Core Ideas Plant mucilage and bacterial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) prevent the breakup of the soil liquid phase. Formation of continuous structures buffers soil hydraulic properties. The release of viscous polymeric substances represents a universal strategy. Plant roots and bacteria are capable of buffering erratic fluctuations of water content in their local soil environment by releasing a diverse, highly polymeric blend of substances (e.g. extracellular polymeric substances [EPS] and mucilage). Although this concept is well accepted, the physical mechanisms by which EPS and mucilage interact with the soil matrix and determine the soil water dynamics remain unclear. High‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography revealed that upon drying in porous media, mucilage (from maize [Zea mays L.] roots) and EPS (from intact biocrusts) form filaments and two‐dimensional interconnected structures spanning across multiple pores. Unlike water, these mucilage and EPS structures connecting soil particles did not break up upon drying, which is explained by the high viscosity and low surface tension of EPS and mucilage. Measurements of water retention and evaporation with soils mixed with seed mucilage show how these one‐ and two‐dimensional pore‐scale structures affect macroscopic hydraulic properties (i.e., they enhance water retention, preserve the continuity of the liquid phase in drying soils, and decrease vapor diffusivity and local drying rates). In conclusion, we propose that the release of viscous polymeric substances and the consequent creation of a network bridging the soil pore space represent a universal strategy of plants and bacteria to engineer their own soil microhydrological niches where stable conditions for life are preserved.

A new marine fish assemblage from the late Smithian (Olenekian, Early Triassic) Anasibirites beds of the Thaynes Formation collected near Georgetown (Bear Lake County, south-east Idaho, USA) comprises actinopterygians (Saurichthys cf. elongatus, Actinopterygii indet.), sarcopterygians (Actinistia indet.), and possibly chondrichthyans. We review the global fossil record of the Triassic lower actinopterygian Saurichthys, which is used herein for a case study of trends in morphological adaptations as well as variations in palaeogeographic distribution and diversity dynamics of Early Mesozoic fishes. In the Early Triassic, Saurichthys already occupied a top position in marine food webs, with some species achieving body lengths of up to 1.5 m. Distribution of morphological characters in Saurichthys during the Triassic suggests trends towards a reduction in squamation, stiffening of the fins and axial skeleton, shortening of the postorbital portion of the cranium, and reduction in the number of dermal skull bones. The postcranial adaptations in particular helped to improve the fast-start ability of these ambush predatory fishes. The palaeogeographic range of Saurichthys changed from a virtually global distribution in the Early Triassic (indicating rapid dispersal within marine and freshwater ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction) to an occurrence mainly restricted to the north-western Tethys in the Late Triassic, and also towards increasing rarity within continental deposits. Modifications in the palaeogeographic distribution were accompanied by successive loss in global species richness and were possibly related to intra-Triassic extinction events, environmental alterations and/or competition. •

X-ray scatter dark field imaging based on the Talbot-Lau interferometer allows for the measurement of ultra–small angle x-ray scattering. The latter is related to the variations in the electron density in the sample at the sub- and micron-scale. Therefore, information on features of the object below the detector resolution can be revealed. In this article, it is demonstrated that scatter dark field imaging is particularly adapted to the study of a material’s porosity. An interferometer, optimized for x-ray energies around 50 keV, enables the investigation of aluminum welding with conventional laboratory x-ray tubes. The results show an unprecedented contrast between the pool and the aluminum workpiece. Our conclusions are confirmed due to micro-tomographic three-dimensional reconstructions of the same object with a microscopic resolution.

materials generates volume changes. [2,3] In conventional lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) employing liquid electrolytes, volume expansion dissipates in the electrode matrix (carbon/binder) and depends only on the intrinsic properties of the active material. [4,5] The mechanical fracture of the active material particles and mechanical disintegration of the electrode might be even more severe for all-solid-state batteries (SSBs) as the battery needs to maintain its mechanical integrity for proper cycling.Research in the field of SSBs is motivated by their promised high power and energy density on the cell level compared to conventional LiBs. [6] In particular, inorganic glassy and ceramic solid electrolyte (SE), for example, the thio-LiSICON family [6][7][8] and garnet-type (Li 5 La 3 M 2 O 12 ) conductors, [9] with high room-temperature ionic conductivity up to 10 mS cm −1 , moved the performance of SSBs close to and beyond that of the state-of-the-art LiB. [6] Among all superionic conductors, amorphous Li 2 S-P 2 S 5 (LPS) stands out due to its low Young's modulus (E = 18.5 GPa) [10] and its ability to be well densified by cold pressing. [11] Theoretically, the elasticity of LPS is beneficial for accommodating the stress caused by the volume change of the active material during cycling. However, All-solid-state batteries (SSBs) are considered as attractive options for next-generation energy storage owing to the favorable properties (unit transference number and thermal stabilities) of solid electrolytes. However, there are also serious concerns about mechanical deformation of solid electrolytes leading to the degradation of the battery performance. Therefore, understanding the mechanism underlying the electromechanical properties in SSBs is essentially important. Here, 3D and time-resolved measurements of an all-solid-state cell using synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy are shown. The gradient of the electrochemical reaction and the morphological evolution in the composite layer can be clearly observed. Volume expansion/compression of the active material (Sn) is strongly oriented along the thickness of the electrode. While this results in significant deformation (cracking) in the solid electrolyte region, organized cracking patterns depending on the particle size and their arrangements is also found. This study based on operando visualization therefore opens the door toward rational design of particles and electrode morphology for all-solid-state batteries. BatteriesThe ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.

Anatomical knowledge of early chondrichthyans and estimates of their phylogeny are improving, but many taxa are still known only from microremains. The nearly cosmopolitan and regionally abundant Devonian genus Phoebodus has long been known solely from isolated teeth and fin spines. Here, we report the first skeletal remains of Phoebodus from the Famennian (Late Devonian) of the Maïder region of Morocco, revealing an anguilliform body, specialized braincase, hyoid arch, elongate jaws and rostrum, complementing its characteristic dentition and ctenacanth fin spines preceding both dorsal fins. Several of these features corroborate a likely close relationship with the Carboniferous species Thrinacodus gracia , and phylogenetic analysis places both taxa securely as members of the elasmobranch stem lineage. Identified as such, phoebodont teeth provide a plausible marker for range extension of the elasmobranchs into the Middle Devonian, thus providing a new minimum date for the origin of the chondrichthyan crown-group. Among pre-Carboniferous jawed vertebrates, the anguilliform body shape of Phoebodus is unprecedented, and its specialized anatomy is, in several respects, most easily compared with the modern frilled shark Chlamydoselachus . These results add greatly to the morphological, and by implication ecological, disparity of the earliest elasmobranchs.