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An exploratory analysis of the phase 3 ECOSPOR III trial shows that a higher dosage of the oral microbiome therapeutic VOWST led to enhanced pharmacokinetics, increased species engraftment and altered microbiome and metabolite profiles, providing mechanistic insights into how it may prevent Clostridioides difficile infection recurrence.

Druckman et al. document gaps in trust in scientists in the USA. People from groups less represented among scientists (for example, women and those with lower economic status) are less trusting. Increasing the representation of these groups within science increases trust.

Approaches combining genetic association and Perturb-seq data that link genetic variants to functional programs to traits are described.

Comprehensive large-scale studies of multi-national populations identified microbiome species consistently associated with favourable and unfavourable health markers, informing future studies of the human gut microbiome and its association with diet and cardiometabolic conditions.

Whole-genome sequencing data from more than 2,500 cancers of 38 tumour types reveal 16 signatures that can be used to classify somatic structural variants, highlighting the diversity of genomic rearrangements in cancer.

A growing number of compounds are reported to extend lifespan, but it remains unclear whether they reduce mortality across the entire life course or only at specific ages. Here the authors introduce an analytic tool that pinpoints when, for how long, and to what extent presumptive anti-aging treatments alter mortality risk.

A randomized trial provides direct human evidence that the placebo effect can shape humoral immunity, showing that reward-related brain activity correlates with vaccine-induced antibody production and opening new avenues for treating many medical conditions.

Genome assemblies of 100 cultivated and seven semi-wild Gossypium hirsutum accessions provide insights into the evolutionary history of upland cotton and the genetic basis of fiber trait variation.

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.

Amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Better understanding of their biochemistry can inspire new biomarkers and therapeutics. Using multimodal mass spectrometry imaging, this work reveals surprising lipid heterogeneity in plaque microenvironments across the brain.

Analyses of 2,658 whole genomes across 38 types of cancer identify the contribution of non-coding point mutations and structural variants to driving cancer.

In this study the authors consider the structural variants (SVs) present within cancer cases of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. They report hundreds of genes, including known cancer-associated genes for which the nearby presence of a SV breakpoint is associated with altered expression.

There’s an emerging body of evidence to show how biological sex impacts cancer incidence, treatment and underlying biology. Here, using a large pan-cancer dataset, the authors further highlight how sex differences shape the cancer genome.

A redox reaction network, comprising concurrent oxidation and reduction pathways, is described that can drive autonomous unidirectional motion about a C–C bond in a structurally simple synthetic molecular motor based on an achiral biphenyl.

Whole-genome sequencing data for 2,778 cancer samples from 2,658 unique donors across 38 cancer types is used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of cancer, revealing that driver mutations can precede diagnosis by several years to decades.

The authors present SVclone, a computational method for inferring the cancer cell fraction of structural variants from whole-genome sequencing data.

Respiration enhances cerebrospinal fluid flow through mechanical and autonomic pathways. Inhale length and diaphragm motion influence its displacement and net flow, identifying a modifiable, noninvasive mechanism relevant to brain homeostasis.

The factors governing mouse decision-making strategies in changing environments remain unclear. Here the authors use a 4-state input-driven model to show that past stimuli/choices drive switches in bias, while past rewards drive switches in engagement.

The authors show that the CD4 mimetic CJF-III-288 stabilizes HIV-1 Env in an asymmetric “open” State-3 conformation, guiding anti-CoRBS antibodies to boost ADCC against infected cells and delay viral rebound in vivo, underscoring therapeutic promise.

Scaling Si spin qubits relies on the uniform control of qubit-host interactions. This work finds correlations in qubit energy levels across a manufactured device arising from placement of Ge in the quantum well, consistent with atomistic modeling.

Detection of ultracold molecules based on absorption imaging have inherent limitations. Here, the authors demonstrate spatially resolved detection of single ultracold 87Rb133Cs molecules in the bulk, extending recent microscopy developments from ultracold atoms to molecules.

In this study, the authors present an fMRI‑based signature of corticospinal connections, which predicts individual pain sensitivity, generalizes to patient cohorts, and tracks changes after brain stimulation, suggesting a biomarker to guide personalized pain care.

The interaction between single spins and mechanical motion has been demonstrated in solid-state platforms, though limited to low-frequency modes. Here, the authors realize the coupling between an electron spin in a double quantum dot and a high-frequency mechanical mode in a suspended carbon nanotube device.

The common description of strong-field light–matter interaction neglects the quantum-optical nature of the driving field. Now signatures of strong-field photoemission appear in electron energy spectra when driving with non-classical light.

A pan-cancer genomic analysis reports the effects of structural variations on chromatin domains (TADs). Most TAD disruptions do not result in appreciable changes in expression of nearby genes.

Exposure to air pollution poses a substantial risk to health, contributing to high rates of cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. A study now evaluates the health impacts of different PM_2.5 reduction strategies, providing evidence of their effectiveness across different regions and timeframes.

This study uncovers how light polarization governs ultrafast charge transfer between gold and gallium nitride (GaN), revealing a low-loss, nonthermal electron pathway that could advance solar energy conversion and optoelectronic technologies.

Variants in the PSMC5 gene impair proteasome function and cellular homeostasis, altering brain development in children. This study reveals underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to this neurodevelopmental phenotype, and suggests therapeutic leads for neurodevelopmental proteasomopathies.

The authors of this study map the human E3 ubiquitin ligome using a metric learning approach, revealing a unified classification framework that explains preserved patterns and functional segregation of E3 families, linking enzymes to substrates and drug interactions, and guiding strategies for targeted therapies.

Barcoding microbial ribosomal RNA creates a recording of gene transfer events without requiring translation.

Here, by integrating faecal metabolomics, metagenomics, and habitual dietary data of two large human cohorts, the authors show that faecal metabolites reflect diet and gut microbiome interactions, predict dietary patterns, and indicate cardiovascular risk, offering insights for diet-based health interventions.

Light represses biofilm formation and production of virulence factors in the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, Manias et al. identify a periplasmic microprotein that regulates this process by activating the degradation of a component of the light-sensing pathway.

Here the authors provide an explanation for 95% of examined predicted loss of function variants found in disease-associated haploinsufficient genes in the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD), underscoring the power of the presented analysis to minimize false assignments of disease risk.

Amorphous phases in alkali-activated slag cement are explored using spatially resolved synchrotron X-ray techniques. Local atomic structures of individual phases show the impact of magnesium content on resistance to CO₂-induced degradation.

An analysis of 2,954 genomes from 38 cancer subtypes identified 19,166 retrotransposition events in 35% of samples. Aberrant LINE-1 retrotranspositions can lead to the deletion of tumor-suppressor genes as well as the amplification of oncogenes.

Some cancer patients first present with metastases where the location of the primary is unidentified; these are difficult to treat. In this study, using machine learning, the authors develop a method to determine the tissue of origin of a cancer based on whole sequencing data.

iGluSnFR4f and iGluSnFR4s are the latest generation of genetically encoded glutamate sensors. They are advantageous for detecting rapid dynamics and large population activity, respectively, as demonstrated in a variety of applications in the mouse brain.

A study of several longitudinal birth cohorts and cross-sectional cohorts finds only moderate overlap in genetic variants between autism that is diagnosed earlier and that diagnosed later, so they may represent aetiologically different conditions.

Covert attention to a specific location enhances performance. Here, the authors show that anticipating an attentional target selectively alters visual cortex activity, modulating neural responses and spatial tuning via top-down attentional mechanisms.

In this study, the authors assess the global response to the toxic aldehyde glyoxal (GO) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, suggesting that GO controls quorum sensing during infection through a mechanism involving a novel protein, ArqI.

Pl@ntBERT is a language-based AI model that learned the ‘syntax’ of plant assemblages, predicting likely species and inferring habitats by modelling biotic relationships.

Using simultaneous EEG-PET-MRI, this study reveals tightly coupled physiological dynamics during the descent from wakefulness into NREM sleep and identifies network-specific activity underlying sensory arousal in NREM sleep.

Mismatch repair pathway is frequently dysregulated across cancer types, commonly represented by loss of MLH1 or MSH2 gene expression. Here the authors model MLH1 missense mutations from patients to study how cytoplasmic localization of MLH1, promotes resistance to endocrine therapy but predicts response to cell cycle inhibitors in breast cancer.

A comparison of alpha diversity (number of plant species) and dark diversity (species that are currently absent from a site despite being ecologically suitable) demonstrates the negative effects of regional-scale anthropogenic activity on plant diversity.

The authors show that genetic and dietary factors reshape the microbiome and influence gut microbiome–bile acid crosstalk. They also identify potential modulators and offer insights into microbiome–host communication.

A common but untested expectation is that nutrient enrichment causes biotic homogenization. However, a globally standardized nutrient addition experiment in grasslands shows proportionally similar species loss across scales and no biotic homogenization after up to 14 years of treatment.