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The nature of the defects in amorphous materials, analogous to vacancies and dislocations in crystals, remains a matter of debate. Scalliet et al. show that localized and extended defects coexist in a wide range of conditions, yet are associated with distinct energy scales in a prototypical glass model.

A fundamental challenge in condensed matter physics is to understand how disordered materials deform under stress. Shiihara et al. develop a frozen atom analysis showing that deformation in CuZr metallic glasses stochastically arises from dynamically formed atomic groups in shear transformation zones.

An empirical correlation between the fragility of glass forming liquids and the broadness of their relaxation spectrum is believed to be universal. Van Lange et al. report an inverted correlation in a class of polymeric materials, implying a special role of long-ranged ionic interactions in vitrification.

Here authors report 3D printed glass with tunable UV-to-IR emission. The method overcomes thermal limits, integrating various quantum dots into 3D printed complex glass structures to enable advanced photonic functionalities.

In this work, Kanda et al. utilize heteroaryl additives to substantially improve thermal stability of perovskite solar cells, maintaining over 100% of initial efficiency after 2400 hours of aging at 85 °C, in addition to concurrently achieving 25% conversion efficiency and strong outdoor durability.

Metallic glasses can break ductility bottlenecks: 10% tensile plasticity with strain-hardening emerges from a synergy between relaxation-assisted and transformation-mediated deformation mechanisms, overcoming a long-standing challenge in metallic glasses.

The acetyl-CoA pathway is the most ancient CO₂ fixation pathway in nature. Here, the authors show that metals selectively reduce CO₂ to the intermediates and end-products of the acetyl-CoA pathway, which is consistent with a prebiotic origin of this pathway.

Glasses are known to have very slow flow behaviour on application of force, but the structural basis for this flow is currently unclear. Here Wang et al.use a dynamic mechanical analysis to study the flow phenomena in a La-based metallic glass.

ATF6α activation in human and preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma is significantly associated with an aggressive tumour phenotype characterized by reduced survival, glycolytic reprogramming and local immunosuppression.

Proteomic data from natural isolates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae provide insight into how these cells tolerate aneuploidy (an imbalance in the number of chromosomes), and reveal differences between lab-engineered aneuploids and diverse natural yeasts.

Viral ribonucleoprotein–viral protein networks form pre-replication centres that nucleate viral factories and drive respiratory syncytial virus replication.

Microscopic imaging and biochemical studies show that sinuses in mouse and human form a highly dynamic surface that regulates fluid movement and immune cell surveillance via RAMP1-dependent regulation of smooth muscle contraction and RAMP2-dependent regulation of the sinus endothelial barrier.

This work introduces a solvent-free method to directly synthesise MOF glasses without needing a crystalline precursor, enabling device integration, magnetic studies, and functional tuning.

In a case series of five patients with treatment-refractory antisynthetase syndrome and five patients with treatment-refractory systemic sclerosis, bispecific T cell engagers blinatumomab and teclistamab improved disease activity and were well tolerated.

The use of groundwater can help mitigate the impacts of natural disasters, thereby increasing the resilience of communities during and after events, according to a synthesis of hydrology and disaster response research.

The mechanisms by which Johari-Goldstein relaxation is accommodated in metallic glasses are difficult to clarify. Here, the authors elucidate the mechanism in an ultra-quenched metallic glass with a cooling rate of ~1010 K s⁻¹, by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy.

Classical theory predicts that glass dynamics exhibit a singularity at some finite temperature. Zhao et al. test this theory in fossil amber by determining upper bounds of the equilibrium relaxation times, and find no such behaviour even far below the glass transition challenging conventional assumptions.

Self-DNA has been implicated in the activation of cGAS/STING/IFN-I responses in autoimmunity and inflammatory diseases. Here the authors show that macrophage uses a process termed ‘nucleocytosis’ to extract nuclear DNA from lysosome-impaired, dying target cells, thereby activating downstream cGAS-STING signaling and IFN-I production.

Understanding the corrosion mechanism of aqueous silicate glass is crucial for the long-term durability of nuclear waste glasses. This mechanism is generally thought to be associated with chemical affinity, but it is now demonstrated that morphological transformations also have an important role in the leaching kinetics of these glasses.

Authors study links between amyloid secondary nucleation and growth defects, demonstrating these sites on Aβ40/Aβ42 fibrils are rare compared to the number of protein molecules. Re-analysis of published data suggests that defects may also drive secondary nucleation generally.

Ferrotoroidic order has long been suggested as the fourth form of ferroic orders, in addition to known ferroelastic, ferroelectric and ferromagnetic order. Yamaguichi and Kimura propose the existence of a new glass state in solids with ferrotoroidic order and demonstrate the concept in Ni_0.4Mn_0.6TiO₃.

Native state proteomics of PV interneurons revealed unique molecular features of high translational and metabolic activity, and enrichment of Alzheimer’s risk genes. Early amyloid pathology exerted unique effects on mitochondria, mTOR signaling and neurotransmission in PV neurons.

Under total internal reflection light acquires a phase shift that depends on its polarisation. Here, the authors show that this effect can be harnessed to generate so-called vector vortex beams—light with polarization and phase singularities—when white light is back-reflected from a glass cone

The fragility describes the degree of slowdown in material dynamics as approaching glass transition temperature, but its molecular origin remains unclear. Here, Yildirim et al.show a strong correlation between temperature-dependent spatial distribution of molecular rigidity and the fragility index.

Beta-relaxation in glasses is commonly attributed to the confined motions of constituent atoms in nanosized domains, but there is no direct evidence so far. Here, Zhu et al. show the correlation between the evolution of spatial heterogeneity at nanoscale and beta-relaxation below glass transition point.

Here authors demonstrate how a 2D hybrid perovskite melts and forms glass, uncovering atomic-scale structural and dynamic evolution across the crystal–liquid–glass transition. Local structural motifs are retained, advancing understanding of amorphous hybrid materials.

Glass formers show dynamics over a broad range of timescales, presenting a hurdle to understanding the glass transition. Here, the authors find that the dynamics of glass-forming liquids are governed by the same mechanisms over different timescales, effectively reducing the phase diagram from two to one dimension.

The transcription factor ATF4 and its effector lipocalin 2 (LCN2) have a key role in immune evasion and tumour progression, and targeting the ATF4–LCN2 axis might provide a way to treat several types of solid tumour by increasing anti-cancer immunity.

A Dirac-vortex topological photonic crystal fiber is experimentally realized with broadband single polarization single-mode properties.

Microplastics (MPs) are persistent and widely distributed pollutants. Environmental factors cause physical and chemical aging that change their properties. This protocol is a systematic workflow for controlled MP aging and its characterization.

Silicon anodes promise much higher battery capacity but are limited by poor storage life. This work identifies key ageing mechanisms and suggests ways to improve long-term stability.

The low thermal conductivity in filled skutterudites has been ascribed to rattling atoms inducing a phonon glass. Experimental evidence now shows that the phonon glass description is incorrect, and provides essential insight for the development of microscopic models aimed at describing the thermoelectric properties of these materials.

The contribution of ether lipid species in cancer cell fate has not been fully understood yet. Here the authors show that malignant cancer cells employ ether lipids to modulate membrane biophysical properties, enhancing iron endocytosis and ferroptosis susceptibility.

Our understanding of shock metamorphism and thus the collision of planetary bodies is limited by a dependence on ex situ analyses. Here, the authors perform in situ analysis on shocked-produced densified glass and show that estimates of impactor size based on traditional techniques are likely inflated.

Vocal fold cancer tumours lose some of their malignant traits when mechanically stimulated by physiological stretch or vibrations, mimicking the opening and closing of vocal folds and phonation.

A strategy using simple one-step spin-coating to form 3D/2D vertically oriented perovskite heterojunctions is described, allowing the fabrication of perovskite light-emitting diodes with record-high green emission efficiencies of 42.9% (certified 42.3%).

Muscularis macrophages, housekeepers of enteric nervous system integrity and intestinal homeostasis, modulate α-synuclein pathology and neurodegeneration in models of Parkinson’s disease, and understanding the accompanying mechanisms could pave the way for early-stage biomarkers.

The authors present a genetically encoded tool based on a bifunctional enzyme that can regenerate NAD⁺ while executing an engineered glycerol shunt. The tool successfully restored redox imbalance and modulated lipid metabolism in vitro and in a mouse hepatic steatosis model.

Mucosal administration of a multivalent, adjuvanted vaccine against Clostridioides difficile promoted bacterial clearance and protected against morbidity, mortality, tissue damage and recurrence in mice.

Drug-controlled DROP-CARs enable reversible extracellular control of CAR T cell function via human-derived protein switches that modulate cell–cell interactions and support dual-antigen targeting as well as logic-gated signaling.

Native crystallographic defects are often introduced during synthesis of battery materials, but has been overlooked. Here, using in situ synchrotron X-ray probes and electron microscopy, the authors have revealed their adverse effect during battery operation.