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The challenge of transforming organized DNA structures into their metallized counterparts persists in the scientific field. Herein, the authors report the solution structure of a silver-metallized DNA duplex containing 7-deazapurines, demonstrating a methodology to create Ag-DNA systems with silver-modified Watson-Crick base pairs that retain their original organization.

tRNAs contain many chemical modifications that regulate their function. Integrating smFRET and cryo-EM approaches, this work demonstrates that m¹G37 in tRNA^ProL stabilizes its conformation in the ribosomal P site in a manner that suppresses mRNA frameshifting and ensures translation fidelity.

Cytosine modifications within genomic DNA can serve as important epigenetic markers, but sequencing them at single-base resolution requires chemical modification-selective C-to-T code conversion with potential complex analysis. Now an unnatural base pair enables the sequencing of an epigenetic modification—5-formylcytosine—at single-base resolution within a Sanger sequencing format.

dG•dT and rG•rU ‘wobble’ mispairs in DNA and RNA transiently form base pairs with Watson–Crick geometry via tautomerization and ionization with probabilities that correlate with misincorporation probabilities during replication and translation.

Neural mechanisms underlying flexible learning and decision-making are not fully understood. Using single-cell calcium imaging, authors here found that neurons in orbitofrontal and secondary motor cortex exhibit complementary roles in reward learning, with neurons in the former exerting a sustained role in conditions of uncertainty.

A geological, petrographic and geochemical survey of distinctive mudstone and conglomerate outcrops of the Bright Angel formation on Mars reveals textures, chemical and mineral characteristics, and organic signatures that warrant consideration as potential biosignatures.

Pol ι forms Hoogsteen base pairs with the incoming nucleotide. Here, the authors use time-lapse X-ray crystallography to show that Hoogsten base pairing is maintained within the pol ι active site throughout the nucleotide incorporation reaction.

Reliable measuring the voltage dynamics of individual neurons in the intact brain is significantly challenging. Here authors developed an all-optical method combining two-photon voltage imaging and optogenetics to measure and induce synaptic plasticity in vivo, revealing LTP of inhibition in cerebellar circuits and providing a blueprint to link synaptic changes to learning.

The Perseverance rover has made the most definitive identification of Fe-phosphate minerals on Mars to date. High-resolution chemical and textural PIXL analyses suggest they originally formed after vivianite in a potentially habitable environment.

Replicative errors contribute to genetic diversity needed for evolution but in high frequency lead to genomic stability. Here, NMR is used to show via a kinetic model that DNA dynamics can determine the misincorporation of A•G and A•8OG mismatches.

A high-throughput assay that introduces mismatched base pairs into the DNA sequence shows that mismatches can increase transcription factor binding affinity by prepaying some of the energetic cost of distorting the DNA.

Alterations in DNA methylation patterns are known as predictors of cancer diagnosis. Here, the authors develop a method to analyze both symmetric- and hemi-methylated regions in plasma cell free DNA and show its utility in detecting both liver and brain cancer.

The Perseverance rover detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons preserved within sulfates in the fan and floor of Jezero crater on Mars, offering new insights into past habitability and the preservation of organic matter on Mars.

The results of the Fifth RNA-Puzzles contest highlights advances in RNA three-dimensional structure prediction and uncovers new insights into RNA folding and structure.

m⁶A RNA post-transcriptional modification changes RNA hybridization kinetics. Here the authors show that the methylamino group can adopt syn-conformation pairing with uridine with a mismatch-like conformation in RNA duplex. They also develop a quantitative model that predicts how m6A affects the kinetics of hybridization.

Crystal structures of the ribozyme SAMURI reveal the alkyltransferase mechanism and show N³-modified adenosine and dealkylated cofactor in the active site, allowing for a comparison with riboswitches that bind S-adenosylmethionine but do not catalyze methyl transfer.

Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

DNA2 suppresses recombination-restarted replication and checkpoint activation at stalled forks, and its loss triggers recombination-dependent synthesis, checkpoint signalling and cell-cycle exit, highlighting its essential role in proliferation and growth failure in primordial dwarfism.

Topoisomerase 2 (Top2) is known to resolve DNA topological stress through double strand breaks (DSBs), yet Top2 inhibition has been reported to result in a significant amount of single-strand breaks (SSBs). Here the authors develop CC-seq—a method that allows direct mapping of both Top2-linked SSBs and DSBs—and reveal a significant impact of primary DNA sequence on Top2 directed cleavage.

DNA is found in a dynamic equilibrium between standard Watson-Crick (WC) base pairs and non-standard Hoogsteen (HG) base pairs. Here the authors describe the influence of echinomycin and actinomycin D ligands binding on the HG-WC base pair dynamics in DNA.

The Strand-seq method independently sequences each parental strand of template DNA from single proliferating cells. It can be used to detect sister chromatid exchange and other chromosomal abnormalities at high resolution and to correct contig misorientations in genome assemblies, with potential for strand-inheritance and haplotyping studies.

Using RFdiffusion, a general method for targeting intrinsically disordered proteins and regions for protein design has been developed.

The authors present the crystal structure of the MTR1 ribozyme that transfers the methyl group from O⁶-methylguanine to an adenine N1 in the target RNA and propose a catalytic mechanism based upon proximity, orientation and general acid catalysis.

Excited conformation state of biomolecule is transient and high-energy conformation state. Here the authors use NMR spectroscopy and computational modeling to reveal the 3D structure of HIV-1 TAR RNA excited conformational state.

In the randomized phase 1b/2 Morpheus-Melanoma trial evaluating various neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor regimens in patients with resectable stage III melanoma, tobemstomig, an anti-PD-1/anti-LAG-3 bispecific antibody, showed the highest pathologic response rate with a better safety profile than the standard treatment approach of ipilimumab plus nivolumab.

Interactions between qubits and defect-related two-level systems in superconducting qubit devices are a major source of noise fluctuations that hinder error-mitigation performance. Here, the authors experimentally show that modulating this interaction can reduce noise fluctuation and improve error mitigation performance.

Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) use their antennae for orientation during their autumnal migration. Guerra and colleagues differentially disrupt clock gene expression in each antenna and find that the individual outputs are integrated and processed to allow precise control of orientation behaviour.

Several persistent challenges limit the efficacy and applicability of adoptive T cell therapies for cancer, including suboptimal function and/or persistence in vivo, a narrow range of targetable antigens and complex manufacturing processes. This Review discusses the potential of ‘CRISPR 2.0’ precision gene-editing platforms, such as base editing and prime editing to address all of these challenges, and describes the progress made towards clinical translation of these technologies.

The quark structure of the f₀(980) hadron is still unknown after 50 years of its discovery. Here, the CMS Collaboration reports a measurement of the elliptic flow of the f₀(980) state in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV, providing strong evidence that the state is an ordinary meson.

As renewable energy grows, fossil fuel power plants often operate inefficiently, raising emissions. This study shows that while wind and solar lower CO₂ overall, poor thermal plant performance under variable demand can offset some of the benefits.

Authors measure plasma proteins in a cohort of hospitalised patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected infection, revealing six discrete host response clusters that were driven by pathogen exposure and organ dysfunction, and had distinct clinical characteristics, hospital courses, and responses to treatment.