In a multi-study paper published in the International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, a team of researchers has delved into the growing phenomenon of e-fashion — digital garments worn in virtual environments — and found these intangible items could help bridge the gap between fast fashion and environmental sustainability.

From Instagram filters to gaming skins, the idea of digital self-presentation isn’t new. But fashion brands are now taking things a step further, offering digital-only collections that exist purely on-screen.

These clothes can change colour, morph shape, and even communicate with physical counterparts via near-field communication (NFC) chips. Crucially, they come without the environmental baggage of traditional production, shipping or waste. Their production, consumption and disposal don’t require using raw and difficult-to-recycle materials such as polyester. The research studied how consumers respond to the unique appeal of digital clothing and what drives their willingness to pay for garments they can’t physically touch, try and own.

Findings show that consumers with a strong appetite for novel and tactile experiences are particularly drawn to e-fashion, valuing its creativity, customisability and interactivity. For them, virtual couture is not a compromise but an additional new frontier in personal style.

Conventional logic suggests that consumers with a strong need for touch, who enjoy physically inspecting and trying on a garment, are less likely to find e-fashion appealing.

However, the research challenges this logic. It learns that consumers with a high need for touch, and a high sensation-seeking, are an ideal target market for virtual clothing.

The research found that consumers could mentally simulate the tactile features of e-fashion, a process that becomes increasingly feasible and vivid with the adoption of virtual reality headsets.

One of the co-authors, Dr Kokho (Jason) Sit, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Whether e-fashion is a fleeting fad or a long-lasting trend remains to be seen, but its environmental potential is undeniable. Unlike fast fashion’s reliance on low-cost, often non-recyclable materials and landfill-heavy turnover, digital garments can be produced, consumed, and discarded with a single keystroke — or perhaps several keystrokes. No raw materials, modern slavery, shipping and delivery are involved, reducing deforestation, inhumane working conditions, carbon footprint and landfills.”

“This research shows that e-fashion isn’t just a gimmick for gamers or influencers. It can potentially disrupt the fast fashion model in a profitable way for fashion brands, exciting for consumers and better for the planet.”

While it may not entirely replace physical fashion, the study suggests e-fashion could meaningfully reduce our reliance on high-volume, low-value clothing and help curb the environmental toll of an industry that urgently needs reform.

This year, the report cards are consolidated in an interactive dashboard and add data from tide gauge stations in Annapolis, MD; Solomons Island, MD; Yorktown, VA; and Fort Myers, FL.

Most sea level projections are based on an understanding of average global sea level rise. However, sea levels do not rise uniformly across the world. Factors such as geological uplift, land subsidence, ocean currents and other processes all impact regional sea level trends.

“Many people who live near the coast want to know what they can reasonably expect over the next few decades, giving them time to make actionable plans and decisions,” says Molly Mitchell, an assistant professor at the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS. “Compared to other predictions based on satellite data and global computer models, our reports are created using observed tide gauge data from the past 55 years and reflect the exact experience at the location of the gauge. The annual release of the report cards allows coastal regions to examine if past trends are changing and alter their planning accordingly.”

The reports group localities into East Coast, Gulf Coast, West Coast and Alaskan Coast regions. Each report card shows values for monthly sea level averages along with high-and low-water levels caused by storms and other transient events, as well as a decadal signal showing the influence of longer-term climate patterns such as El Niño. Observed rates of acceleration are factored into future projections and are displayed in comparison to a linear trendline that does not account for acceleration.

The projections also show the range of sea level rise within the 95% confidence interval, which allows individuals and municipalities to plan adequately for the highest predicted rates of sea level rise caused by things like storm surge and tidal flooding.

Overall, most locations continue a trend of accelerating sea level rise. However, Mitchell notes that projections have remained mostly uniform since reporting began in 2018, apart from a few notable exceptions.

“One interesting new trend is the acceleration occurring in southeastern states such as South Carolina and Georgia,” said Mitchell. “We continue to see the fastest rates of sea level rise in Gulf states like Texas and Louisiana, but many of the East Coast stations are accelerating quite quickly, likely due to patterns of water distribution related to glacial melt from the Greenland ice sheet.”

Mitchell also notes that most West Coast localities have been fairly stable, despite past predictions that they would increase rapidly. “This has led to some questions about why,” she said.

Information about the processes most affecting regional sea levels is listed on the Batten School & VIMS website: List of cities, states and processes.

Emeritus Professor John Boon launched the sea level report cards in 2018 following the publication of the study Anthropocene Sea Level Change: A History of Recent Trends Observed in the U.S. East, Gulf and West Coast Regions, which showed a notable increase in sea level acceleration rates beginning in 2013-2014.

Nitrogen atoms and nitrogen-containing rings, known as heterocycles, play crucial roles in the development of medicines. A research team led by OU Presidential Professor Indrajeet Sharma has found a way to change these rings by adding just one carbon atom using a fast-reacting chemical called sulfenylcarbene. This method, called skeletal editing, transforms existing molecules into new drug candidates.

“By selectively adding one carbon atom to these existing drug heterocycles in the later stages of development, we can change the molecule’s biological and pharmacological properties without changing its functionalities,” he said. “This could open uncharted regions of chemical space in drug discovery.”

Previous studies have demonstrated a similar concept but relied on potentially explosive reagents, exhibited limited functional group compatibility, and posed significant safety concerns for industrial-scale applications.

Sharma’s team has developed a bench-stable reagent that generates sulfenylcarbenes under metal-free conditions at room temperature, achieving yields as high as 98%. Avoiding metal-based carbenes helps reduce environmental and health risks because many metals are known to have some level of human toxicity.

The researchers are also exploring how this chemistry could revolutionize a fast-growing area in pharmaceutical science known as DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology. DEL platforms allow researchers to rapidly screen billions of small molecules for their potential to bind to disease-relevant proteins.

The metal-free, room-temperature conditions of the team’s new carbon insertion strategy make it a compelling candidate for use in DNA-encoded libraries. Unlike other reactions that need harsh chemicals or high heat, this new method works in water-friendly liquids and is gentle enough to use with molecules attached to DNA.

By enabling precise skeletal editing in collaboration with the Damian Young group at the Baylor College of Medicine, Sharma’s approach could significantly enhance the chemical diversity and biological relevance of DEL libraries. Importantly, these are two key bottlenecks in drug discovery.

“The cost of many drugs depends on the number of steps involved in making them, and drug companies are interested in finding ways to reduce these steps. Adding a carbon atom in the late stages of development can make new drugs cheaper. It’s like renovating a building rather than building it from scratch,” Sharma said. “By making these drugs easier to produce at large scale, we could reduce the cost of healthcare for populations around the world.”