The world’s climate is on the brink of disaster, with brutal droughts, melting glaciers, and devastating natural disasters ravaging our planet every year. A significant contributor to this crisis is the constant emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, primarily through concrete production. However, a team of researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering has made a groundbreaking discovery that could change everything.

Led by Professors Aiichiro Nakano and Ken-Ichi Nomura, the team developed an artificial intelligence-driven simulation model called Allegro-FM. This revolutionary AI model can simulate the behavior of billions of atoms simultaneously, opening new possibilities for materials design and discovery at unprecedented scales.

The breakthrough lies in the model’s scalability, which is roughly 1,000 times larger than conventional approaches. Allegro-FM demonstrated 97.5% efficiency when simulating over four billion atoms on the Aurora supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory. This represents computational capabilities that can accurately predict molecular behavior for applications ranging from cement chemistry to carbon storage.

The implications are staggering. Concrete is a fire-resistant material, making it an ideal building choice in areas prone to wildfires. However, concrete production is also a significant emitter of carbon dioxide, a particularly concerning environmental problem in cities like Los Angeles. Allegro-FM has been shown to be carbon neutral, making it a better choice than other concrete.

Moreover, this breakthrough doesn’t only solve one problem. Ancient Roman concrete has lasted for over 2,000 years, whereas modern concrete typically lasts about 100 years on average. The recapture of CO2 can help extend the lifespan of concrete structures, making them more robust and durable.

The professors leading this research have an appreciation for how AI has been an accelerator of their complex work. Normally, to simulate the behavior of atoms, they would need a precise series of mathematical formulas. However, the last two years have changed the way they approach this challenge.

“Now, because of this machine-learning AI breakthrough, instead of deriving all these quantum mechanics from scratch, researchers are taking [the] approach of generating a training set and then letting the machine learning model run,” Nomura said.

This makes their process much faster and more efficient in its technology use. Allegro-FM can accurately predict “interaction functions” between atoms, which would require lots of individual simulations normally.

The traditional approach is to simulate a certain set of materials. However, this new system is also a lot more efficient on the technology side, with AI models making lots of precise calculations that used to be done by a large supercomputer, simplifying tasks and freeing up that supercomputer’s resources for more advanced research.

“[The AI can] achieve quantum mechanical accuracy with much, much smaller computing resources,” Nakano said.

Nomura and Nakano say their work is far from over. They will certainly continue this concrete study research, making more complex geometries and surfaces. This research was published recently in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters and was featured as the journal’s cover image.

The research published in Plants, People, Planet has discovered an innovative way to enhance the nutritional value of bread wheat using a specific type of fungus. Scientists found that by cultivating wheat with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, the grains grew larger and contained higher amounts of phosphorus and zinc compared to those grown without the fungus.

When researchers tested different types of wheat with and without the fungus, they noticed a significant improvement in nutrient content. The phosphorus-rich grain did not result in an increase in phytate, which can hinder digestion of zinc and iron. As a result, bread wheat grown with fungi had higher bioavailability of zinc and iron overall compared to that grown without fungi.

This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize sustainable agriculture practices by using beneficial soil fungi as a natural means to enhance plant nutrient uptake. According to Dr. Stephanie J. Watts-Williams, corresponding author of the study from the University of Adelaide in Australia, “Beneficial soil fungi could be used as a sustainable option to exploit soil-derived plant nutrients. In this case, we found potential to biofortify wheat with important human micronutrients by inoculating the plants with mycorrhizal fungi.”

Rhizophagus irregularis is a species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus that forms beneficial relationships with many types of plants. It helps these plants absorb more nutrients by extending its thin, root-like structures deep into the soil. This fungus has been widely studied and used in agriculture due to its broad compatibility with crops and ability to improve plant growth, health, and soil quality.

By boosting nutrient uptake naturally, R. irregularis supports more resilient plants and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. As such, it becomes a valuable tool in sustainable farming and reforestation efforts. This research not only opens doors to new possibilities but also highlights the potential for using beneficial fungi as an alternative solution to traditional agricultural practices.

Unlocking the Secrets of Oats: A Breakthrough in Oil Production Could Revolutionize Breakfast and Beyond

A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia has made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize the way oats are processed and consumed. The research team has identified biological triggers responsible for oil production in oats, which will help improve processing efficiency and unlock new opportunities in the oat supply chain.

While Australia is the world’s second-largest exporter of oats, high oil content in oat grains creates challenges during milling, reducing processing efficiency and limiting product innovation – particularly in high-demand sectors like oat flour and plant-based proteins. The research team used spatial imaging techniques to track oil build-up during grain development and applied ‘omics’ technologies to analyze lipid and protein expression.

The findings of the study have provided further evidence of the mechanisms that underlie the amount of oil in an oat grain, which will guide future breeding efforts for naturally lower-oil oat varieties. This breakthrough could significantly strengthen Australia’s position in the market by unlocking new opportunities in sectors like oat flour and alternative proteins.

UniSA PhD candidate Darren Lau said that current oil removal methods are inefficient and that low-oil breeding programs will aid industry growth. “Breeding low-oil oat varieties is a cost-effective approach but requires further understanding of oil production in oats,” he explained.

The economic potential of these opportunities is reflected in the quantity of oats exported globally, with twenty-six million metric tonnes produced worldwide in 2022, ranking them seventh among cereals in production quantity. Lowering oil content in oat grains will enhance processing and product versatility, positioning them alongside traditional cereal staples like barley, maize, wheat, and rice.

The research findings are being used by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) oat grain quality consortium to improve suitability for milling and food/beverage ingredient development. Additional research is continuing within the consortium that will build on the study’s findings to further inform breeding efforts aimed at reducing oil content in oats.

The consortia are currently working on a larger and more diverse oat cohort to further investigate molecular markers and nutrient partitioning of oil in oats. The consortia are also investigating one of the key enzymes validated in this study to determine whether manipulating or removing it can lower oil content, and how that affects the growth of the plant.

SARDI Project Lead Dr Janine Croser said the study’s findings provide further evidence of key pathways involved in oat oil biosynthesis. “This research provides important insights into the biological mechanisms underlying varietal differences of oil production in developing oat grains,” she explained.

The full paper, Proteomic and lipidomic analyses reveal novel molecular insights into oat (Avena sativa L.) lipid regulation and crosstalk with starch synthesis during grain development, is available online.