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Polymer thin films that emit and absorb circularly polarised light are promising in achieving important technological advances, but the origin of the large chiroptical effects in such films has remained elusive. Here the authors demonstrate that in non-aligned polymer thin films, large chiroptical effects are caused by magneto-electric coupling, not structural chirality as previously assumed.

The Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, has long been regarded as a textbook result of fractional crystallization from a melt-dominated magma chamber. Here, the authors find that the Rustenburg Layered Suite can be derived from crustal assimilation by komatiitic magma to form magmatic mushes without requiring the existence of a magma chamber by using thermodynamic models.

Mechanisms for generating spin-polarized currents may be helpful for applications. Now one such mechanism that uses the unusual Landau-level spectrum of WSe₂ under a strong magnetic field is demonstrated.

BamA is the catalytic core of the BAM complex, which inserts proteins into bacterial outer membranes. Here, the authors show that hinge flexibility between BamA’s β-barrel and POTRA domains is vital, demonstrating how evolution has fine-tuned the BamA sequence and structure for function.

Xu et al. report a Pockels photonic memory by integrating ferroelectric field-effect transistor with lithium niobate on insulator micro ring resonator. Through the manipulation of ferroelectric domains and the Pockels effect, the device achieves energy consumption at fJ/state level.

Analysis of dendrite initiation, owing to filling of pores with lithium by means of microcracks, and propagation, caused by wedge opening, shows that there are two separate processes during dendrite failure of lithium metal solid-state batteries.

An optical detection and analysis platform quantifies aggregate density, distribution and size in fluorescently labelled post-mortem human brain tissue.

The granulin/epithelin protein motif has an unusual structure consisting of a parallel stack of β-hairpins stapled together by six disulphide bonds. The new structure also contains a folding subdomain shared by small toxins, protease inhibitors as well as the EGF-like protein modules.

High plating currents are achieved in solid-state batteries without dendrites by densifying Li₆PS₅Cl, with modelling showing how specific microstructural changes increase the critical current density.

Researchers use a chimeric approach to reveal the first near-atomic resolution structures the yellow fever virion, showing key differences between vaccine and virulent strains that affect how antibodies recognise and neutralise the virus.

The origins of Silverpit Crater have remained controversial since its discovery >20 years ago. This paper presents evidence for an extraterrestrial impact origin, including 3D seismic, computer simulations and ‘shocked’ minerals near the crater.

Dense calcium imaging combined with co-registered high-resolution electron microscopy reconstruction of the brain of the same mouse provide a functional connectomics map of tens of thousands of neurons of a region of the primary cortex and higher visual areas.

Although ice plays a crucial role in shaping our ecosphere, its microstructures formed by freezing water remain unclear. Here, the authors employ cryogenic liquid-cell TEM to gain atomic-level insights into ice defects frozen from liquid water.

Bacterial Type I polyketide synthases are responsible for producing both lifesaving medicines and virulence factors, yet their stepwise mechanism remains elusive. Here, Burkart et al. characterize acyl carrier protein bound states of mycocerosic acid synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis through crosslinking and cryo-EM.

Researchers created a periodically poled van der Waals semiconductor (3R-MoS₂) and achieved a macroscopic frequency conversion efficiency of 0.03% over a thickness of 3.4 μm. The quasi-phase-matched second harmonic signal surpasses the usual quadratic enhancement by 50% and broadband generation of photon pairs at telecom wavelength is demonstrated with a coincidence-to-accidental ratio of 638 ± 75.

A proteotoxic stress response specific to exhausted T cells, governed by AKT signaling and accompanied by increased protein translation, represents a mechanistic vulnerability and a new therapeutic target to improve cancer immunotherapies.

Wafer-scale realization of a nanoscale magnetic tunnel junction hosting a single, ambient skyrmion enables its large readout, efficient switching, and compatibility with lateral manipulation, and thereby provides the backbone for all-electrical skyrmionic device architectures.

Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus encodes ORF74, a GPCR driving oncogenesis through high basal signaling. Here, authors present cryoEM structures of both inactive and active states, revealing the structural basis for its ligand promiscuity and spontaneous activation.

Translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) is driven by MiT family gene fusions. Here, the authors demonstrate that RNA-binding features of TFE3 fusions facilitate condensate formation, promoting transcriptional hub assembly and oncogenic gene activation.

Self-organized criticality can occur in cellular systems, but its origins remain unclear. Now it is shown that cytoskeletal criticality is influenced by the F-actin architecture and myosin active stress.

Using a cryogenic 300-mm wafer prober, a new approach for the testing of hundreds of industry-manufactured spin qubit devices at 1.6 K provides high-volume data on performance, allowing optimization of the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible fabrication process.

Cryo-electron microscopy was used to study human mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activation on lysosomal membranes, showing progressive recruitment by RAG–Ragulator, RHEB and RAPTOR, culminating in mTOR–membrane engagement and full enzyme activation.

High-mass-loading electrodes are essential for high-energy all-solid-state batteries but suffer from poor kinetics. Here, authors use neutron imaging to identify ion-transport limitations and introduce a gradient solid electrolyte design that improves battery mass-loading and rate performance.

Phenotype variation is higher in mutants than wild types. Examining a range of mutant severities, this study unexpectedly found that variation decreases in severe conditions. A quadratic trend best fits the relationship between severity and variation.

Volume EM provides connectomic data but lacks necessary molecular information. Here, authors show fluorescent scFvs enable multiplexed immunolabeling and correlated light and electron microscopy, suggesting potential for molecularly annotated connectomic data.

The GluA3 homomer substantially diverges from other AMPA-type glutamate receptors.

Salinity reconstructions show that Indian Ocean surface salinity increased during glacial periods and that the release of this water via the Agulhas Leakage during deglaciation can trigger abrupt changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

Perineural invasion and cancer-induced nerve injury of tumour-associated nerves are associated with poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy, which can be reversed by combining anti-PD-1 therapy with anti-inflammatory interventions.

Structural studies of tyrocidine synthetase using site-selective crosslinking probes to link condensation domains with carrier protein substrates define key interactions and molecular mechanisms of non-ribosomal protein synthesis.

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as forever chemicals, in intracellular aggregates. Colonization of gnotobiotic mice with bioaccumulating bacteria increases faecal PFAS excretion.

Understanding synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease has been hampered by a lack of human model systems. Here, the authors show that manipulation of physiological or pathological Aβ has differing effects on synapses in live human brain slice cultures.

Multiangle projection imaging accelerates volumetric imaging by up to two orders of magnitude and is readily implemented on diverse microscopes, including spinning disk confocal and light-sheet microscopes.

There is a limited endogenous subventricular zone (SVZ)-derived neurogenic response for brain repair. Here, the authors report that cortical stroke-evoked environmental changes in the SVZ alter microglia-neural stem/precursor cells cross-communication, limiting the neurogenic repair response.

Polaritons are confined hybrid light-matter excitations holding potential for optoelectronic and sensing applications, but their characterization is usually limited to optical spectroscopy. Here, the authors report the electrical spectroscopy of mid-infrared plasmon-phonon polaritons in Au/hBN/graphene nanoresonators, showing high lateral confinement and quality factors.

Here the authors develop a pipeline combining atomic force microscopy and deep learning to trace and quantify the structure of complex DNA molecules like replication intermediates and recombination products. Furthermore, they characterise surface deposition effects using simulations.

Here the authors show that Plasmodium falciparum egress products disrupt endothelial barrier and activate JAK-STAT and interferon type response in a 3D blood-brain barrier model. Vascular disruption is reversed by Ruxolitinib, a JAK-STAT inhibitor.

Indium tin oxide, the predominant material used as transparent electrodes in organic LEDs, is expensive and brittle. Ning Li and colleagues form transparent electrodes using single-layer graphene to construct organic LEDs with unprecedented performance that are suitable for both displays and lighting.

Organic semiconductors provide a platform for flexible lasers, but these are still produced on rigid, thick substrates. Here, Karl et al. develop a method to make freestanding membrane lasers that can be transferred onto any substrate and show that these could be used as anti-counterfeiting labels.

The connection between the molecular and physical control of embryonic tissues remains unclear. Here, the authors connect genetic mutations to changes in the physical state of posterior tissues during axis elongation, revealing a key role for dorsal tissues.

The Li lab mapped molecularly distinct Purkinje cell (PC) subtypes in 3D and linked them to adult cerebellar architecture. They found that Foxp1/Foxp2 are essential for PC diversity and that Foxp1⁺ PCs are required for the formation of the cerebellar hemisphere.

How axolotl salamanders know what portion of the limb to regenerate remains a mystery. In this article, the authors show that precise retinoic acid degradation is critical for instructing regeneration of the appropriate limb segment.

The cryo-EM structure of phage φTE is presented, revealing a distinct neck topology, tail sheath baseplate organization and oligomeric state of the tape measure protein. These features suggest a mechanism linking base plate conformational changes to sheath contraction and genome ejection.

Reconstruction of neuronal morphology imaged by brightfield microscopy remains a challenge. Here, authors show gene expression correlates of laminar innervation on transcriptomically defined cortical populations by developing a method for automation.

The reliable assembly of two-dimensional materials into van der Waals heterostructures is a critical step towards nanoscale electronic integration. Here the authors present a technique for batch fabrication of graphene/boron nitride stacks with clean interfaces and high-yield.

The structure-function relationships of a β-helix, a folding motif formed by parallel β-strands arranged in a helical repetitive pattern, remain poorly understood and underexploited. Here, the authors reconstitute a protein β-helix by design from an elementary sequence of 18 amino acids, which self-assembles into a self-contained multifunctional motif exhibiting a range of biological functions.

A monolayer of tungsten oxyselenide, created by oxidizing a layer of tungsten diselenide, can be used to efficiently dope graphene, leading to a room-temperature mobility of 2,000 cm² V^–1 s^–1 at a hole density of 3 × 10¹³ cm^–2.

Increasing the supply of growth machinery to axons is a potential strategy for promoting repair after injury. Here the authors demonstrate that the endoplasmic reticulum adaptor molecule Protrudin provides cellular components that support axonal regeneration in the adult CNS.

Direct imaging and characterization of propagating plasmons in high-quality graphene, encapsulated between two films of hexagonal boron nitride, has now been achieved together with the observation of very low plasmon damping.