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The critical behaviour of phase transitions encodes information about the nature of the phase transition, however, extracting critical exponents associated with the correlation length and relaxation time is challenging. Here, taking the well-studied van der Waals magnet, Fe₃GeTe₂, Li, Ding, Wang, and coauthors use NV-centre based magnetometry to study critical fluctuations.

‘Ultrathin’ gold interlayers are shown to form nanoparticles that balance optical losses and electrical contact, enabling efficient perovskite–perovskite integration for scalable and durable triple-junction photovoltaics.

The mismatched bilateral bond strength between NiO_x and perovskite hinders the development of inverted perovskite solar cells. Here, authors adsorb 1-(benzothiaxole-2-ylthio)succinic acid on NiO_x surface for passivating bilateral defects and achieve maximum efficiency close to 27% in stable devices.

A new artificial intelligence model, DeepSeek-R1, is introduced, demonstrating that the reasoning abilities of large language models can be incentivized through pure reinforcement learning, removing the need for human-annotated demonstrations.

The authors develop a molecular dopant to avoid the dimerization of the electron-selective material phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester, resulting in enhanced stability and efficiency in inverted perovskite solar cells.

N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) is an N⁴‐acetylcytidine (ac⁴C) writer, which catalyzes RNA acetylation at cytidine N⁴ position on RNAs. Here, the authors show that NAT10 catalyzes ac⁴C addition to a long non-coding RNA encoded by the oncogenic DNA virus Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), triggering viral lytic reactivation from latency, which promotes NAT10 recruitment of IFI16 mRNA, resulting in inflammasome activation.

Low temperature is a major factor limiting productivity in rice. Here the authors show that theCTB4a gene confers cold tolerance to japonicavarieties adapted to cold habitats at the booting stage of development, and propose that CTB4a acts via an interaction with the beta subunit of ATP synthase.

Crosstalk between the brain and CLNs is critical in brain pathologies. Here, the authors show in a mouse model that extravasated erythrocytes following SAH are degraded by cathepsin S of medullary LECs in CLNs, which plays an important role in SAH pathology.

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.

Florets of indica rice open earlier than japonica rice, hindering utilization of the cross subspecies heterosis. Here, the authors show that an OsMYB8-OsJAR1 module regulates diurnal floret opening time divergences between the two subspecies.

Radical methylation ranks among the most important yet challenging transformations in chemistry and biology, which often involves small and unstable radical intermediates, and results in low reactivity and poor selectivity. Herein, the authors report a bioinspired transfer methylation protocol for the direct and selective C(sp²)-H methylation of heteroarenes.

By optimizing gate structures and fabrication processes, carbon nanotube metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors can be fabricated that exhibit a cut-off frequency beyond 1 THz.

Nuclear architecture depends on proper regulation of lamin A/C modifications. Here, the authors show that TAF4A and NF-Y control Kansl2 expression in muscle stem cells, preserving genome stability and supporting muscle regeneration.

Shared E-bike battery systems offer a solution to battery range limitations by enabling battery swapping. Here, authors develop a billion-parameter large foundation model trained on over ten million E-bike batteries data, which is capable of three downstream tasks: anomaly detection, state of health estimation, and remaining range prediction.

Metronomic photodynamic therapy is a long-term, low-dose treatment strategy limited by the need of continuous photosensitizer administration. Here this group reports combining the self-bioluminescent bacteria with a neutral red photosensitizer in alginate microcapsules as a self-driven metronomic photodynamic therapeutic system with preclinical anti-cancer effects.

The authors find that electric-field gating-controlled lithium intercalation can switch FeSe reversibly between a nonmagnetic superconducting state and a high-temperature superconducting ferromagnetic state. Further, scanning-SQUID magnetometry reveals that the ferromagnetic domains survive deep in the Meissner state and coexist spatially.

A screen for protein degraders discovers hits by imaging cell survival.

Resistance drift, also known as the temporal change in electrical resistance, hampers the application of phase-change materials for neuromorphic computing. Here an amorphous CrTe₃ thin film with no resistance drift in the working temperature from −200 °C to 165 °C is reported.

Smart adhesives are broadly applicable, but it is challenging to balance adhesion strength and reversibility. Here the author report a poly(ionic liquid)-ionic liquid cocrystal ionogel, enabling switchable adhesive material.

Single-atom catalysts typically suffer from low metal-loading limitations. Here, authors develop a universal method for achieving record loadings via chelation-polymer networks. These high-density catalysts exhibit enhanced electron modulation and catalytic activity.

Natural variation of the F-box protein ZmFBL41 in maize confers resistance to Rhizoctonia solani, the causal fungus for banded leaf and sheath blight in maize, through decreased interaction of ZmFBL41 with the cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase ZmCAD.

High-voltage sodium solid-state batteries often suffer from capacity loss due to harmful internal reactions. By adding a uniform protective layer to the cathode, this study greatly improves their stability—retaining 77.9% capacity after 1,500 cycles—and shows promise for developing longer-lasting, high-energy batteries.

Elucidating the mechanisms of the oxygen evolution reaction is crucial for the rational design of efficient catalysts. Now, it has been shown that an active, peroxo-containing NiOOH catalyst can undergo spontaneous oxygen evolution in water, driven by charge storage in Ni⁴⁺ species, accompanied by a phase transition from γ-NiOOH to β-NiOOH.

Here the authors show how the DNA-sensing cGAS–STING pathway activates NF-κB and inflammatory gene expression with delayed kinetics via post-Golgi endolysosomal signaling.

NatD is an acetyltransferase responsible for N-α-terminal acetylation of the histone H4 and H2A and has been linked to cell growth. Here the authors show that NatD-mediated acetylation of histone H4 serine 1 competes with the phosphorylation by CK2α at the same residue thus leading to the upregulation of Slug and tumor progression.

The upscaling of kesterite photovoltaics is challenging and results in low performance. Xiang et al. tune the thiourea/metal precursor ratio to improve the morphology of the kesterite film, achieving 10.1% certified power conversion efficiency in 10.48-cm² modules.

In this Perspective, members of the Aging Biomarker Consortium outline the X-Age Project, an Aging Biomarker Consortium plan for building standardized aging clocks in China. The authors discuss the project roadmap and its aims of decoding aging heterogeneity, detecting accelerated aging early and evaluating geroprotective interventions.

Cation solvation in batteries is well understood in bulk solutions but less so at electrode/electrolyte interfaces. This study reveals how external and intramolecular fields affect Li-ion solvation, proposing a dielectric protocol to enhance cation–anion coordination and improve performance in Li-metal pouch cells.

Bone-tendon interface repair is a challenge due to the transition between tissues. Here the authors report on magnetic Janus hydrogel microrobots loaded with dual bioactive ions for controlling cell phenotype and structure to promote healing of the bone-tendon interface in rotator cuff tear reconstruction surgery.

Coastal settlement retreat reflects human behavioural adaptation to increasing coastal climate hazards. Using night-time light data over 1992–2019, this study finds that over half of global coastal settlements have retreated, driven by insufficient infrastructure protection and adaptive capacity.

In this study, Yang et al. compile a global dataset to uncover the degree to which plants coordinate root and seed traits. They report a global positive correlation between root diameter and seed size, driven by dual roles of arbuscular mycorrhiza in phosphorus uptake and pathogen defence.

The formation of 2D perovskites in inorganic perovskite solar cells is hindered by the strong binding affinity of caesium ions. Liu et al. engineer the functional groups of a large organic cation to facilitate its exchange with caesium ions and form a stable 2D perovskite.

Using siRNA screening, Chen et al demonstrate that Rab27a and its effector SYTL4 mediate the transport of influenza viral membrane proteins to the plasma membrane, highlighting their role in virion assembly and identifying SYTL4 as a potential therapeutic target for antiviral drug development.

Emerged sustainable techniques for nitrogen fixation still lack ammonia yield rate to be practically relevant. Here, the authors demonstrate a laser–induced method to deliver a yield rate of 30.9 µmol s-1 cm−2 at ambient conditions, which is two orders of magnitude higher than other methods.

Conventional mechanoreceptors are limited by the trade-off between sensitivity and stability. Here, the authors present an artificial tactile neuromorphic device with a mechanical sensing unit based on a non-faradaic junction and a neuromorphic computing unit, enabling accurate object recognition.

An electrostatic-repulsion-enabled advanced transfer technique based on ammonia solution is introduced for separating van der Waals thin-film materials from their substrates, demonstrating suitability for its use in the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) industry.

Ion transport mechanism is crucial for various applications of two-dimensional nanochannels. Here, the authors show quantitatively, how ion-water friction regulates diffusion and electromigration of ions in nanochannels.

Interferons are a key part of antiviral immunity. Here, the authors identify prefoldin and UBA3 as previously unrecognized regulators of interferon responses. Rotavirus VP3 effectively subverts this pathway to promote viral replication and represents a target for antiviral development.

Siltartoxatug, a first-in-class recombinant monoclonal antibody for tetanus prophylaxis, was shown to be safe and superior to plasma-derived human tetanus immunoglobulin in achieving anti-tetanus neutralizing antibody titers 12 hours after administration.

Yang, Li, Huang, Ji, Luo, Jiang and colleagues report that chemotherapy induces MLKL PARylation and necroptosis in tumour endothelial cells, which in turn affects tumour-associated macrophages and CD8⁺ T cells, promoting immunosuppression and tumorigenesis.

Hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) can occur following liver surgery or transplantation. Here the authors report a multi-functional nanomedicine developed to bind cell-free DNA, scavenge reactive oxygen species, chelate intracellular Ca²⁺ and serve as a NO donor, and show efficacy in alleviating IRI in preclinical models.

Non-invasive optical imaging tools for early detection of anti-tumor immune responses are essential for precision cancer immunotherapy. Here, the authors report a rare-earth-based NIR-II fluorescence ratiometric nanoprobe (DCGA) for in vivo real-time, precise, and non-invasive visualization of granzyme B activity for early prediction of immunotherapy efficacy.

Radiosensitising agents can enhance radiotherapy and improve outcomes. Here, the authors report on the design of bioinspired Radiosensitising and biocatalytic nanoparticles to increase radiation tiggered cell death and immunogenic response to combat both primary and metastatic tumours.

Going from model development to a pilot implementation study, a deep learning model shows that acute aortic syndrome can be diagnosed directly from noncontrast CT, increasing accuracy and decreasing time to diagnosis.