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Are hiring managers asking too much of job-seeking researchers? A comparison between two job ads, posted 30 years apart, offers some clues.

Papaya is a trioecious species with XX females, XY males, and XY^h hermaphrodites, and the combination of Y and Y^h chromosomes is lethal. Here, the authors identify the degeneration of the YY lethality gene on the Y chromosome as the causal balancing lethal factor that reenforces dioecy and stabilizes balanced sex ratios.

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.

This study detects Chlamydia pneumoniae in human retina and brain, increasing with AD severity. Retinal pathogen load with Aβ₄₂ may predict AD stage. In models, infection drives Aβ deposition and NLRP3 activation, worsening pathology and cognition.

KRAS mutations are keenly associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and represent a potential therapeutic target. Here the authors present the findings from a phase I clinical trial testing pooled KRAS mutant peptides in combination with immune checkpoint blockade in patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Julie Gould explores the tools, roles and techniques that help researchers to reach career goals.

In this article, the authors characterise genetic variation in CARTaGENE, a population-based cohort from Quebec, Canada. This genomic resource enables population and disease genetic studies in a founder population and other under-represented groups.

Experience as a postdoctoral researcher might not fast-track your career outside academia, Julie Gould discovers.

Interactions between long RNA molecules play essential roles in shaping gene regulation. Here, the authors show that low-complexity repeats drive stable contacts between RNAs and present RIME, a deep learning model that improves the prediction of these interactions using sequence information.

Simon Hettrick tells Julie Gould about the role of research software engineers, what they do and how you can become one.

This study provides a comprehensive profile of human fetal midbrain development and its comparison with lab-grown midbrain cultures. These findings demonstrate that midbrain organoids recapitulate fetal developmental stages while capturing essential spatial and molecular characteristics, relevant to dopamine-related disorders.

Retinal prostheses aim to restore sight by stimulating residual retinal cells. Here, the authors develop a photoacoustic stimulation technology using a PDMS and carbon-based flexible film that activates retinal cells with near-infrared laser pulses, ex vivo and in vivo.

Despite high morbidity and mortality, there are currently no approved vaccines for protection against Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus. Here the authors develop a ferritin nanoparticle-based MERS-CoV vaccine that elicits high levels of neutralizing antibodies in mice, non-human primates, and alpacas and prevents infection in an alpaca challenge model.

Kinematic measurements of the Perseus galaxy cluster reveal two drivers of gas motions: a small-scale driver in the inner core associated with black-hole feedback and a large-scale driver in the outer core powered by mergers.

Establishment and maintenance of appropriate cell size is a prerequisite for cells to function efficiently. Here, Kiriakopulos et al. reveal that the lncRNA CISTR-ACT maintains cell size across cell types in humans and mice by regulating cell morphogenesis genes in trans via guidance of the transcription factor FOSL2.

Reanalysis of radiometric data from Cassini indicates that Titan does not contain a subsurface ocean, as strong tidal dissipation observed in its gravity field is not consistent with the presence of a liquid layer.

De novo and inherited dominant variants in genes encoding U4 and U6 small nuclear RNAs are identified in individuals with retinitis pigmentosa. The variants cluster at nucleotide positions distinct from those implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Combining multiomic datasets from adolescent and middle-aged-to-older population cohorts with a purposefully devised analytical framework, we revealed substantial heterogeneity in brain-chronotype-behavior patterns and their complex interactions with everyday life.

This report describes a nanobody targeting glycine receptor mGlyR that inhibits its ability to regulate G protein signaling and produces anti-depressant effects in mice providing an immunotherapy approach to potentially treat depression.

Tubulin mutations cause a group of disorders named tubulinopathies. Here, the authors show that specific variants in the tubulin TUBB impair primary cilia formation, putting forward primary cilia defects as a pathogenic factor in some tubulinopathy cases.

Striatal cholinergic interneurons promote flexible behavior by unknown mechanisms. Here, authors show that spatially heterogeneous acetylcholine signals promote adaptive lose-shift choices in response to unexpected non-reward in a virtual Y-maze.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

One of three back-to-back papers to show that dosage of BACH2 can modulate T cell differentiation and function and how we might apply this to enhance CAR T cell therapies for cancer.

Nonlinear transport effects arising from the quantum metric have been reported in topological magnets at low temperatures. Here, the authors demonstrate a second-harmonic transport response in TbMn₆Sn₆ at room temperature, attributed to the quantum metric and controllable via an applied magnetic field.

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.

UnitMatch tracks neurons in electrophysiological recordings across multiple recording sessions. UnitMatch relies on the spike waveform and allows tracking neurons even when their functional properties change such as during memory formation.

Amiad Pavlov, Heffler, et al. demonstrate that stress transmitted to the cardiomyocyte nucleus by the microtubule cage drives LMNA-associated cardiomyopathy and may represent a promising therapeutic target.

Bacterial ribonucleoprotein bodies are dynamic biomolecular condensates that play roles in RNA metabolism. Here, Ortiz-Rodríguez et al. show that, under stress, these condensates shift from a liquid state to a rigid state and switch their function from mRNA decay to mRNA storage, thus enabling transcript preservation and rapid recovery upon nutrient replenishment.

Using lipid nanoparticle delivery of mRNAs to the liver in aged mice, T cell function and declining immune cues can be restored.

A purpose-built implantable system based on biomimetic epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord reduces the severity of hypotensive complications in people with spinal cord injury and improves quality of life.

Here, the authors find that low Nicastrin protein in the disease Hidradenitis Suppurativa enhances immune sensitivity and may be caused by exposure to plastic-associated compounds.

Improved vaccines and antivirals are needed for many enveloped viruses. Here, the authors identify sulfur-based small molecules that disrupt viral membrane properties, inhibiting fusion and entry, and safely inactivate influenza virus. The resulting inactivated influenza vaccine is protective in mice.

Surgical sterilization alone cannot control global stray and feral domestic cat populations. Here, Godin et al. show that a single-dose injectable female sterilant administered before puberty safely and completely prevents pregnancy after maturity.

The mechanisms generating the head direction cell signal in rats are not fully understood. Here, two distinct types of head direction cells in the lateral mammillary and dorsal tegmental nuclei were identified: one type is angular head velocity independent, while the second type depends on the animal’s angular head velocity.

Caspase 8 protein expression is largely absent in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Here, the authors generate a caspase 8 deletion SCLC mouse model and show that it promotes a neuronal progenitor-like cell state and pre-tumoral immunosuppression triggered by necroptosis that promotes metastasis.

The role of cohesion is vital to our understanding of how sedimentary bedforms evolve. Here, the authors show that microorganisms within the sediment affect cohesion and demonstrate that ripples can take up to one hundred times as long to develop when extracellular polymeric substances are present.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy declines with age in skeletal muscle of humans and mice, leading to muscle dysfunction characterized by impaired calcium homoeostasis and mitochondrial function.

The adhesion of meningococci to endothelial cells relies on type IV pili, which induce the formation of long tubular structures on the host cell membrane. Here, the authors show that the tubular structures accumulate and trap host membrane-associated proteins, which facilitates their interaction with bacterial ligands and the activation of adhesion and signaling receptors.

Here the authors apply machine learning approaches to Alzheimer’s genetics, confirm known associations and suggest novel risk loci. These methods demonstrate predictive power comparable to traditional approaches, while also offering potential new insights beyond standard genetic analyses.

Eosinophils exist as a functionally heterogeneous population. Whether the heterogeneity is driven by cell-intrinsic or extrinsic factors is underexplored. Here, by leveraging single-cell transcriptomic data and epigenomic analysis, the authors propose that local environmental cues define the gene expression program of murine esophageal eosinophils and identify AP-1 family members, including ATF3, as key regulators of gene expression.

Rizzollo et al. show that BDH2 participates in iron distribution between cellular compartments, which sets the threshold for the ferroptosis vulnerability of the melanoma cell phenotypes, ultimately affecting their metastatic capacity

Xu et al. identify REPRODUCTIVE MERISTEM transcription factors that are required for RNA-directed DNA methylation at CLASSY3 target loci in male and female reproductive tissues of Arabidopsis.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

Limited diagnostic capacity for asymptomatic individuals hinders malaria elimination efforts in Africa. Here, the authors present a near point-of-care method based on colorimetric LAMP detection that outperforms expert microscopy and commercial rapid diagnostic tests for Plasmodium detection in asymptomatic and submicroscopic individuals.

Magnetic vortices confined to thin films gyrate with a dynamics determined by the vortex–core polarity, which switches when the gyration is fast enough. Fine-tuning these core-reversal oscillations reveals rich nonlinear behaviour, including commensurate and chaotic states.

Sodium-ion batteries are promising low-cost alternatives to lithium-ion systems yet limited by underperforming anodes. This Review highlights advances and challenges in hard carbon and alloy-based anodes, outlining design strategies to boost capacity, stability and commercial viability of next-generation high-energy sodium-ion batteries.

Auxin-inducible degradation (AID) is a powerful tool for degrading target proteins in live organisms. Here, the authors develop the AID system to provide more precise, quantitative control over single or multiple tissue-specific target proteins.