and this whole world of time crystals emerges.”

Zhao and Smalyukh are members of the Colorado satellite of the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2) with headquarters at Hiroshima University in Japan, an international institute with missions to create artificial forms of matter and contribute to sustainability.

Crystals in space and time

Time crystals may sound like something out of science fiction, but they take their inspiration from naturally occurring crystals, such as diamonds or table salt.

Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek first proposed the idea of time crystals in 2012. You can think of traditional crystals as “space crystals.” The carbon atoms that make up a diamond, for example, form a lattice pattern in space that is very hard to break apart. Wilczek wondered if it would be possible to build a crystal that was similarly well organized, except in time rather than space. Even in their resting state, the atoms in such a state wouldn’t form a lattice pattern, but would move or transform in a never-ending cycle—like a GIF that loops forever.

Wilczek’s original concept proved impossible to make, but, in the years since, scientists have created phases of matter that get reasonably close.

In 2021, for example, physicists used Google’s Sycamore quantum computer to create a special network of atoms. When the team gave those atoms a flick with a laser beam, they underwent fluctuations that repeated multiple times.

Dancing crystals

In the new study, Zhao and Smalyukh set out to see if they could achieve a similar feat with liquid crystals.

Smalyukh explained that if you squeeze on these molecules in the right way, they will bunch together so tightly that they form kinks. Remarkably, these kinks move around and can even, under certain conditions, behave like atoms.

“You have these twists, and you can’t easily remove them,” Smalyukh said. “They behave like particles and start interacting with each other.”

In the current study, Smalyukh and Zhao sandwiched a solution of liquid crystals in between two pieces of glass that were coated with dye molecules. On their own, these samples mostly sat still. But when the group hit them with a certain kind of light, the dye molecules changed their orientation and squeezed the liquid crystals. In the process, thousands of new kinks suddenly formed.

Those kinks also began interacting with each other following an incredibly complex series of steps. Think of a room filled with dancers in a Jane Austen novel. Pairs break apart, spin around the room, come back together, and do it all over again. The patterns in time were also unusually hard to break—the researchers could raise or lower the temperature of their samples without disrupting the movement of the liquid crystals.

“That’s the beauty of this time crystal,” Smalyukh said. “You just create some conditions that aren’t that special. You shine a light, and the whole thing happens.”

Zhao and Smalyukh say that such time crystals could have several uses. Governments could, for example, add these materials to bills to make them harder to counterfeit—if you want to know if that $100 bill is genuine, just shine a light on the “time watermark” and watch the pattern that appears. By stacking several different time crystals, the group can create even more complicated patterns, which could potentially allow engineers to store vast amounts of digital data.

“We don’t want to put a limit on the applications right now,” Smalyukh said. “I think there are opportunities to push this technology in all sorts of directions.”

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Journal

Nature Materials

DOI

10.1038/s41563-025-02344-1 

Article Title

Space-time crystals from particle-like topological solitons

Article Publication Date

4-Sep-2025