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Actin filament polymerization is crucial for building sound-sensitive stereocilia in the cochlea. Here, the authors show that a myosin motor can nucleate actin filaments, revealing a mechanism for stereocilia growth and hereditary hearing loss.

Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study reveal declines in chronic respiratory disease mortality between 1990 and 2023—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—but the burdens on people affected remain substantial.

Global Burden of Disease estimates show that between 1990 and 2023, the prevalence and burden of drug use disorders, inclusive of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use, have been increasing in high-income countries, particularly in the USA.

The dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the Middle East have been relatively under-studied. Here, the authors integrate genomic and travel data and show that introductions to the region were initially driven by intercontinental air travel, after which regional land travel became a more important driver.

Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies 58 independent risk loci for major anxiety disorders among individuals of European ancestry and implicates GABAergic signaling as a potential mechanism underlying genetic risk for these disorders.

Using 63 globally distributed grassland and shrubland sites from the International Drought Experiment, this study identified plant traits linked to drought resistance after 1 year of extreme drought across growth forms, lifespans and climate.

The authors find that olfactory bulb inputs and outputs sample overlapping but distinct odor subspaces. Physical–chemical properties used to characterize odorants are not well represented in bulb activity, urging further search for better descriptors of odor space.

When senescent cells accumulate during adulthood they negatively influence lifespan and promote age-dependent changes in several organs; clearance of these cells delayed tumorigenesis in mice and attenuated age-related deterioration of several organs without overt side effects, suggesting that the therapeutic removal of senescent cells may be able to extend healthy lifespan.

Systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease study reported that, despite global improvements from 1990 to 2021, dietary iron deficiency-associated disease burden remains high in women, children and residents in low socio-demographic index countries.

Genomic analyses applied to 14 childhood- and adult-onset psychiatric disorders identifies five underlying genomic factors that explain the majority of the genetic variance of the individual disorders.

The advantage of living in cities compared with rural areas with respect to height and BMI in children and adolescents has generally become smaller globally from 1990 to 2020, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

Large-effect variants in autism remain elusive. Here, the authors use long-read sequencing to assemble phased genomes for 189 individuals, identifying pathogenic variants in TBL1XR1, MECP2, and SYNGAP1, plus nine candidate structural variants missed by short-read methods.

The relative contribution of lipid catabolism on fasting-induced longevity was unknown. Authors showed lifespan extension from fasting depend on silencing lipid catabolism upon nutrient replenishment through phosphorylation of NHR-49 by KIN-19.

A single-cell epigenomic atlas of human immune cells highlights cell-type-specific features associated with genetic or environmental exposures.

Targeting neurons that regulate energy balance may offer new approaches for obesity treatment. Here, authors show that chemogenetic and pharmacological manipulation of GABAergic neurons in the DRN/vlPAG increases adaptive thermogenesis and reduces weight gain in mice fed a highfat diet.

Wastewater-based surveillance tends to focus on specific pathogens. Here, the authors mapped the wastewater virome from 62 cities worldwide to identify over 2,500 viruses, revealing city-specific virome fingerprints and showing that wastewater metagenomics enables early detection of emerging viruses.

Exchange bias, where an adjacent antiferromagnet leads to an offset magnetization loop in a ferromagnet is a critical effect in magnetic memory devices. Here, Pellet-Mary et al introduce a “lateral exchange bias”, allowing control of the Neel vector in bilayer samples of CrSBr via laterally adjacent odd layered segments.

The 4D Nucleome Project demonstrates the use of genomic assays and computational methods to measure genome folding and then predict genomic structure from DNA sequence, facilitating the discovery of potential effects of genetic variants, including variants associated with disease, on genome structure and function.

Establishment and maintenance of appropriate cell size is a prerequisite for cells to function efficiently. Here, Kiriakopulos et al. reveal that the lncRNA CISTR-ACT maintains cell size across cell types in humans and mice by regulating cell morphogenesis genes in trans via guidance of the transcription factor FOSL2.

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 bacterium Helicobacter pylori, often found in the human stomach, can be classified into distinct subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host. Here, the authors provide insights into H. pylori population structure by collecting over 1,000 clinical strains from 50 countries and generating and analyzing high-quality bacterial genome sequences.

A purpose-built implantable system based on biomimetic epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord reduces the severity of hypotensive complications in people with spinal cord injury and improves quality of life.

Quantum phase transitions, traditionally examined for divergent fluctuations in space and time at equilibrium, are now revealing local, nonequilibrium signatures. Kobayashi and Motome explore nonequilibrium quantum dynamics triggered by local quantum quenches utilizing a new approach of quantum reservoir probing.

Hydroxyl radicals (OH) are important in many chemical systems, including combustion and atmospheric reactions, however experimentally measuring their velocities in specific internal quantum states has proved difficult. Now differential cross-sections for inelastic scattering of fully state-specified OH with He and Ar have been observed for the first time using velocity-map imaging in a crossed-molecular-beam arrangement.

The integrator complex is required for the synthesis of protein coding and non-coding RNA and contains the protein INTS13. Here, the authors find germline mutations in INTS13 in two families with oral facial digital syndrome and show that the mutation affects the c-terminal domain of the protein and disrupts cilliogenesis.

A well-preserved skeleton of a nearly mature tyrannosaur from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, USA supports the existence of a second Nanotyrannus species, Nanotyrannus lethaeus sp. nov., and validates the recognition of Nanotyrannus as a genus separate from Tyrannosaurus.

Researchers demonstrate a resonance-free Fabry-Perot cavity using a single holographic phase mask. By converting Gaussian input into a broadband mix of Laguerre-Gaussian modes, the cavity remains stable despite  ~350% length changes, paving the way for highly reliable optical sensors.

Perfect State Transfer is known to time-optimally connect distant nodes in a network. Here, the authors implement it on a chain of superconducting qubits and demonstrate that it also serves as a powerful tool for generating multi-qubit entanglement.

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.