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Cryo-electron microscopy, in vitro reconstitution and molecular dynamics simulations provide insight into the architecture of a plasma membrane microdomain in yeast, the organization and dynamics of the membrane lipids within this microdomain and how it responds to mechanical stress.

The synthesis of atom-thin amorphous films remains challenging as their thermodynamically favourable grains are neither two dimensional nor layered. Here a droplet-driven nanoribbon-to-film growth strategy is reported to achieve amorphous metal chalcogenides at the single-layer limit.

Cubosomes, cubic-phase lipid nanoparticles, are of interest for delivery application but have failed in the delivery of long RNA. Here, the authors report on a premixing strategy which allows for the loading of long RNA into cubosomes with the advantage of consistent delivery after room temperature storage.

The authors use cryo-EM to determine amyloid fibrils structures of disease relevant variants of β2-microglobulin in vitro. Each variant is polymorphic, but all polymorphs from all samples are built from a a lego-like assembly of common building blocks, suggesting a one amyloid fold’ paradigm.

Molecules that recapitulate the structure and prion-like activity of misfolded tau hold promise as more relevant models of pathological tau propagation. Now, the macrocyclization of short tau fragments affords proteomimetics that seed tau aggregation in cells and adopt a β-arch conformation resembling those found in filaments from patient-derived extracts.

Detailed structures of both solvated corona chains and sub-nanometre crystalline core lattice of polymer-based nanofibres in solution are obtained using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy.

Solid benzene and other simple organic minerals play important roles in geological processes on Titan-like cold Solar System bodies. Here, the authors discover benzene microcrystals plastically deform via densification enabled by molecule reorientation and shearing.

Unstable configurations and uncontrollable stoichiometries in 1D magnets hinder their practical use. Here, the authors synthesize air-stable 1D V_xTe_y with distinct stoichiometries inside SWCNTs and analyze their magnetic properties.

Deciphering the origin, age, and composition of deep marine organic carbon remains a challenge for understanding the dynamics of the marine carbon cycle. Here, the authors identify (sub)micron-sized graphite emanating from both high and low temperature hydrothermal vents along the East Pacific Rise, and suggest graphite is a source of old carbon in the deep ocean.

The layer stacking order in 2D materials can be used to control functional properties. Here, the authors find a thickness effect, where thin flakes of MoTe₂ display stacking arrangements different from bulk crystals.

The growth temperature and diameter of indium arsenide nanowires have been tuned to fabricate highly–reproducible polytypic and twin–plane superlattices within single nanowires. In addition to reducing defect densities, this level of control should also lead to band–gap engineering and novel electronic behaviour.

Efficient hot electron extraction from plasmonic structures is often limited by interface quality. Here, the authors report that spinodal decomposition can produce coherent metal/semiconductor heterostructures that enable efficient hot electron transfer and broadband solar-driven hydrogen generation.

This study reports unexpected structural diversity in computationally designed protein assemblies due to subunit flexibility. Fixing flexibility in one design restores the intended architecture, suggesting a strategy to design dynamic assemblies.

Droplets of water on very hot surfaces form levitating droplets, according to the Leidenfrost effect. Here, the authors show that green chemistry can be performed in these charged droplets, demonstrated by the synthesis of a range of nanoparticles, nanoscale coatings and porous metallic materials.

Hollow nanoparticles can be synthesized by galvanic replacement or the Kirkendall effect, which are generally regarded as two separate processes. Here, the authors use liquid TEM to follow the entire galvanic replacement of Ag nanocubes, finding experimental evidence that the Kirkendall effect is a key intermediate stage during hollowing.

The authors determined high-resolution cryo-EM structures of the lentiviral intasome — the nucleoprotein complex that inserts viral DNA into a host chromosome — and show that the architecture comprising 16 integrase subunits is critical for its function.

Predictive protein design and experiments are combined to develop anisotropic bifaceted protein nanomaterials using pseudosymmetric hetero-oligomeric building blocks.

Poaching undermines the effectiveness of marine protected areas, where enforcement capacity is limited. In this study, fishers adjacent to MPAs were surveyed, and it was found that about half had observed poaching, but that most do not react so as to avoid conflict, or because they feel that this is either not their responsibility or that poaching is a survival strategy.

Scanning electron nanobeam diffraction is used to monitor the morphology of organic thin films with nanometre resolution, revealing information on the arrangement of crystalline domains useful for structure–property relationship understanding.

Green hydrogen production via water electrolysis requires a low-cost solution to provide efficient catalysts. Here, the authors report an industrially scalable method for synthesizing NiFe layered double hydroxide at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, enhancing alkaline electrolysis.

Carbon nanomaterials have widespread application but fundamental aspects of their formation are still unclear. Here the authors explore the shock-induced synthesis of carbon nanoallotropes from liquid CO by time-resolved reflectivity and computations identifying the growth mechanism at the sub-nanosecond timescale

The multipass membrane transporter MFSD6 localizes to the plasma membrane and acts as a host entry factor for enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) by binding directly to EV-D68 particles through its extracellular, third loop, offering a potential target to combat infections by this emerging pathogen.

Gold catalysts have previously been reported for the epoxidation of alkenes with molecular oxygen. Here the authors show that, rather than the gold nanoparticles, the active species for this reaction are actually small, soluble gold species stabilized by the oxidised organic products.

Little is known about certain bacterial phyla because of our current inability to grow them in the lab. Here, Luef et al.combine metagenomics and ultrastuctural analyses to show that some of these bacteria have a very small cell size, tightly packed DNA, few ribosomes and diverse pili-like structures.

Solid-state sodium batteries using halide electrolytes face ionic transport limitations and (electro)chemical instability. Here, authors design fluorinated amorphous sodium halides via vacancy-carrier optimization and fluorination-driven amorphization, enhancing discharge capacity and cycle stability in Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃-based all-solid-state batteries.

Cryo-EM structures of free and DNA-bound pol ζ holoenzyme from budding yeast reveal how this DNA polymerase ensures fidelity and facilitates lesion bypass during translesion DNA synthesis.

High permselectivity of nanofluidics remains a challenge in osmotic energy conversion. Here, authors construct two dimensional nanofluidics with Turing-type nanochannels, which provide extrinsic pathways to improve both ion selectivity and flux, thereby achieving efficient osmotic energy harvesting.

Origins of replication are licensed by loading of MCM onto DNA, and origin firing depends on interaction with Cdc45 and GINS to form two CMG holo-helicases. Here, authors determine the cryo-EM structures of DNA-bound MCM and visualise a phospho-dependent MCM element important for Cdc45 recruitment.

Eukaryotic origin firing depends on assembly of the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) helicase, which requires the leading-strand polymerase Pol ɛ. Here the authors present a structural analysis of a CMG Pol ɛ on a DNA fork, providing insight on the steps leading productive helicase engagement to the DNA junction.

Here, the authors present the 3.5-Å-resolution cryo-EM structure of the jumbo phage ΦKZ capsid, revealing ten minor capsid proteins that are hypothesized to contribute to capsid assembly and stabilization.

Single-crystal black phosphorus nanoribbons are grown uniformly on insulating substrates by chemical vapour transport growth with black phosphorus nanoparticles as seeds, demonstrating potential for application in nanoelectronic devices and the exploration of the exotic physics in black phosphorus.

Graphite spontaneously exfoliates into single layers of graphene in chlorosulphonic acid, resulting in a solution that is an order of magnitude more concentrated than any previously reported, and forms a liquid-crystalline phase at high concentrations.

A post eradication polio vaccine should be safe and easy to produce. Here, the authors characterize a recombinant virus-like particle polio vaccine with stabilized capsid proteins and show comparable immunogenicity to the current inactivated polio vaccine.

Surface charge patchiness has a great impact on the aggregation and solution stability of colloidal particles and globular proteins. Here, the authors report the solution behaviours of computationally designed peptide coiled-coil ‘bundlemer’ nanoparticles with controlled surface charge patchiness where only a single type of surface charge is allowed.

Samples from the asteroid (101955) Bennu, returned by the OSIRIS-REx mission, include sodium-bearing phosphates and sodium-rich carbonates, sulfates, chlorides and fluorides formed during evaporation of a late-stage brine.

Geospatial estimates of the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age across 82 low-income and middle-income countries reveals considerable heterogeneity and inequality at national and subnational levels, with few countries on track to meet the WHO Global Nutrition Targets by 2030.

The predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio exovorus attaches on the surface on other bacteria and feeds on them. Here, the authors study the lifecycle of B. exovorus, showing that it proliferates by non-binary division, firm junctions are established between prey and predator outer membranes, and a proteinaceous S-layer does not protect prey cells against predation.

The ability to regulate membrane pore size as needed has been a topic of active research for developing next-generation stimuli-responsive smart membranes. Herein, the authors report the observation of operando regulation of the pore size of A membrane based on electro-osmotic swelling.

The origin of timber was correctly identified for 94% of samples in Central Africa, a high-risk region with low tracing accuracy to date, according to an analysis that combined genetic, stable isotopes, and elemental concentrations methods.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are well known breast cancer predisposition genes, however, many variants have not yet been classified for their pathogenicity. Here, the authors analyse a large combined cohort to provide evidence of variant pathogenicity.