Search

A new platform comprising large-scale 2D arrays of quantum dots patterned with sub-nanometre precision, with each quantum dot defined by tens of phosphorus atoms doped into silicon, allows for analogue simulation of quantum materials on arbitrary lattices.

Jacquemyn et al. identify key lipid determinants controlling ectosome shedding from neurons. They find that ectosomes are a major route for the intercellular transport of misfolded α-synuclein, with relevance to Parkinson’s disease pathology.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Bright electron bunches power particle physics and photon science. Here, reproducible bunches were generated in a plasma with simultaneous high charge per unit energy and low emittance, advancing a scheme to produce ultra-bright bunches in future.

This study reports a post-assembly, reversible crosslinking strategy that enhances lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-mediated mRNA delivery while preserving efficient intracellular release. The resulting crosslinked LNPs enable improved endosomal escape, sustained in vivo expression and robust immune and antitumor responses across multiple clinically relevant LNP platforms.

The deformation mechanisms of twin boundaries in nanotwinned metallic materials are still unclear. Here the authors combine in situ transmission electron microscopy tensile tests and molecular dynamics simulations with a dislocation-based theoretical model to reveal the deformation mechanism of nanotwins.

A cellular neural network that incorporates transistors and multilevel non-volatile memristor synapses can be used for efficient image and video processing.

JWST imaged three of the gas giants orbiting the star HR 8799 to study their atmospheres. The uniform enrichment of heavy elements, including sulfur, indicates that they formed like Jupiter and Saturn by accreting a lot of icy and rocky solids.

Comparative genomics and high-resolution mass spectrometry reveal the biosynthetic gene clusters, and vast chemical diversity of natural products that they encode, in Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus, bacteria that interact with hosts as symbionts and entomopathogens.

Here natural language processing tools are used to systematically analyse 124 national food system pathway documents submitted by countries between 2021 and 2023, following the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit. Besides drawing out key themes, the authors reveal key issues that remain unaddressed.

Birds are iconic and valued users of urban parks. An assessment of 935 parks across 186 US cities shows that a range of park features across multiple parks are needed to broadly support avian diversity and that the regional and seasonal effects of tree canopy cover are especially important.

FACED 2.0 builds on and expands the capabilities of the free-space angular-chirp-enhanced delay microscopy approach. Its high speed, large field of view and volumetric coverage enable two-photon voltage imaging of hundreds of neurons or calcium imaging of thousands of neurons in the mouse or zebrafish brain.

A human spinal cord organoid model can replicate two different types of spinal cord injury and can be used as an in vitro system to evaluate therapeutics and inflammatory reactions to treatments.

The deep learning model STARLING can generate accurate ensembles of intrinsically disordered regions of proteins using only protein sequence as input.

Juno radio occultations precisely redefine Jupiter’s shape, measuring a polar diameter of 66,842 km and an equatorial diameter of 71,488 km, both smaller than long-used values, bringing models of the planet’s interior into better agreement with observations.

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 detection of forsterite and enstatite emissions in EC 53 during accretion bursts marks one of the first pieces of direct evidence of in situ silicate crystallization in young stars.

Taking advantage of the abundant renewable energy sources along seashores, this work describes a three-chamber electrolyser that combines electrolysis and desalination to produce both freshwater and green hydrogen.

Biochemical and structural studies show that the bacterial dGTPase CloA is activated by virally produced dTTP and inhibited by 5′-triphosphothymidyl-3′5′-thymidine produced by its regulatory partner CloB, and thereby balances antiviral defence and immune-mediated toxicity.

Sequencing of marine sediments finds 136 newly identified Heimdallarchaeia and several novel lineages, and indicates that Heimdallarchaeia evolved distinct metabolic capabilities from other Asgardarchaeota, in conditions that may have given rise to early eukaryotes.

Aperiodic composite crystals were discovered that emulate 2D moiré materials, demonstrating a potentially scalable approach for producing moiré materials for next-generation electronics and a generalizable approach for realizing theoretical predictions of higher-dimensional quantum phenomena.

It is unclear whether the harsh abiotic conditions of drylands hinder biological invasions. This global analysis shows that drylands are vulnerable to non-native plants and are likely to become more so as native plant diversity declines and grazing pressure intensifies.

The study introduces radio interferometric multiplexed spectroscopy (RIMS), a method designed to efficiently monitor the radio emissions of massive samples of stars. Applying it to LOFAR data, the authors identify stellar bursts, offering clues to possible star–planet magnetic interactions.

Greenwald, Nederlof and colleagues developed a computational pipeline analyzing multiplex imaging data and established spatial patterns within breast cancer microenvironment that are predictive of immune checkpoint blockade response across treatment time course.

Nitrate sensing by NLP7 engages a MEKK–MAPK cascade to phosphorylate the circadian clock protein CCA1, establishing a positive-feedback loop that stimulates auxin signalling to drive root foraging for nitrate.

The authors identify flip probability as a universal quantity in random explorations. Here, the authors show it follows a simple inverse law across Markovian, non-Markovian, and real-world systems.

A wearable that continuously measures the concentration of a drug is demonstrated in humans.

The authors analytically determine how neuronal correlations and geometry collectively determine readout generalization across tasks and show how these geometric features follow distinct trajectories over the course of learning.

Maurice et al. examine how cytokines regulate antigen-independent activation of memory CD8⁺ T cells. They show that IL-4 signaling changes the quality of the bystander T cell response by antagonizing IL-18 sensing and subsequent IFNγ production, but increasing granzyme B expression without changing perforin, thereby limiting bystander-mediated protection.

The highest-quality JWST spectra reveal that little red dots are young supermassive black holes shrouded in dense cocoons of ionized gas, where electron scattering, not Doppler motions, broadens their spectral lines.

In this study, the authors model the current mechanical properties of the seafloor of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, and find those rocks to be too strong to allow the kind of fracturing that, on Earth, enables rock–water chemical reactions on which chemosynthetic life relies.

The authors show that plasma AT(N) biomarkers can distinguish Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration in diverse Latin American populations. Using machine learning and integrating neuroimaging, significant diagnostic accuracy was achieved, enhancing clinical assessments of these conditions in Latin America.

Without key cell cycle control genes, SAR11 cells experience aneuploidy and growth inhibition when exposed to changes in nutrients, carbon sources or temperature stress, a vulnerability that may represent an evolutionary trade-off for adaptation to oligotrophic environments.

The authors estimate genomic vulnerability for closely related species of rainbowfish. They find that narrow endemic species that have hybridized with a warm-adapted generalist show reduced vulnerability to climate change and that hybridization may facilitate evolutionary rescue for such species.

Repetitive DNA sequences shape genome evolution and instability. Here, the authors analyze repeat length distributions across over 300 mammals and show that long repeats arise and persist through a dynamic balance of mutation processes, without requiring natural selection.

A spatial and single-cell transcriptomics study across multiple mammalian species identifies epidermal BMP signalling as a functional requirement for rete ridge formation, providing insight into mechanisms underlying hair density loss and wound healing.

A photochemical regeneration strategy achieves repeated capture and release of diverse precious metals by integrating a phenol–quinone redox cycle into a nanocarbon aerogel scaffold, offering a practical and sustainable pathway for metal recovery.

This study utilized a longitudinal cohort of adolescents to identify distinct brain signatures linked to ADHD symptom trajectories, revealing that specific cortical and subcortical changes correlate with symptom persistence, remission and emergence, enhancing predictive capabilities for ADHD outcomes.

The authors conduct a national inventory on individual tree carbon stocks in Rwanda using aerial imagery and deep learning. Most mapped trees are located in farmlands; new methods allow partitioning to any landscape categories, effective planning and optimization of carbon sequestration and the economic benefits of trees.

Nanocatalyst ‘nanozymes’ provide a versatile alternative to natural enzymes. Nanozymes can operate in conditions inimical to enzymes and can catalyse reactions that their natural analogues cannot. This Perspective discusses design principles, strengths, challenges and applications of nanozymes.

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.

Atomic force microscopy is used to investigate the adsorption and organization of ions on charged surfaces. Trivalent ions adopt complex networks, clusters and layers associated with overcharging, whereas divalent ions follow classical predictions.

High-pressure measurements of the electrical conductivity of (Mg,Fe)O, used as an analogue for basal magma ocean material, indicate that the conductivity is high enough to produce a dynamo much stronger than a core-driven dynamo for super-Earths larger than 3–6 Earth masses.

A distinctive population with high hunter-gatherer ancestry persisted 3,000 years later than in most European regions, contributing to later Lower Rhine–Meuse Bell Beaker users.

Application of multiancestry and ensemble-based approaches yields improved polygenic risk prediction models for breast cancer and its subtypes among women of African ancestry.

cellSTAAR advances noncoding rare variant association analysis by integrating single-cell genomics data.