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Mice learning a neurofeedback brain–computer interface task show neuron-specific teaching signals in cortical dendrites, consistent with a vectorized solution for credit assignment in the brain.

Truncated version of adenylyl cyclase 3 acts as a cold-induced rheostat during long-term brown adipose tissue activation.

How adipose mitochondria activity is fine-tuned in response to obesity is an active area of study. Here, the authors show that mitochondrial protein MCJ can block thermogenesis and that silencing this gene can correct obesity-related comorbidities.

Over the past 40 years, 42% of tropical and subtropical ecosystems have experienced an increase in plant reliance on past precipitation, consistent with greening during the late growing season in drylands and drying during the wet-to-dry period in non-drylands.

In the context of succinate uptake to promote adipose tissue browning, Reddy, Winther et al. show how the directionality of succinate transport across membranes is coupled with metabolic flux-derived changes in pH gradients.

Atmospheric short-wave absorption due to wildfire smoke is caused predominantly by dark brown carbon particles, according to observations from smoke plumes in the United States.

Stone tools illustrate behavioural complexities in Middle Pleistocene hominin populations. Here, the authors present small dimensional flakes and hafted tools from Xigou, central China, dated to ~160–72 thousand years ago that demonstrate early, complex technological advancements.

Analysis of the cool brown dwarf Gliese 229 B suggests that it is actually a close binary of two less massive brown dwarfs, explaining its low luminosity and settling the conflict between theoretical predictions and measurements.

The identification of cellular targets for natural products that potently inhibit the growth of cancer cell lines implicates oxysterol-binding proteins in the growth of cancer cells. These natural products, termed ORPphilins, also affect sphingomyelin biosynthesis.

Untargeted metabolomics demonstrate that apoptotic brown adipocytes release a specific pattern of metabolites with purine metabolites being highly enriched, and inosine is identified as a metabolite released during apoptosis regulating thermogenic fat and counteracting obesity.

A pragmatic, cluster randomized trial in rural Guangdong, China, showed that 12-month implementation of a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship program involving physician training, point-of-care prompts, monthly peer review feedback and smartphone-based patient education substantially reduced antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory infections compared to control consultations.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) in infants has been studied for more than a century, however, the knowledge about its physiological features is limited. Here, the authors investigate the link between BAT thermogenesis and the regulation of temperature in human new-borns with non-invasive infrared thermography.

Using cryo-EM, the authors identified 42 MIPs, including outer junction protein CFAP77 and outer dense fibers, in native doublet microtubules of Tetrahymena thermophila. Knockout of CFAP77 reduced ciliary beat frequency and led to outer junction damage.

Adipose tissue is composed of a number of adipocytes and a number of other cells including immune cells. Here the authors use single-cell sequencing of murine brown adipose tissue immune cells and describe multiple macrophage and monocyte subsets and show that monocytes contribute to brown adipose tissue expansion.

Reconstructing microbial genomes from 820 reef-building corals collected at 99 reefs across 32 islands throughout the Pacific Ocean highlights the importance of conserving coral reefs as vital reservoirs of molecular diversity.

Exercise modulates brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolism in murine models. Here the authors report that there is no evidence that 24 weeks of supervised exercise training modulates BAT volume or function in young sedentary adults in the ACTIBATE randomized controlled trial.

Maternal thyroid hormone is important for fetal development. Here, the authors show that hyperthyroidism during pregnancy can program the offsprings’ glucose sensitivity and response to cold via activation of maternal thyroid hormone receptor β in a sex dependent manner

As opposed to circulating factors that promote energy expenditure, hormones that suppress energy expenditure have remained largely elusive. Here, Wang et al. show that the hepatokine Tsukushi is upregulated in obesity and inhibits sympathetic activity and thermogenesis in fat by promoting whitening.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) produces heat by burning lipid triglycerides. Here, Berbée et al. show that pharmacological BAT activation protects hyperlipidemic mice from atherosclerosis, provided mice retain the metabolic capacity to clear cholesterol-enriched lipoprotein remnants by the liver.

Brown adipose tissue, known produce heat by metabolizing fat, is also secretes molecules capable of communicating with other organs. Here the authors show that brown adipose tissue secretes kininogen, a component of heat system regulation, that provides auto-regulatory inhibitory signaling in brown adipose tissue.

The study shows how ship traffic in the Baltic Sea modifies seafloor morphology and disrupts water layers, thereby increasing the mixing of oxygen, nutrients and greenhouse gases, suggesting broad impacts on Baltic marine ecosystems.

Brown and beige adipose tissues contribute to organismal energy expenditure by generating heat. Here, Klepac et al. survey G protein-coupled receptors in brown fat and show that G_q-coupled receptors inhibit expression of thermogenic proteins in mice and in human adipocytes.

Mammalian 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a nutrient sensor and a therapeutic target for Type 2 Diabetes. Here the authors report that intestinal AMPK modulates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis through anti-microbial peptide controlled gut microbiota and may partially underlie the anti-diabetic effects of metformin.

Creatine availability is known to affect creatine-driven thermogenesis in mice. Here Connell et al. report data from a clinical trial in which daily creatine supplementation, perhaps surprisingly, did not alter thermogenesis in adults with otherwise low dietary creatine intake.

Sugimoto et al. show that maresin 2, a specialized pro-resolving mediator that is secreted from brown adipose tissue upon cold exposure, contributes to amelioration of obesity-induced inflammation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is characterised by the accumulation of fibroblasts, which deposit excessive extracellular matrix impairing respiratory functions. Here, the authors show that fibroblast-expressed versican, a chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan, suppresses fibroblasts’ ability to invade and further grow the underlying matrix, thus limiting their accumulation and attenuating pulmonary fibrosis.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) takes up and burns fatty acids for thermogenesis in mice. Here the authors use PET to show that, in humans, cold stimulation increases BAT dietary fatty acid uptake from plasma and oxidative metabolism, although, unlike mice, human BAT takes up less fatty acids than other metabolic tissues.

The enzyme soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) regulates differentiation of brown fat. Here, Hoffman et al.show that a small molecule sGC stimulator increases brown fat activity and browning of white fat, thereby inducing energy expenditure, weight loss and partial protection from diet-induced obesity in mice.

Beige and brown fat may influence systemic metabolism through secreted signals. Here the authors identify a panel of metabolites secreted from beige and brown fat cells, which signal to influence fat tissue and skeletal muscle metabolism and have anti-obesity effects in mouse models of obesity and diabetes.

Wildfires release a large amount of solid-state, highly absorptive brown carbon particles that affect Earth’s radiation budget. About 50% of these particles can take up water, and organic or water coatings further increase their sunlight absorption.

Using infant fMRI, the authors show that, by 2 months of age, representations in high-level visual cortex encode visual categories that align with deep neural networks, and lateral object-selective regions are later to develop.

In this study, Park, Haley, Le, Jung et al. perform a detailed characterization in vivo of metabolic flux distribution during thermogenesis and uncover brown fat nutrient fluxes and unexpected inter-organ metabolic crosstalk and glutamine utilization.

The study shows a micron-scale polariton structure where an artificial gauge field creates topological, non-reciprocal edge transport without strong magnetic fields, overcoming key limits for topological polariton lasers and devices.

Observations from the JWST MIRI showed the detection of ¹⁴NH₃ and ¹⁵NH₃ isotopologues in the atmosphere of a cool brown dwarf, along with a ¹⁴N/¹⁵N value consistent with star-like formation by gravitational collapse.

The hepatitis B virus surface protein recognizes host entry receptor via its intrinsically disordered peptide. The authors reveal the dynamic process of the viral surface protein that involves a stepwise binding maturation for establishing high affinity and specific virus-receptor entry complex.

mTORC2 activates Akt, a regulator of cell growth and metabolism, however, the role of mTORC2 in adipocytes is incompletely understood. Here the authors report that a mTORC2-Akt axis specifically activates ACLY to promote lipid synthesis and histone acetylation during brown adipocyte differentiation.

Negative refraction—light bending opposite to conventional refraction—and a hyperlens effect is observed in an excitonic system in the two-dimensional magnet CrSBr. The effect is mediated by the magnetic order of the material.

Uncertainties in the absorptive properties of black and brown carbon particles limit our understanding of their warming potential. Following an extensive field campaign, Liuet al. report that the magnitude of warming is dependent on particle coatings, which vary due to source and photochemical aging.

The ZFTA–RELA fusion, an oncogene for ependymomas, promotes the production of itaconate, and its dependence on this metabolite represents a new therapeutic target for this cancer.

Analysis of the atmospheric H₂ variability over the past millennium suggests that the sensitivity of H₂ to climate change should be considered in estimates of the radiative consequences of rising anthropogenic H₂ emissions.

Uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) plays a central role in energy dissipation in brown adipose tissue. Here the authors show that FGF6 and FGF9 induce UCP1 expression in adipocytes and preadipocytes, via modulation of a transcriptional network that is dissociated from brown adipogenesis.

Rare coding variants that reduce the activity of a protein can have a beneficial impact on health. Here, researchers identify rare genetic variants in the CHRNB3 gene that associate with reduced cigarette smoking across diverse populations.

Folgueira et al. show that dopamine signalling in the lateral hypothalamic area and the zona incerta reduces body weight and increases energy expenditure by increasing brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in rodents. Weight loss and increased energy expenditure were also observed in patients treated with a dopamine receptor 2 agonist.