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Wu, Zhang and colleagues introduce ‘compare and contrast spatial transcriptomics’ (CoCo-ST), a graph contrastive learning-based method for spatial transcriptomics analysis that detects low-variance structures.

A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomy for the medically and ecologically important genus Artemisia remain unavailable. Here, the authors combine genomic data with morphological analyses to reconstruct the most comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomy of global Artemisia.

Breeding crops with delayed senescence could plausibly increase grain yield. Here the authors show that variation at the rice SGR locus contributes to differences in senescence between indica and japonica subspecies and show that introgression can increase yield in an elite indica rice variety.

Construction of chiral nanostructures is impeded by the entropic barrier of dissymmetric blocks. Here, the authors report a dynamic assembly/disassembly strategy to yield single-unit organometallic helices for enantioselective amyloid inhibition.

The calorimetric determination of enthalpies of mixing in multi-component molten salt systems often relies on empirical models that lack physically interpretable parameters. Here, the authors use the molecular interaction volume model (MIVM) to integrate experimentally measured enthalpies and solvation structures from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to extrapolate excess Gibbs energy and determine the compositional dependence of La³⁺ activity in the LaCl₃-(LiCl-KCl) system.

This new β-Li₃N solid-state electrolyte demonstrates a vacancy-mediated superionic diffusion mechanism, achieving high ionic conductivity (2.14 × 10⁻³ S cm⁻¹) and effectively suppressing lithium dendrite growth. Its high compatibility with lithium and air stability promises improved safety and performance in all-solid-state lithium metal batteries, making it ideal for advanced energy storage applications.

Electrocatalytic co-reduction of CO₂ and nitrate to synthesize urea is a sustainable and promising option to the alternative conventional Bosch-Meiser. Here, the authors report a CeO_x-integrated diatomic electrocatalyst overcomes the traditional trade-off between urea yield and Faradaic efficiency.

Aqueous and non-aqueous Li-based electrolyte solutions have narrow electrochemical stability windows, which hinder the operation of batteries at high cell potentials. Here, to circumvent this limitation, the authors propose the combined use of tailored aqueous and non-aqueous electrolyte solutions in various Li-based cell configurations.

A super-pangenome analysis incorporating 123 newly sequenced bryophyte genomes reveals that bryophytes exhibit a larger number of unique and lineage-specific gene families than vascular plants.

A reinforcement learning-based virtual reality system, implementing a series of sport sessions with coaching, was as effective as standard physical activity in reducing fat mass in adolescents, with positive effects on cognition.

Low-cost conversion cathodes are promising for future all-solid-state battery technology, but their poor electronic and ionic conductivity restrict reactions to three-phase boundaries. By using mixed ionic–electronic conductors, conversion reactions can be initiated at two-phase boundaries, resulting in enhanced discharge capacity and lifespan.

Pre-intercalation with alkali-metal ions is attractive for accessing higher reversible capacity and improved rate performance in Li-ion batteries. Topochemical single-crystal transformations in a tunnel-structured positive electrode are used to clarify the effect of pre-intercalation in modifying the host lattice and altering diffusion pathways.

Owing to electron localization, two-dimensional materials are not expected to be metallic at low temperatures, but a field-induced quantum metal phase emerges in NbSe₂, whose behaviour is consistent with the Bose-metal model.

Resolution of G4s has been suggested to be required for efficient DNA replication. Here, the authors show that the nuclease DNA2 and the DNA repair complex MutSα (MSH2-MSH6) are required to remove G4 stabilized by environmental compounds to allow efficient telomere replication.

In the randomized phase 3 AMPLITUDE trial, patients with HRR-deficient mCSPC experienced longer progression-free survival when they were treated with niraparib and AAP compared to placebo and AAP.

Dual cyclin A/B RxL inhibitors selectively kill small cell lung cancer cells and other cancer cells with high E2F activity.

A new version of nanorate DNA sequencing, with an error rate lower than five errors per billion base pairs and compatible with whole-exome and targeted capture, enables epidemiological-scale studies of somatic mutation and selection and the generation of high-resolution selection maps across coding and non-coding sites for many genes.

Zheng et al. identify a role for CD160 in regulating CD8⁺ T cell exhaustion and cytotoxicity through the AKT–NF-κB pathway. The transfer of CD160⁺CD8⁺ T cells overcomes resistance to anti-PD-1 treatment in colorectal cancer models.

All-solid-state lithium-metal batteries are at the forefront of battery research and development. Here C. Wang and colleagues have developed an interlayer design strategy to address issues associated with lithium dendrite growth and interface resistance, resulting in substantial improvements in battery performance.

Deep-ultraviolet nonlinear optical materials can generate laser light below 200 nm, which is crucial to solid-state deep-ultraviolet lasers. Here, the authors find that Li₄Sr(BO₃)₂shows advantageous properties as a deep-ultraviolet nonlinear optical material, where alternatives are rare.

Researchers use a chimeric approach to reveal the first near-atomic resolution structures the yellow fever virion, showing key differences between vaccine and virulent strains that affect how antibodies recognise and neutralise the virus.

Solid-state electrolyte reduction and Li dendrite growth limit the stability of all-solid-state Li metal batteries. Here the authors show that reductive electrophiles gain electrons and metal cations from metal–nucleophile materials on contact, allowing the electrochemical formation of a dense, electron-blocking film that improves the stability of both the anode and high-voltage cathode.

The contribution of the extracellular matrix and its degradation to the aging process is not well understood. Here, the authors show that degraded elastin fragments, which increase in the circulation with age, promote aging, while counteracting elastin fragment signals alleviates inflammation, promotes healthy aging and extends lifespan.

Singla et al. report the secondary analysis of the Scaling Up Maternal Mental healthcare by Increasing access to Treatment (SUMMIT) trial.

Developing efficient catalysts that resolve the activity-stability trade-off remains challenging for hydrogen production. Here, the authors report a steam-assisted, machine-learning-screened synthesis of self-healing Ru/TiMnO_x electrodes that resolve this challenge.

Studying gravitational waves from a black-hole merger can constrain both the magnitude and direction of the remnant’s recoil, offering new ways to test black-hole formation scenarios and support multi-messenger observations.

GBA, a major gene for Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, is associated with increased risk of developing dementia. Here, we demonstrate that GBA mutations in mice contribute to cognitive deficits through α-synuclein-independent mechanisms that impact synaptic vesicle endocytosis.

Polymer thin films that emit and absorb circularly polarised light are promising in achieving important technological advances, but the origin of the large chiroptical effects in such films has remained elusive. Here the authors demonstrate that in non-aligned polymer thin films, large chiroptical effects are caused by magneto-electric coupling, not structural chirality as previously assumed.

Ab initioatomistic modelling reveals that fast ion diffusion in super-ionic conductors is mediated by concerted migration of multiple ions. On the basis of this understanding, a universal strategy for designing fast ion conductors is proposed and demonstrated.

Beck et al. develop a model where striosomes create a flexible “decision-space” that adapts to environmental context and internal state. It explains how we make choices and why decision-making varies between people, and in neuropsychiatric disorders.

How musical expertise impacts the brain’s processing of complex musical information remains unclear. Using generative music models, this study reveals that musicians display enhanced disentangled and contextual neural encoding of music.

Carbonates formed under different conditions display varying compositions of lithium isotopes, according to analyses of lithium isotope compositions of authigenic carbonates from the Gulf of Mexico.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Extracting lithium from alternative aqueous sources becomes crucial in meeting increasing lithium demand. Here, authors design an economically feasible electrochemical process that achieves selective lithium extraction from geothermal brine and finally produce battery grade lithium hydroxide.

Whether higher-order visual areas exhibit a fine-grained functional organization remains poorly understood. Here, the authors use high-resolution fMRI to reveal that category-selective regions in macaques are organized into mesoscale functional units which form distinct long-range mesoscale functional networks.

Federated learning (FL) algorithms have emerged as a promising solution to train models for healthcare imaging across institutions while preserving privacy. Here, the authors describe the Federated Tumor Segmentation (FeTS) challenge for the decentralised benchmarking of FL algorithms and evaluation of Healthcare AI algorithm generalizability in real-world cancer imaging datasets.

An electrolyte design using small-sized fluoroacetonitrile solvents to form a ligand channel produces lithium-ion batteries simultaneously achieving high energy density, fast charging and wide operating temperature range, desirable features for batteries working in extreme conditions.

Si-based all-solid-state batteries face application challenges due to the requirement of high external pressure. Here, authors prepare a double-layered Si-based electrode by cold-pressing and electrochemical sintering that enables all-solid-state batteries operating free from external pressure.

Enhanced polyamine depletion in neuroblastoma models decreases translation of mRNA codons with adenosine in the third position, reprogramming the tumour proteome away from cell cycle progression and towards differentiation.

A general two-step intercalation and cation-exchange strategy is used to produce a library of highly ordered magnetic intercalation superlattices with tunable chemical modulations and magnetic ordering.

The low conductivity of LiF disturbs Li⁺ diffusion across solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and induces Li⁺ transfer-driven dendritic growth. Herein, the authors establish a mechanistic model to decipher how the SEI affects realistic Li plating in high-fluorine electrolytes.

Operation of lithium–sulphur batteries suffers from uncontrolled lithium polysulphide formation and corrosion at the anode. Huang et al.design an integrated anode structure composed of electrically connected graphite and lithium metal, which alleviates the problems and leads to high battery performance.

Biomolecular phase separation arises from collective molecular interactions and is emerging as a key theme for biological function. Here the authors propose a broadly applicable method to quantify these interactions based on compositional and energetic parameters.

Genomic deletions in poxviruses are not well understood, the authors found large deletions in >2% of Mpox virus genomes during routine surveillance, highlighting their role in poxvirus evolution and potential impact on diagnostics and therapeutics.

Heart failure can be caused by cardiac fibroblasts replacing myocytes. Here, the authors use functional genomic data from fibroblasts, genetic signals enriched in people with heart disease, and gene perturbation analyses to link disease-associated regulatory elements to protein-coding genes.

Using SCN2A haploinsufficiency as a proof-of-concept, upregulation of the existing functional gene copy through CRISPR activation was able to rescue neurological-associated phenotypes in Scn2a haploinsufficient mice and human neurons.