Search

Coherent X-ray diffraction patterns derived from third-generation synchrotron radiation sources can lead to quantitative three-dimensional imaging of lattice strain on the nanometre scale.

RSV and hMPV infections pose significant health risks in vulnerable populations. Here, the authors used a systematic approach to identify mutations critical for fusion protein metastability and rationally design uncleaved prefusion-closed trimers for RSV and hMPV F proteins that induce robust antibody responses in vivo.

In analogy to classical living polymerizations, the controlled formation of highly monodisperse cylindrical micelles — ranging from approximately 200 nm to 2 µm in length — has been demonstrated using very small and uniform crystallite seeds as initiators for the crystallization-driven living self-assembly of block copolymers with a crystallizable, core-forming metalloblock.

Epitaxial crystal growth attracts significant interest. Here, the authors use Bragg Coherent Diffraction Imaging to demonstrate calcite crystal precipitation on self-assembled monolayers exhibiting single dislocation loops with different geometries to those generated in conventional epitaxial thin films.

Inactivation of DNPH1 leads to hmdU incorporation into DNA, sensitising BRCA-deficient cells to PARP inhibitors. Crystal structures of DNPH1 bound to hmdU monophosphate reveal a two-step mechanism for hydrolysis via a glycosyl-enzyme intermediate.

Sluggish activity of cathode materials impedes operation of solid oxide fuel cells at low temperatures. Here, the authors report a niobium and tantalum co-doped perovskite cathode exhibiting high electroactivity below 500 °C, and argue that the dopants improve the cathode performance synergistically.

Understanding what happens to the liquid in melt pools during welding and metal-based additive manufacturing remains a challenge. Here, the authors directly image internal melt pool dynamics using synchrotron radiation to show surface tension affects flow speed, orientation and surface turbulence.

Despite the efforts to tune their properties, the efficiency of tantalum nitride photoanodes falls short of the theoretical value. Here, a gradient Mg doping strategy is introduced to engineer tantalum nitride’s band structure and control its defects, leading to an applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of 3.25%.

A comprehensive study of the Kepler-138 system reveals the twin nature of Kepler-138 c and d and the presence of a fourth planet. Remarkably, the warm-temperate planet Kepler-138 d is probably composed of 50% volatiles by volume, indicative of a water world, rather than a rocky world, despite its small ~1.5 R_⊕ size.

Lipopeptides show great potential as green surfactants but the aggregation behavior of designed lipopeptides bearing linear peptide sequences remains understudied. Here, the authors examine the micellization of chiral lipopeptides bearing lysine-rich tripeptide sequences and investigate structural effects as well as the surface tension and electrical conductivity.

The cryo-EM structure of the highly potent malaria antibody L9 reveals a key role of light-chain derived homotypic interactions in antigen binding and parasite inhibition, enabling antibody engineering and next-generation malaria vaccine design.

Fulcher et al. show that MDM2 times mitosis through self-catalysed ubiquitination and proteasomal destruction, triggering G1 arrest following delays in mitosis associated with chromosome instability and aneuploidy.

Structural insights demonstrating small-molecule-mediated dimerization of BRD4 bromodomains led to the development of biBET, a compound that potently inhibits BRD4–acetyl-lysine interactions by bivalent binding to tandem bromodomains.

For each ATP molecule, the Na/K pump extrudes three Na⁺ and imports two K⁺ ions by alternating between outward- and inward-facing conformations that preferentially bind K⁺ or Na⁺, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations based on atomic models, together with electrophysiological experiments, show that protonation of several acidic residues that form the cation-binding sites is crucial to achieve K⁺ selectivity.

Phase-resolved mid-infrared observations from JWST of the hot gas giant WASP-43b detect a day–night difference of 659 ± 19 K. Comparison with climate models shows that the observations are compatible with cloudy skies, at least on the nightside, and the lack of methane detection suggests the presence of disequilibrium chemistry.

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.

TG2 functions as an eraser and exchanger of H3 monoaminylations, including histaminylation of Gln5 of histone H3.

Coherent X-ray diffraction spectroscopy has recently emerged as a powerful tool for imaging strain at the nanoscale. Developments in both fabrication and experimental techniques have now enabled all nine components of the strain tensor in a nanorod to be determined, demonstrating the ability of coherent X-ray diffraction spectroscopy to yield measurements of strain in three dimensions with a resolution of a few tens of nanometres.

Postel et al. have determined a multidomain structure of GR in complex with ligand, DNA and a co-regulator peptide that demonstrates how GR forms a distinct architecture on DNA and how signal transmission can be modulated by the ligand pharmacophore.

Energy harvesting by utilizing optical control has emerged as a promising solution to alleviate energy and environmental crisis. However, it is challenging to realise nano-scale energy storage and conversion in the same material. Here the authors report a nonferroelectric molecular [CoGa] crystal that uses light as an external stimulus to exhibit photoenergy conversion and energy storage properties.

SAMHD1 catalyses the hydrolysis of dNTPs into 2′-deoxynucleosides and triphosphate and is an important regulator of cellular dNTP homeostasis. Here, the authors provide insights into the catalytic mechanism of SAMHD1 by performing kinetic measurements and determining crystal structures of α-β-imido-dNTP inhibitor complexes, which reveal a bi-metallic iron-magnesium centre and catalytic hydroxyl molecule in the active site of the enzyme.

A directly dated Homo sapiens phalanx from the Nefud desert reveals human presence in the Arabian Peninsula before 85,000 years ago. This represents the earliest date for H. sapiens outside Africa and the Levant.

The generation of primary organoids, from fetal fluid-derived epithelial stem or progenitor cells, offers the possibility of modeling different developing tissues during gestation, even beyond the limits of pregnancy termination.

The earliest known human burial in Africa, that of a young child, is dated to around 78,000 years ago.

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.

Analysis of two-million-year-old ancient environmental DNA from the Kap København Formation in North Greenland shows there was an open boreal forest with diverse plant and animal species, of which several taxa have not previously been detected at the site, representing an ecosystem that has no present-day analogue.

Riboswitches bind intracellular metabolites and control bacterial gene expression. Here, by using X-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics simulations, and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer, the authors show how a local Mn2+ ion-binding signal is transduced across the yybP-ykoY riboswitch from Xanthomonas oryzae.

Although mechanistic understanding can drive new reactivity development, the key bond-forming and -breaking steps in catalytic cycles are often sufficiently fast to elude observation. Here, the authors photochemically produce a key intermediate in Mn-catalysed C–H functionalization, and follow the subsequent steps—spanning processes occurring over seven orders of magnitude in time—using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy.