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Two methods for fluorescence-based actinometry using organic dyes and photoconvertible fluorescent proteins enable rapid and precise measurement of light intensity at the sample in fluorescence microscopes.

Immunostimulatory antibodies have strong potential as anti-cancer therapeutics. Here Elliott et al. show that conformational rigidity determines agonistic activity of antibodies targeting CD40 and 4-1BB and demonstrate further enhancement of agonism through disulfide engineering.

Square and rectangular beams made with new condenser apertures enable more efficient image capture in low-dose transmission electron microscopy with no compromise to image quality in single-particle cryoelectron microscopy.

Hoyer et al. establish that selective autophagy mechanisms are needed to remodel the ER and its proteome during in vitro neurogenesis across neuronal subcompartments and decode the substrate selectivity of ER-phagy receptors.

MouseGoggles is a miniaturized virtual reality (VR) headset for mice that provides an improved immersive experience compared with existing VR equipment. MouseGoggles can also be combined with pupil tracking and has been applied in combination with calcium imaging or electrophysiological recordings.

Colour contrast is added to unstained histological samples by using surface plasmon polaritons whose properties depend on the sample’s dielectric constant.

Efficient and stable perovskite solar cells with simple active layers are desirable for manufacturing, yet formation of a two-dimensional component in the perovskite film compromises the performance. Here, the authors report low temperature fabrication of highly efficient and stable inverted solar cells by adding a fluorinated lead salt.

The bacterial Tad pilus extends and retracts using a single bifunctional ATPase CpaF. Here, the authors employ cryo-EM, fluorescent microscopy, and AlphaFold modelling to propose how a rotary mechanism of CpaF catalysis drives Tad pilus assembly.

Bayati et al. discovered that sequential treatment of iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons with α-synuclein fibrils and proinflammatory cytokines leads to the formation of Lewy body–like inclusions, through the downregulation of lysosomal proteins.

Due to limited therapeutic options, patients with Ewing sarcoma typically receive intensive chemotherapy which limits quality of life and often resistance develops. Here, the authors identify a chemotherapy-induced JAK-STAT-GAS6-TAM kinase signaling cascade in Ewing sarcoma and therapeutically target this axis with TAM kinase inhibition.

An autophagy receptor, NDP52, is recruited to the nucleus where it can bind DNA. The authors show this promotes changes in chromatin accessibility which supports transcription initiation, providing a direct link between autophagy and transcription regulation.

Initial reports suggest unique radiation tolerance of perovskite solar cells. Here, the authors expose both n-i-p and p-i-n devices to low- and high-energy protons, providing a direct proof of radiation-induced efficiency recovery via tuning radiation-matter interactions in the devices.

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.

Authors report that long-term intestinal tissue maintenance in naked mole rats is achieved by having an expanded pool of slow-dividing adult stem cells while a higher proportion of differentiated cells confer enhanced function and protection to the intestinal mucosa.

Ryugu is more primitive than carbonaceous chondrites, according to elevated noble gas concentrations. Elevated Xe and its isotopic composition further provide constraints on fractionation of the solar composition to form the early planetary components.

Clays in soil impact atmospheric CO₂ by stabilizing soil organic matter, yet the dynamics of this process under future climate conditions are unknown. Here the authors present a way to observe clay-carbon dynamics within micro-aggregates using 4D imaging and a customized microfluidic chip.

A study finds that a protease called granzyme K can activate the entire complement cascade, explaining how it can drive destructive inflammation in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Machine learning can be used to identify subtypes of psychiatric disease. Here the authors identified two neurostructural subgroups in schizophrenia, each showing reproducibility and generalizability across different collection locations and illness stages, using the SuStain algorithm.

Polymer-based systems are often considered a necessity for controlled drug delivery, but have well-known limitations. Here, the authors report on drug delivery implants formed solely from corticosteroid dimers, which demonstrate controlled release and overcome many of the challenges of polymer-based systems.

Biotin biosynthesis enables fatty acid remodelling and increased cell envelope fluidity, which counter alkaline pH in the lung and promote Mycobacterium abscessus growth during infection.

Misharin, Sala and colleagues show that in patients with lung fibrosis after COVID-19, monocyte-derived alveolar macrophages activate an inflammatory and fibrotic program that was similar in patients with either resolving or progressing fibrosis.

Perovskite-based photovoltaics have already reached high efficiency levels but their stability under operating conditions remains a challenge. Here, Li et al. use defective TiO₂with reduced photocatalytic efficiency to increase the stability of high efficiency solar cells under illumination

S-isotope and Hg geochemistry across the terrestrial Permian–Triassic mass extinction (252 Ma) provides evidence of repeated volcanic eruptions over ~300 kyr that drove acidification and poisoning of a palaeo-lacustrine ecosystem in northwest China.

HIMU-type seamounts may be subducted elsewhere beneath the Mariana arc, but obvious HIMU-type components appear only in the initial stages of arc rifting due to the low melting degree and being consumed during the process of back-arc spreading.

Here, the authors combine isolation and sequencing of bacteria from both mothers and infants and to show that several microbial strains are commonly transferred, including from the genus Bifidobacterium, with factors that influencing transfer including delivery mode and exposure to antibiotics in labour.

Environmental and genetic risk factors affect the distal airway epithelium in idiopatic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) but the role of the epithelium in IPF remains unclear. Here the authors show that pathologic activation of the ERBB-YAP axis induces dynamic and structural dysfunction in the distal airway epithelium eliciting a pro-fibrotic phenotype in mesenchymal cells.

A single-cell ribosome profiling method can provide data at the level of allele-specific ribosome engagement in early development.

A suite of tools including positive-going voltage indicators, a high-speed two-photon microscope, and denoising software enables prolonged imaging of electrical activity in neurons with limited toxicity.

Analyses of neuroimaging datasets from 5,306 participants across 15 countries found generally larger brain-age gaps in Latin American compared with non-Latin American populations, which were influenced by disparities in socioeconomic and health-related factors.

Microballistic impact testing at strain rates greater than 10⁶ s⁻¹ shows that pure metals, including copper, gold and titanium, become stronger with increasing temperature.

Methylotrophic metabolism enables growth on methanol, an alternative to sugar fermentation. Here the authors use adaptive laboratory evolution to uncover native methylotrophy capacity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The relationship between striatal vascular and neural activity is not fully understood. Here the authors found neuronal activity inadequately explains striatal hemodynamic polarity, challenging classic fMRI interpretations.

Motile and non-motile cilia have distinct functions and protein complexes associated with them. Here, the authors show the conserved protein CFAP20 is important for both motile and non-motile cilia and is distinct from other ciliopathy-associated domains or macromolecular complexes.