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Using 3D numerical models, this research shows how pre-existing rift basin structures influence the shape and growth of mountain belts, offering a way to link surface topography with deep Earth processes in regions like the Pyrenees and Caucasus.

A complete electronic band theory is presented that describes the global properties of all possible band structures and materials, and can be used to predict new topological insulators and semimetals.

Here the authors propose a scheme for observing axion topology in 3D photonic crystals. Exploiting gyromagnetism, they demonstrate topological switching of axionic channels of light, outlining a way to realize axion topology in Weyl semimetal domain walls.

Altermagnets combine the spin splitting of ferromagnets and the magnetic ordering of collinear antiferromagnets. These technologically promising features have led to an aggressive search for altermagnetic materials. Here, Regmi et al synthesize CoNb₄Se₈, a layered intercalated material, and confirm altermagnetism via a combination of neutron and magnetotransport measurements and DFT calculations.

Understanding asteroid materials is critical for determining deflection methods for planetary defense. Here the authors show, via experiments performed in High-Radiation to Materials facility at CERN, that iron-rich asteroid materials can absorb more energy without structural failure than standard material parameters would suggest.

High-throughput calculations are performed to predict approximately 130 magnetic topological materials, with complete electronic structure calculations and topological phase diagrams.

The study of the band structure and crystal symmetry of the semimetal bismuth indicates that this material is a higher-order topological insulator hosting robust one-dimensional metallic states on the hinges of the crystal.

Quantum simulation offers an unparalleled computational resource, but realizing it for fermionic systems is challenging due to their particle statistics. Here the authors report on the time evolutions of fermionic interactions implemented with digital techniques on a nine-qubit superconducting circuit.

Continuous-variable remote state preparation in the microwave domain would allow to leverage the superconducting technology for quantum networks applications. Here, the authors show how to deterministically prepare squeezed Gaussian states across 35 cm using previously shared entanglement.

Topological quantum chemistry and newly developed codes are used to analyse and compute the topological properties of materials in a large crystal database and to identify new topological phases, finding that more than 27 per cent of all materials in nature are topological.

Creative experiences such as dance, music, drawing, and strategy video games might preserve brain health. The authors show that regular practice or short training in these activities is linked to brains that look younger and work more efficiently.

RNA splicing is an important mechanism for gene regulation. Here, the authors present a core logic that links sequence variation and splice-site choice across eukaryotes.

Solid-state materials have emerged as a platform for probing and manipulating topological phases of matter. This Review surveys topological materials discovery in nonmagnetic crystalline solids, focusing on the role of crystal symmetry and geometry in topological material predictions.

Chern number controls the number of surface state channels in topological insulators. Here the authors propose 3D Chern insulating cubic photonic crystals with orientable and arbitrarily large Chern numbers demonstrating topologically protected photonic surface states.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Researchers observe directional strong coupling on the nanoscale between hyperbolic phonon polaritons and pentacene molecules.

It has been a longstanding goal to promote the propagation of functional mitochondrial DNAs at the expense of pathological molecules in cells where the two species coexist. Here, the authors show that restricting the availability of glucose and glutamine can achieve this outcome.

Pl@ntBERT is a language-based AI model that learned the ‘syntax’ of plant assemblages, predicting likely species and inferring habitats by modelling biotic relationships.

Competing phases in layered complex oxides are believed to be relevant for emergent phenomena, which still await to be witnessed. Here, Stone et al. report direct atomic-scale imaging of a multitude of polar phases in Ruddlesden-Popper oxide thin films, exhibiting diverse phenomena in a single structure.

Ca₃Ru₂O₇ is a layered ruthenate, which undergoes a spin-reorientation transition where the spins rotate 90 degrees between two anti-ferromagnetic states. Despite extensive study, the driver of this transition has proved elusive. Here, using neutron and resonant x-ray scattering, Dashwood et al. show that this transition is driven by lattice strain.

A comparison of alpha diversity (number of plant species) and dark diversity (species that are currently absent from a site despite being ecologically suitable) demonstrates the negative effects of regional-scale anthropogenic activity on plant diversity.

Assessing the coupling between a plasmonic nanocavity and a single quantum emitter is challenging due to the lack of spatial control at the atomic scale. Here Zhanget al. achieve control with sub-nanometre precision and demonstrate the Fano resonance and Lamb shift at the single-molecule level.

Santos et al found that the ubiquitin ligase adaptor Fbxo42 is a critical regulator of terminal Unfolded Protein Response signaling through its control of Ataxin-2 granules containing Xbp1 mRNA.

Genome-wide sequencing of 180 ancient individuals shows a continuous gradient of ancestry in Early-to-Mid-Holocene hunter-gatherers from the Baltic to the Transbaikal region and distinct contemporaneous groups in Northeast Siberia, and provides insights into the origins of modern Uralic and Yeniseian speakers.

The kagome magnet Co₃Sn₂S₂ has complex magnetic behaviour and a topological band structure that yields a large anomalous Hall effect. Guguchia et al. find phase separation between ferro- and anti-ferromagnetic orders and that the volume-wise competition controls the anomalous Hall conductivity

Magnetic nodal-line semimetals, with their unique gapless crossings, hold promise for advancing spintronics and information technologies, yet remain scarce. Here, the authors identify ferromagnetic hexagonal close-packed cobalt as a prototypical system for exploring nodal-line fermiology at room temperature, revealing its complex nodal structures and highly tunable spin textures.

Non-covalent interactions are very diverse, and they are generally difficult to investigate through experimental methods. Here tailored metal–organic frameworks serve as a platform for the systematic generation of a variety of non-covalent interactions, which can be studied through the electric fields produced by the charges and dipoles involved in the interactions.

Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton is essential for blood-brain barrier integrity and immune cell transmigration. Here, the authors show that the ion channel K2P2.1 regulates this process by shielding key signaling lipids and modulating actin dynamics.

Intense extreme UV and X-ray coherent sources are set to revolutionize numerous research areas, yet characterization of their polarization remains elusive. Here, Mazza et al.measure the polarization state of circularly polarized extreme UV light from a free-electron laser using circular dichroism.

Genome-wide analyses using fetal and parental genotypes identify 40 independent associations influencing placental weight and highlight the role of the fetus in preeclampsia risk and placental growth regulation via insulin signaling.

Ferroic domain walls are nano-objects that are considered functional elements in future devices. Here, the authors study phonons across ferroelastic domain walls by synchrotron-based near-field infrared nano-spectroscopy and relate these changes to the order parameter which helps to understand domain wall dynamics.

Climate change is shifting species distribution globally. Here, the authors track four decades of changes in the thermal affinity of 1,817 marine species across European seas, showing that most communities have responded to ongoing ocean warming via increases of warm-water species or decreases of cold-water species.

Crystal structures with two sublattice pairs per primitive cell can host so-called dark states which interact minimally with light due to destructive interference. Here, the authors reveal that in the semiconductor (NbSe₄)₃I these states lead to an indirect-gap optical behavior, despite the band structure displaying an almost direct band gap, having significant impact on its optoelectronic properties.

A cross-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci, reveals putative causal genes, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as potential drug targets, and provides cross-ancestry integrative risk prediction.

A new class of moiré materials based on monolayers with triangular lattices and low-energy states at the M points of the Brillouin zone is introduced, demonstrating emergent momentum-space non-symmorphic symmetries, a kagome plane-wave lattice structure, and potential quasi-one-dimensionality.

Polaritonic Fourier crystal provides harmonic modulation of the polariton momentum in a pristine polaritonic waveguide. Authors employ hexagonal boron nitride and near-field imaging to probe Bloch waves of phonon-polaritons in the Fourier crystal.

Here the authors apply ZooMS, radiocarbon, and stable isotope analyses to whale bones from the Bay of Biscay. They find that humans were utilizing the remains of at least five species of whales from 20,000 years ago, and that those whale communities may have resembled today’s arctic waters.

Relativistic electron-positron (pair) plasmas play a fundamental role in the magnetospheres, jets, and winds of black holes and neutron stars, but existing studies have been purely theoretical. Here, the authors open up the exciting possibility to probe relativistic pair-plasmas in the laboratory.

Using data gathered from the microphones of the Perseverance rover, the first characterization of the acoustic environment on Mars is presented, showing two distinct values for the speed of sound in CO₂-dominated atmosphere.

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) gives access to the atomic-scale properties of matter. Here, the authors showcase the fluorescent functionalization of an STM tip using a single molecule in direct metal contact, permitting the local electrostatic and -dynamic environment to be probed.

Here, the authors present a TWAS framework OTTERS that adapts multiple polygenic risk score methods to estimate eQTL weights from summary-level eQTL data. Both simulation and real studies show OTTERS is powerful across a wide range of genetic architectures.

Two adjacent layers flowing at different velocities in the same fluid are subject to flow instabilities. This phenomenon is now studied in atomic superfluids, revealing that quantized vortices act as both sources and probes of the unstable flow.