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Fast inactivation is characteristic of voltage-gated sodium channels. In this work, the authors show that this process occurs in two distinct, consecutive steps and propose a lock and key model for fast inactivation.

Liquid crystal elastomers have potential as 4D-printing actuators, but it is difficult to achieve complex shape changes in structures. Here, the authors report a 4D-printing strategy that combines vat polymerization-based 3D printing with a two-stage UV-curable resin.

A compact platform for quantum magnetometry and thermometry can be created by integrating nitrogen–vacancy-based quantum sensing with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing autologous mRNA-engineered BCMA-targeting CAR T cell therapy versus placebo in patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, a significantly higher percentage of patients exhibited a reduction in disease activity in the treatment arm than in the placebo arm.

Germano-silicate used as a building material for integrated photonics circuits substantially reduces optical losses, approaching levels comparable to those in optical fibres.

The hierarchy of DNA repair pathways at stalled replication forks is not fully understood. Here, the authors isolate two mutations in yeast RAD51 with defects in binding to duplex DNA and stalled replication forks, suggesting a role of Rad51 duplex DNA binding in fork stabilization and postreplication repair.

We present a protocol for high-resolution genome-wide mapping of nascent RNA polymerase II transcription initiation of both stable RNAs and transiently expressed RNAs using total RNA from diverse sample types.

CMOS-based circuits can be integrated with silicon-based spin qubits and can be controlled at milli-kelvin temperatures, which can potentially help scale up these systems.

Water can be extracted from the atmosphere via adsorption-evaporation or dewing, but these methods require prohibitively high energy use. Here, the authors report a forty-five-fold increase in energy efficiency via ultrasonic extraction, making atmospheric water harvesting technology economically feasible for large-scale adoption.

Merlino et al. demonstrate that the cytokine Interleukin-27 contributes to innate antiviral immunity in the placenta and is an important defense against congenital Zika virus infection.

High-performance all-electrical control is a prerequisite for scalable silicon quantum computing. The switchable interaction between spins and orbital motion of electrons in silicon quantum dots now enables the electrical control of a spin qubit with high fidelity and speed, without the need for integrating a micromagnet.

The impact of ACKR3 constitutive activity is unknown. Here, the authors suppress basal ACKR3 activity using inverse agonistic nanobodies to stabilize an inactive conformation and revealing a role for ACKR3 in basal cell motility.

Previous investigations of Floquet states in solid state samples have been mostly based on ultrafast light excitations. Here, the authors report evidence of non-equilibrium steady states in graphene under continuous-wave mid-infrared irradiation, consistent with a long-lived Floquet phase physical picture.

Microplastics (MPs) represent an environmental hazard which must be resolved by efficient, cheap, and sustainable remediation technology. Here the authors use an engineered algae to capture MPs and treat wastewater, the captured algae-plastic mix is upcycled into a tougher bioplastic composite.

A machine-learning-based computational approach to probe pathway coessentiality reveals that complex II of the electron transport chain regulates de novo purine synthesis, and can be targeted to treat acute myeloid leukaemia.

Rydberg atoms have the potential to serve as broadband receivers but require lasers with  > 100 GHz scan ranges to observe multiple states. We bridge this major gap with an optical frequency comb for rapid preparation of over 7 Rydberg states.

ParABS systems partition chromosomal DNA and low-copy plasmids in bacteria. Here, the authors elucidate the mode of interaction between ParA and ParB and clarify how ParB stimulates the ATPase activity of ParA to drive the segregation process.

In geometrically frustrated magnets, long-range magnetic order is typically suppressed, whereas at the same time non-trivial spin correlations are observed. Using time-domain terahertz spectroscopy, the authors find evidence for extended quantum string-like excitations in the quantum spin ice material Yb₂Ti₂O₇.

Assessment of surface contamination shows that trace oxygen is a key factor influencing the trajectory and quality of graphene grown by low-pressure chemical vapour deposition, with oxygen-free synthesis showing increased reproducibility and quality.

The cryo-EM structure of the herpes simplex virus helicase–primase (HP) complex informs about the mechanism of action of HP inhibitors pritelivir and amenamevir, which are drugs of clinical relevance.

Coherent control of plasmon wavepackets is essential for quantum information processing using flying electron qubits. Here, the authors demonstrate a method to isolate and select electron channels contributing to a plasmon using a cavity formed by local constrictions, enabling precise control of plasmon eigenstates.

A 'lockdown' mechanism explains why the CLC-ec1 Cl⁻/H⁺ antiporter is selective against F⁻ ions, whereas Cl⁻ and other inorganic ions are moved indiscriminately.

Phosphorene nanoribbons demonstrate extraordinary magnetic properties, ranging from large internal fields in films to macroscopic alignment in solution, which can be coupled to photoexcitations that localize to the magnetic edge of these ribbons.

The authors demonstrate a zero-field supercurrent diode effect in NbSe₂/NiI₂/NbSe₂ vertical Josephson junctions, where NiI₂ is a two-dimensional multiferroic material. The diode efficiency is even as a function of field, making the device “resilient" to stray fields from nearby circuit components.

High-speed programmability of spatially-structured light imparts faster control upon atomic qubits. Here, the authors demonstrate reconfigurable GHz-rate modulation on sixteen visible-wavelength channels, used here to address color centers in diamond.

The Kondo effect has been observed in a variety of systems, including carbon nanotube quantum dots and graphene in the presence of impurities. Here, the authors report the observation of the Kondo effect in bilayer graphene quantum dots and study its interplay with weak spin-orbit coupling.

Long operational stability is essential to commercialisation of organic solar cells. Here, the authors investigate the thermal degradation of inverted photovoltaic devices based on PM6:Y6 non-fullerene system to reveal that trap-induced transport resistance is primarily responsible for the drop in fill factor.

Material characterization of liquids in extreme thermodynamic conditions is a challenging technical problem. Brillouin scattering metrology in an optical fibre design with a sealed liquid core now enables spatially resolved temperature and pressure measurements, using carbon disulfide as an example.

Mutant RAS family members occur in a wide range of tumour types, and there is a great interest in identifying isoform-specific inhibitors. Here, the authors characterise two designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) that specifically inhibit the KRAS isoform by binding to the region around the KRAS-specific residue histidine 95 and show that they affect KRAS/effector interactions in different ways.

Twisted double bilayer graphene (tDBG) comprises two Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene sheets with a twist between them. Here, the authors report a strong anomalous Hall effect in the correlated-metal regime of tDBG, indicating time reversal symmetry breaking from orbital ferromagnetism, likely associated with valley polarization.

Here the authors show that genkwanin glycosides from Phaleria nisidai leaf extract improve glucose homeostasis by enhancing glucose uptake into adipose tissue, with effects comparable to metformin in a study with male mice with obesity and insulin resistance.

Although 30% of streams in the contiguous United States have some protection status, only 5% of stream diversity is represented and as little as 9% of streams are effectively protected from human disturbances, according to a nationwide assessment.

Infection by Plasmodium falciparum can manifest as diverse symptoms and outcomes with different treatment requirements. Here the authors use metabolomics, proteomics and transcriptomics data from 79 children to identify potential omics signatures that correlate with different extent and nature of inflammation to provide insights into the development of future treatments.

In this study, the authors generated iPSC lines from more than 100 sporadic ALS cases, which recapitulated key disease phenotypes and enabled large-scale drug screening, identifying a promising combination therapy of baricitinib, memantine and riluzole.

Here the authors investigate the regulatory mechanisms of acetyl-CoA (Ac-CoA) biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis, probing the interaction between acetyl-CoA synthetase (AcsA) and acetyltransferase (AcuA). They capture a stable AcsA-AcuA complex that inhibits AcsA activity in the absence of Ac-CoA.

In a trial examining the effectiveness of an infant mental health service targeting birth and foster families of children aged 0–5 years, families were randomized to receive care from either a multidisciplinary infant mental health team according to the New Orleans Intervention Model or social work services as usual. No difference in the mental health of children was found between the two arms.

Surfaces of semiconductors exhibiting large Rasha effect are of great interest for spintronics applications. Here, Butler et al. present the spectroscopic observation and microscopic mapping of termination-dependent band-bending at the surface of Rashba semiconductor BiTeI.

SxtT and GxtA are Rieske oxygenases that are involved in paralytic shellfish toxin biosynthesis and catalyze monohydroxylation reactions at different positions on the toxin scaffold. Here, the authors present crystal structures of SxtT and GxtA with the native substrates β-saxitoxinol and saxitoxin as well as a Xenon-pressurized structure of GxtA, which reveal a substrate access tunnel to the active site. Through structure-based mutagenesis studies the authors identify six residues in three different protein regions that determine the substrate specificity and site selectivity of SxtT and GxtA. These findings will aid the rational engineering of other Rieske oxygenases.

A highly potent and selective small-molecule catalytic inhibitor of the protein lysine methyltransferase NSD2 shows therapeutic efficacy in preclinical models of KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer and lung cancer.

Antibodies that lock KRAS mutants in inactive conformations facilitate drug discovery.

Optical frequency combs in the mid-infrared are required for molecular gas detection applications but their realization in compact microresonator-based platforms is challenging. Here, Griffith et al. demonstrate on-chip broadband comb generation on a silicon microresonator spanning from 2.1 to 3.5 μm.

How PDZD8 acted in Mitochondria-ER contact formation was unclear. Here, the authors show that binding to mitochondrial FKBP8 slows PDZD8’s rapid motion, enhancing contacts and mitochondrial complexity.

Store-operated Ca²⁺channels (CRAC) are involved in several cellular functions. Here the authors identify a hydrophobic gate in the CRAC pore and show that CRAC activation by STIM1 involves rotation of the pore helix that hydrates this region to allow ion passage through the pore.

Small structural distortions may lead to dramatic modification in the electronic states in strong correlated materials. Here, Yim et al. image a strain-stabilized smectic electronic order in LiFeAs with both broken rotational symmetry and reduced translational symmetry.

Measuring the bulk power laws of Luttinger liquids in semiconductors remains challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate the dominance of the end-tunneling effect in two fairly distinct Luttinger liquids coexisting in a single quantum wire.

In the absence of federal decarbonization, states can drive significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions at comparable costs to federal action, with particular reliance on electrification of end uses and a decarbonized power grid.

Single atoms on a surface can be useful in spintronics applications, but their spin lifetime is limited by relaxation. By cleverly employing an STM tip, one can probe the spin dynamics and disentangle different effects leading to relaxation.

The role of the human claustrum during slow wave sleep is unknown. Here the authors characterize the spiking activity of claustrum neurons in humans and demonstrate that claustrum neurons track slow waves during NREM sleep.