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Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

Propagation-invariant beams have been up to now only available in a few realizations or for specific applications. Here, the authors demonstrate two methods for generating propagation-invariant beams with fully customizable intensity profiles in a comprehensive way inspired by geometrical optics.

In this phase 3 trial, a two-dose Ebola vaccine regimen in healthy pregnant women in Rwanda was found to be safe and immunogenic in women and offspring through passive transfer.

GABA_B receptors are the G-protein-coupled receptors for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Here, functional proteomics is used to show that GABA_B receptors in the brain are complexes of GABA_B1, GABA_B2 and members of a subfamily of KCTD proteins. The KCTD proteins increase the potency of agonists and markedly alter the G-protein signalling of the receptors, suggesting that they determine the pharmacology and kinetics of the receptor response.

Bubbles, long studied for their diverse dynamics across industrial, biological, and medical applications, continue to reveal unexpected behaviors. This study introduces galloping bubbles, a novel self-propulsion mechanism driven by shape oscillations in a vibrated fluid chamber, offering potential for applications in fluid transport, cleaning, and active matter.

Mathieu Lefebvre discusses his innovative company and what it is like to work in Grenoble, France.

External Control Arm methods for clinical trials were developed to compare the efficacy of a treatment to a control group that is built with data from external sources. Here, the authors present FedECA, a privacy-enhancing method for analyzing treatment effects across institutions, streamlining multi-centric trial design and thereby accelerating drug development while minimizing patient data exposure.

The narrow frequency response of quantum harmonic oscillators typically limits their application in radiofrequency electric field detection. Now motional Raman transitions in trapped ions are shown to enable wideband, high-precision radiofrequency field sensing.

Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. Here, the authors find that dominant tree species are taller and have softer wood compared to rare species and that these trait differences are more strongly associated with temperature than water availability.

Early Pleistocene artefacts at Calio suggest that Sulawesi was populated by hominins at around the same time as Flores, if not earlier.

Lonni Besançon has faced online abuse, threats and legal challenges. But he remains proud of his service to science and society.

Cells can regulate their mass density. Here, the authors demonstrate how eukaryotes establish and maintain a lower density in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm via pressure balance, and how deviations emerge during pathophysiological states like senescence.

Ousdal et al. investigate whether global or regional hippocampal volume increase after Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depressive episodes relate to cognitive side effects. Their findings suggest that pronounced structural change in the posterior hippocampus (i.e., body and tail) associates with reduced cognitive performance following ECT.

Non-syndromic orofacial cleft is a relatively common congenital anomaly. Many non-coding genetic variants are associated with this disorder but only a subset is functional. Here the authors use reporter assays and stem cells to reveal members of this subset.

In this cross-sectional study, the authors used structural MRI to compare subcortical volumes, cortical thickness and surface area between early-onset anorexia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and typically developing young individuals.

Here, the authors characterise the syn-β-elimination mechanism of a mannuronic specific alginate lyase. An integrated approach utilising NMR, QM/MM simulations, X-ray and neutron crystallography reveals a single catalytic residue to be both the general acid and base during catalysis.

Estimates of chikungunya virus prevalence across 180 countries and territories show that Southeast Asia, Africa and the Americas carry the most substantiative burden, which would require reactive vaccine campaigns against new outbreaks and routine immunization in heavily endemic areas to reduce transmission.

Numerical simulations reveal how deep ocean circulation in Saturn’s moon Enceladus transports hydrothermal heat and organic matter emitted at the seafloor to the surface ice shell, feeding the moon’s unique plume.

Trapped ions and atoms coexist at different temperatures in mixed systems, and cooling of ions through collisions with atoms is required for the mixture to stabilize. Raviet al. study these effects using rubidium atoms and ions, and find a collisional cooling mechanism leading to stability of the mixture.

Many applications require hydrogen isotopes and so it is important to develop alternative separation technologies. Here, the authors report a metal-organic framework capable of capturing deuterium from H₂/D₂mixtures, and go on to predict selectivity for isotopologues containing tritium.

Black and white fonio are two small indigenous grain cereals grown in West Africa. Here, the authors reveal their independent domestication and cultivation histories through population genetics and demographic history analyses.

Improving tinnitus prevention and clinical management by identifying key associated risk factors is crucial. Here, the authors use machine learning in a large cohort to identify key predictors of tinnitus onset, as well as risk factors of being severely distressed by it.

A high-resolution update of Antarctic bed topography using mass conservation reveals broad stabilizing ridges for glaciers flowing across the Transantarctic Mountains, and stabilizing slopes beneath Moscow University, Totten and Lambert glacier system.

Balland et al. use data on scientific papers, patents, employment and GDP for 353 metropolitan areas in the United States to show that economic complexity drives the spatial concentration of productive activities in large cities.

Quantum gates in 2D ion crystals are more challenging than in 1D. Here, the authors use their 2D ion trap platform and acousto-optical deflectors to demonstrate a 2-qubit gate that can stand the ion micromotion in such configuration.

Low-pressure wind tunnel experiments suggest that the aerodynamic roughness length on Mars, over rippled beds and under active saltation, may be dominated by form drag, reaching values up to two orders of magnitude larger than typically assumed.

The identification of T cell epitopes is a critical step in understanding the immune response to infection and in designing vaccine based approaches. Here the authors introduce a frame work of antigen discovery called MHCvalidator and Epitrack to identify new antigenic features for T-cell COVID-19 vaccines and characterise a novel non-canonical epitope from a truncated Spike variant and mutation of an immunodominant epitope in the BNT162b4 vaccine.

Targeting the integrin VLA-4 with natalizumab has shown efficacy in treating multiple sclerosis, but relapse still occurs in some patients. Here the authors use a high-content cell imaging (HCI) pipeline and machine learning to assess the morphology of T cells from MS patients prior to natalizumab regime for defining features associated with treatment responses.

Analysis of shallow-water marine carbonate samples from 101 stratigraphic units allows construction of a record of lithium isotopes from the past 3 billion years, tracking the evolution of the global carbon and silicon cycles.

Some early-career researchers report feeling pressure to use animal models to meet journal and grant requirements, even in disciplines and projects that don’t require them.