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The diversity and spillover potential of pangolin-associated microbes are not fully understood. Here, the authors describe the distribution and spectrum of reported pangolin microbes by integrating data from multiple sources and assess their potential to emerge as human pathogens.

Applications of nanopore direct RNA sequencing (dRNA) are limited by the lack of accurate and cost-effective sample multiplexing. Here, the authors report an ultra-fast and high accurate adapter-barcoding and demultiplexing approach for dRNA and demonstrate its application in SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

Entanglement was observed in top–antitop quark events by the ATLAS experiment produced at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN using a proton–proton collision dataset with a centre-of-mass energy of √s  = 13 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 140 fb⁻¹.

Nanoporous 2D materials have shown promising potential for ion sieving applications due to their physical and chemical properties. Here authors develop a heterogeneous graphene-based polyethylene terephthalate nanochannel with ion sieving ability that is controlled by adjusting the applied voltage.

Integrated Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 402 drilled two in-situ long mantle sections in the Tyrrhenian Sea, revealing that retention of large quantities of melts at mantle levels delayed the birth of an ocean basin.

β-cell dysfunction in diabetes is caused by glucose and inflammation toxicity. Here, Fu et al. show that β-cell glucose metabolism can be protective though pyruvate carboxylase–mediated shunting of arginine to ureagenesis and away from toxic nitric oxide production, thus suppressing inflammation.

Analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data from seven amphioxus embryo stages informs the evolution of chordate cell type evolution and reveals three developmental origins for the vertebrate nervous system.

The understanding of polyamorphic transitions is of scientific and technological importance. Here, the authors report a continuous polyamorphic transition without first-order transition characteristics in high-entropy metallic glasses.

A broad-range human antibody with neutralizing activity against various coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, targets a unique epitope within the highly conserved S2’ site and the fusion peptide of the spike protein that is exposed during interaction with the host cell. The pan-coronavirus antibody protects mice against infection with SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 following prophylactic and therapeutic treatment.

The heterodimer of METTL1-WDR4 is responsible for adding methylation group to the N7 atom of guanine (m7G) in tRNA molecules. Here the authors show how the tRNA m7G modification mediates tRNA stability to control proteostasis by maintaining efficient protein synthesis, which is important for preventing premature senescence and aging.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods with high sensitivity are needed. Here the authors develop multiplex πFISH rainbow to detect a range of biomolecules; they also combine this with the hybridization chain reaction to develop πFISH+ technology for short nucleic acid fragment detection.

Understanding the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection is important to control the pandemic. Here the authors show the biological and pathological role of RNA G-quadruplex structure in both SARS-CoV-2 genome and host factors, particularly TMPRSS2.

Iron-pnictide superconductors share similar topological band structure with iron-chalcogenide superconductors, but no Majorana modes have been observed in the former. Here, the authors observe both the superconducting Dirac surface states and Majorana zero modes inside its vortex cores in CaKFe₄As₄.

A consortium reports the tripling of the number of genetic markers in Phase II of the International HapMap Project. This map of human genetic variation will continue to revolutionize discovery of susceptibility loci in common genetic diseases, and study of genes under selection in humans.

AID is a DNA cytidine deaminase with a central role in the generation of antibody diversity. AID initiates class switch recombination by modifying DNA within the switch (S) regions in the IgH locus. Now AID is shown to be targeted to the S regions by interaction with adaptor proteins 14-3-3, which in turn bind directly to the DNA motif 5'AGCT.

The use of metal clusters to construct artificial protein-mimic structures with adaptable cavities has potential for simulating the dynamics and functionality of natural proteins. Here, the authors develop a family of chiral metal-peptide assemblies using {Ni3} clusters and flexible peptides, resulting in structures such as octahedral cages, trigonal prisms, and capsules.

Sakuranetin is an important phytoalexin. The authors find that sakuranetin in rice attenuates endocytosis of effectors from the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and enhances resistance against rice blast.

The authors use STM to show that there are two different classes of zero-bias peak in vortex cores of Fe(Te,Se). One class is topological, one not. These are distinguished by a shift in the energy levels of the excited states.

A universal and non-destructive technique is developed to process diverse types of powder into micro- or nanofibres, providing flexibility for material design and applications based on functional particles.

Stop codon readthrough, the ribosomal bypass of mRNA nonsense codons, has therapeutic potential for diseases caused by nonsense mutations. Here, the authors used machine learning to define readthrough-conducive mRNA sequences and predict specific CFTR alleles likely amenable to readthrough therapy.

Cui, Guo, Liu et al. identify a bacterial species, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, in the gut that produces a tryptophan metabolite and engages intracellular pathways to modulate ferroptosis-suppressor protein 1 activity, thereby suppressing ferroptosis and promoting colorectal cancer development.

Periodontitis is closely linked with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and may have overlapping characteristics. Here the authors show that a periodontal pathogen P. gingivalis promotes intestinal inflammation by affecting the microbiome metabolite linoleic acid and Th17/Treg cell balance in the intestine.

This study by Ding et al reveals that the quorum-sensing dysfunction typically encountered in lung-adapted Staphylococcus aureus isolates could be selected by an enhanced ability to consume sialic acid released from airway mucins by the microbiota.

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.

Tandem electrocatalysts are developed for acidic CO₂ electroreduction. The catalyst contains planar-copper for CO₂ reduction to CO, and a dual-copper-active-site layer for CO reduction to C₂₊ products. An ethanol Faradaic efficiency of 46% and a C₂₊ Faradaic efficiency of 91% are achieved in acidic electrolyte at 150 mA cm⁻².

The fabrication of single-metal-atom chains in an atomically precise way is challenging. Now, a chemical vapour co-deposition method is reported for the synthesis of highly ordered single-atom chains of platinum with lengths of up to 20 nm on a wafer-scale. The metallic behaviour of the single-metal-atom chain is revealed by electronic measurements, first-principle calculations and complex network modelling.

Zhang, Jiang and colleagues demonstrate that, independent of its role in innate immunity, STING can target and inhibit HK2 activity, thereby blocking tumour aerobic glycolysis and enhancing antitumour immune responses.

Biased medical artificial intelligence systems pose significant potential risks to achieving fair and equitable healthcare. Here, we demonstrate a fairer ophthalmology AI that mitigates sexism and ageism through implicit fairness learning.

From 1980 to 2018, the levels of total and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreased in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe.

Powdery mildew threatens worldwide wheat production. Here, the authors report the cloning of two powdery mildew resistant Pm55 alleles and show that they exhibit distinct interactions with the inhibitor SuPm55 to cause different resistance.

Using data from long-term nationwide observations and multi-level rainfall manipulative experiments, this study reveals that rice yield reductions due to extreme rainfall in China were comparable to those induced by extreme heat over the past two decades. Further projections highlight the increasing risk of rice yield reductions induced by extreme rainfall by the end of this century.

nextPYP is a turn-key framework for single-particle cryo-electron tomography that streamlines complex data analysis pipelines, from pre-processing of tilt series to high-resolution refinement, for efficient analysis and visualization of large datasets.

Genomic variations in 3,248 tetraploid cotton germplasms and multi-environmental genome-wide association analyses provide insights into the basis of geographic differentiation and fiber improvement in cultivated cotton.

This study documents equine ACE2 (eqACE2) binding to the RBDs of SARS-CoV-2 and related CoVs, revealing a mechanism of eqACE2 binding with RaTG13-RBD, SARS-CoV-2 prototype-RBD and Omicron BA.1-RBD.

Tomographic reconstructions of cryopreserved specimens enable in-situ structural studies. Here, the authors present the beam image-shift electron cryo-tomography (BISECT) approach that accelerates data collection speed and improves the map resolution compared to earlier approaches and present the in vitro structure of a 300 kDa protein complex that was solved at 3.6 Å resolution as a test case.

Cells are complex systems that make decisions biologists struggle to understand. Here, the authors use neural networks to approximate the solution of mathematical models that capture the history and randomness of biochemical processes in order to understand the principles of transcription control.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease. Here, Pattaro et al. conduct a meta-analysis to discover several new loci associated with variation in eGFR and find that genes associated with eGFR loci often encode proteins potentially related to kidney development.

Converting CO2 and H2O into value-added chemical feedstocks and fuels offers a carbon neutral approach to tackling global energy and climate concerns. Here the authors report a metal supported single-atom catalytic site enabling the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methane.

Mycoviruses are obligate parasites of fungi. Here, Hai et al. show that mycoviruses can induce hypovirulence in the fungus Sclerotinia, and plants infected by Sclerotinia facilitate the transmission of these mycoviruses, thereby helping the plants defend against Sclerotinia.

SMARCA4/2 loss in ovarian and lung cancers is associated with chemotherapy resistance. Here, the authors show that SMARCA4/2 deficiency in cancer cells reduces the expression of the ER-Ca²⁺ channel IP3R3 and subsequently calcium transfer to the mitochondria, which inhibits apoptotic cell death.

Low-frequency quasiperiodic oscillations in X-ray data are thought to trace the accretion flow in X-ray binaries. Here, the detection of 200 keV oscillations probes the innermost regions of MAXI J1820+070, revealing the precession of a small-scale jet.

Chemical reactions are typically composed of a number of elementary steps, but elucidating these steps is a challenge, particularly in the condensed phase. Here, the authors use quantum chemical calculations and single-molecule spectroscopy to unravel the details of a reversible redox process.

Methane is a promising renewable carbon source for chemical synthesis, yet methane bio-gas is currently underutilised as a feedstock. Here the authors examine the metabolic processes of methanotrophic bacteria to assess their use for conversion of methane to value-added chemical products.

The molecular mechanisms that restrict synapse formation with incorrect partners remain unclear. Here, authors use 4D imaging in developing Drosophila brains to show that filopodial kinetics are regulated by autophagy and this restricts inappropriate partner choice through a process of kinetic exclusion

EpiTrace infers cell mitotic age and evolution from single-cell ATAC-seq data.

To achieve large-scale application of water electrolysers we need to find optimal cathode and anode catalysts. This work reports an engineered silver catalyst with high density of stacking faults that exhibits high activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction, outperforming commercial platinum on carbon.

A combination of five assays is used to produce a catalogue of RNA elements to which RNA-binding proteins bind in human cells.