Core Insights - Zhejiang University published three papers in the prestigious journal Nature on August 27, 2025, highlighting significant advancements in microbial sulfur cycling, electrically driven perovskite lasers, and topological edge states in superconducting chips [3][4][6][8][10]. Group 1: Microbial Sulfur Cycling - The research led by Chen Songcan revealed a previously unrecognized metabolic process where sulfide oxidation is coupled with the reduction of trivalent iron oxides, traditionally thought to be dominated by abiotic processes [6]. - A comprehensive analysis of prokaryotic sulfur metabolism genomes identified bacterial groups capable of utilizing extracellular solid trivalent iron as an electron acceptor for sulfide oxidation [6]. - The study demonstrated that the model strain Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus can grow autotrophically using ferrihydrite as an electron acceptor, with reaction rates significantly faster than abiotic processes under relevant environmental sulfide concentrations [6]. Group 2: Electrically Driven Perovskite Lasers - The team led by David Di and Zhao Baodan developed the world's first electrically driven perovskite laser, integrating low-threshold single-crystal perovskite microcavity units with high-power microcavity perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) units [8][9]. - The dual-cavity perovskite device achieved a minimum lasing threshold of 92 A·cm⁻², significantly lower than the best-performing organic lasers, with an average threshold of 129 A·cm⁻² under specific testing conditions [9]. - The device demonstrated a working half-life (T₅₀) of 1.8 hours and a coupling efficiency of approximately 82.7%, indicating its potential for rapid modulation in data communication and computing applications [9]. Group 3: Topological Edge States in Superconducting Chips - The research by Wang Haohua and colleagues reported the observation of a new type of topological edge mode in a programmable superconducting qubit array, characterized by stability due to emergent symmetry protection [10][12]. - The study found robust long-lived topological edge modes lasting up to 30 cycles, achieved through the "dimerization" of stabilizer interaction, which effectively suppresses interactions between edge modes and bulk excitations [12]. - The research established a feasible digital simulation path for studying topological phases at finite temperatures and provided potential schemes for constructing long-lived, robust boundary qubits in defect-free systems [12].