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Studies in zebra finches show that dopamine has a key role as a reinforcement signal in the trial-and-error process of learning that underlies complex natural behaviours.

Wastewater surveillance for disease outbreaks currently requires lab testing which causes delays. Here, authors develop ultra-sensitive quantum sensors enabling 2-hour near-source pathogen detection from raw wastewater with high sensitivity and specificity, creating a portable “lab-in-a-suitcase” system.

Science advances as one theory builds on another: Miller didn't just update Löb's work.

Bacterial antigens, such as lipopolysaccharides, are complex structures which remain difficult to synthesise or purify for antibody generation. Here, authors present a platform technology using Citrobacter rodentium - an enteric mouse pathogen - to both produce and present complex antigens for antibody generation.

Here, authors provide a molecular view of a clustered saccharide patch on mucins as recognized by a bacterial binding module. This work provides insights into how microbes can remain attached to mucins in the mucus while grazing on their glycans.

A post-translational backbone extension acyl rearrangement (BEAR) reaction has now been developed that converts a ribosomal protein product into a new product containing a β-peptide, γ-peptide or δ-peptide backbone. BEAR reactions represent a general strategy to install extended backbones into genetically encoded proteins and peptides expressed in cells.

A randomized, controlled phase 1b trial evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics and impact on viral kinetics of budigalimab, a PD-1 inhibitor, during analytical treatment interruption for HIV and found that it was well tolerated and resulted in delayed rebound in a subset of participants in an exploratory efficacy analysis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease in women where TSC2 deficient mTOR signalling aberrant LAM cells and fibroblasts form nodules causing lung cysts and respiratory failure. Here the authors examine how mTOR dependent IL-6 causes senescence in alveolar type 2 cells which may result in impaired lung repair.

Weldy et al. show that smooth muscle expression of the RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 regulates activation of the double-stranded RNA sensor MDA5 in a novel mechanism of atherosclerosis.

Over 20 species of geographically and phylogenetically diverse bird species produce convergent whining vocalizations towards their respective brood parasites. Model presentation and playback experiments across multiple continents suggest that these learned calls provoke an innate response even among allopatric species.

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.

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.

People living in rural areas of the United States have poorer outcomes from acute COVID-19. Here, the authors show that higher mortality rates among rural dwellers persist for up to two years after the initial infection, even after accounting for baseline risk factors.

A gene therapy method using AAV can help deliver HIV-fighting antibodies long-term, but the body often rejects them. Here the authors show that a short course of the drug rapamycin helps prevent host anti-drug antibody responses, showing successful antibody delivery in mice and monkeys.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptom measures and clinical diagnoses identify new risk loci, highlight putative effector genes and yield improved polygenic risk scores.

In a prospective study enrolling 1,222 patients from 22 emergency departments, a device using a machine-learning-based signature of blood mRNAs demonstrated clinically acceptable performance to diagnose bacterial and viral infections and to predict the all-cause need for critical care interventions within 7 days, with benchmark to established biomarkers and risk scores.

Expanding the complexity of genetically encoded peptides is a long-standing challenge at the intersection of chemistry and biology. Now it has been shown that linear peptides with a reactive N-terminal β- or γ-keto amide can be synthesized ribosomally and elaborated to generate atropisomeric and/or macrocyclic peptides with embedded pharmacophores.

The authors report a computational framework for determining the meiotic/mitotic origin of nondisjunction (NDJ) in trisomies without parental data. Applying this to Down syndrome, they uncover links between NDJ error stage and leukemia genomics.

The observation of the transition from hcp H₂ to a post-hcp structure with a six-fold larger supercell at pressures above 212 GPa is reported, indicating the trend of H₂ polymerization through molecular association.

Head motion is an artifact in structural and functional MRI signals, and some traits or groups are more strongly correlated with motion than others. Here the authors describe a method to attribute a motion impact score to specific trait-functional connectivity relationships.

Recently, the increased capabilities in generating pulsed optical fields that are rigidly transported in linear media without diffraction or dispersion has opened the path to realisation of 3D optical skyrmionic structures. Here, the authors demonstrate 3D-localized optical merons by imprinting polarization textures onto the momentum-energy space of ultrafast light pulses.

Cell state plasticity of neuroblastoma cells is linked to therapy resistance. Here, the authors develop a transcriptomic and epigenetic map of indisulam (RBM39 degrader) resistant neuroblastoma, demonstrating bidirectional cell state switching accompanied by increased NK cell activity, which they therapeutically enhance by the addition of an anti-GD2 antibody.

Several computational tools have now been developed to identify copy number variations (CNVs) from scRNA-seq data. Here authors benchmark these methods, showing that performance is affected by dataset quality, CNV type and reference dataset, with methods including allelic information being more robust in large datasets.

Zip promotes the accumulation of free phages in bacterial lysogen communities, safeguarding phage progeny.

Natural products and their synthesis have always fascinated organic chemists, frequently providing the inspiration and testing ground for new synthetic methods. This Review considers examples of natural products that were prepared first synthetically and predicted to be natural products prior to their isolation from nature.

In the proof-of-concept phase 2 ROME trial, comprehensive genomic profiling followed by molecular tumor board evaluation and randomization of patients with metastatic solid cancer to receive personalized therapy or standard of care led to a significantly higher objective response rate and longer progression-free survival in patients who received personalized therapy.

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.

The social exposome—lifelong social and economic adversity—can shape brain health and dementia risk. Here, the authors show that an adverse social exposome is linked to poorer clinical, cognitive, and brain changes in Latin American older adults.

Pressure overload in the heart, such as from aortic stenosis, triggers early molecular changes before visible damage occurs. Here, the authors show that combining proteomics, transcriptomics, and genetic data reveals key drivers of heart failure, highlighting potential targets for treatment.

This study presents a splice-based selection method that enriches actively editing cells in base editing screening at target loci, reducing the number of unedited cells from over 40% to less than 10%.

Polygenic scores for body mass index and obesity constructed using data from 5 million people with different ancestries were associated with distinct weight gain trajectories from early childhood to adulthood.

This Comment calls on scientists to acknowledge how insufficient communication and limited engagement beyond academia have deepened the divide between science and the public. Restoring trust requires a paradigm shift in which scientists accept that the responsibility to champion science lies with us. We propose a new model in which public communication and advocacy are considered as essential to our mission as rigor and reproducibility — critical not only for safeguarding science, but also for ensuring that its benefits reach all segments of the societies we serve.