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We present near complete cryo-EM structures of the dark and light-activated states of a bacterial phytochrome kinase to reveal how these photoreceptors translate light absorption into conformational changes that impact transmitter kinase cascades.

This protocol describes how to assemble a 4Pi single-molecule switching super-resolution microscope. Detailed instructions for beam-path alignment, testing, application to cellular samples and troubleshooting are provided.

Center-surround receptive fields are typically considered to mediate edge detection. Here, by studying retinal bipolar cells responding to flashed and moving stimuli, the authors reveal an additional function: enhanced representation of newly appearing visual items.

Perylene diimide-bithiophene macrocycles are electroactive and shape-persistent hosts. Here, the authors describe their self-assembly into a cellular organic semiconducting film whose voids are electrically sensitive to different guests, and which can function as the active layer in a field-effect transistor device.

The efficiency of perovskite solar cells is limited by the performance of the hole-transport material, which extracts charges from the active layer. Here, a molecularly engineered hole transporter with performance comparable to spiro-OMeTAD is demonstrated.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) analogs target the cannabinoid receptor CB1 for therapeutic and psychoactive effects. Here, the authors determine spatiotemporal ligand interactions critical for potency, efficacy, off-rates and drug design.

Cryo-electron microscopy has been used to determine the structure of the Tetrahymena ribozyme (a catalytic RNA) at sufficiently high resolution to model side chains and metal ions.

Although UV-induced cross-linking is a widely used method to study RNA-protein complexes, the cross-linking reactions are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that π-stacking interactions between nucleobases and aromatic amino acids play a key role in the cross-linking process.

The Cousa objective is an ultra-long working distance air objective optimized for two- and three-photon imaging. Bypassing challenges caused by water immersion and short working distances, the Cousa enables and improves imaging of diverse specimens.

The mechanism by which ingested material accesses the cytosol for cross-presentation is unclear. Caetano Reis e Sousa and colleagues demonstrate that signaling via the lectin receptor DNGR-1 ruptures the phagosome and releases its contents to the cytosol for cross-presentation.

Roy-Chowdhury et al. report structures of the human leak channel K_2P13.1 that identify a hydrophilic pore restriction and a polyunsaturated-fatty-acid-binding site corresponding to a small-molecule agonist site in the K_2P family.

Slow light effects are interesting for telecommunications and quantum photonics applications. Here, the authors use coupled exciton-surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in a hybrid monolayer WSe₂-metallic waveguide structure to demonstrate a 1300-fold reduction of the SPP group velocity.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells monitor the bone marrow for apoptotic megakaryocytes (MKs) and deliver IFNα to the MK niche, triggering local on-demand proliferation and maturation of MK progenitors.

In time-resolved measurements it is crucial to know the time delay between the exciting and probing light pulses. Here the authors demonstrate a self-referencing common-path interferometer method measuring the arrival time between the X-ray free electron laser and the optical pulse to the target and thus their inherent timing jitter.

A climatic record from desert speleothems shows that the central Arabian interior experienced recurrent humid intervals over the past 8 million years, which likely facilitated mammalian dispersals between Africa and Eurasia.

Manufacturing of perovskite solar cells under ambient conditions is desirable. Meng et al. show that dimethylammonium formate suppresses halide oxidation and deprotonation of organic cations, enabling air-processed inverted solar cells with 24.7% efficiency.

Demyelination is often suggested to cause axonal degeneration. Here, the authors study mice carrying distinct PLP defects and reveal how persistent ensheathment with perturbed myelin poses a risk for CD8 + T cell-driven axon loss and behavioral decline.

A fast, automated, high-resolution, low-cost multiplex immunofluorescence method to understand spatial organization of tissue.

An organic bipolar junction transistor composed of highly crystalline rubrene thin films has a device architecture that could be used in organic electronics with greatly improved high-frequency performance

Genetic disposition can impact response to virus infection. Here, the authors used a reinfection approach with antigenically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants Omicron and Beta and show that differences in the immune response correlate with disease outcome in mouse models with different genetic background upon reinfection.

Chemical reactions at the interface between the perovskite and hole transport layer limit the performance of inverted solar cells. Li et al. insert a p-type antimony-doped tin oxide layer that suppresses the reactions, enabling 24.8% efficiency and 500-h operational stability.

Estimates for sea level three million years ago, a period with similar atmospheric CO₂ levels to today, vary from 10 to 40 m above present. Glacial isostatic adjustment modelling suggests that variations in the height of palaeoshorelines result from the residual adjustment of continental flexure following recent glaciations.

Crystals are typically thought to be brittle and fragile materials, but needles of copper(II) acetylacetonate have now been shown to be flexible enough to be reversibly tied into a knot. Mechanistic investigations using synchrotron X-ray diffraction determined that the elastic bending occurs through rotation of the molecules within the crystal lattice.

A system employing liquid-handling robotics and an integrated mobile microscope enables the automated culture, sample collection and in situ microscopy imaging of up to ten fluidically coupled organ chips within a standard tissue-culture incubator.

Exposure of mice to high fructose during gestation or early postnatal life causes decreased microglial phagocytosis during brain development and leads to anxiety-like behaviour in adolescence.

Systemic ATTR amyloidosis causes the abnormal accumulation of ATTR fibrils formed from the human plasma protein transthyretin (TTR) in multiple organs including the eye. Here, the authors present a 3.2 Å cryo-EM structure of an ATTR fibril isolated from the vitreous body of an ATTR patient’s eye and discuss the mechanism for the structural conversion of TTR into a fibrillar form.

Optical observations of Dimorphos, a satellite of the asteroid 65803 Didymos, before, during and after the impact of the DART spacecraft, from a network of citizen science telescopes across the world are reported.

C. elegans aggregate in large clumps during feeding. Here, the authors find conserved autism-associated genes mediate distinct molecular and circuit signaling components that tune C. elegans feeding behavior from solitary to social feeding.

Using a newly developed spatiotemporal phylogeographic path analysis method combined with phylogenetic niche modelling, the authors estimate clade-wide dispersal maps spanning the early Permian to end-Triassic periods for archosauromorph reptiles.

The combination of a direct electron-detection camera that can count individual electrons and an algorithm for correcting for beam-induced motion in cryo-EM will facilitate determination of three-dimensional structures of smaller, lower-symmetry macromolecular complexes to higher resolution than previously possible.

Actin condenses at the lamellipodium of migrating cells to form arc-like bundles parallel to the leading edge. During the retraction phase of the edge movement, these arcs are shown to be displaced towards the rear of the lamella, and their movement slows down when they join focal adhesions. Actin arcs thus provide a spatiotemporal connection between the lamellipodium and the lamella.

New infections of the amphibian chytrid fungus could arise from other animal reservoirs in the environment. Here, Liewet al. demonstrate that zebrafish can be infected by chytrid similarly to amphibians, expanding our understanding of how this pathogen can parasitize its hosts.

Cryo-EM analyses of the initial contact of the HIV-1 Env trimer with the CD4 receptor reveal that CD4 interacts with two gp120 protomers; these quaternary contacts are important for viral infectivity.

Changes in Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet size during ice-age cycles enhance the advance and retreat of the grounding line of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, owing to interhemispheric sea-level forcing.

Confocal optical microscopy is used to visualize—at high speed—solid (particle volume changes and phase-front velocities) and liquid electrolyte (concentration polarization gradients) dynamics inside operating batteries.

The ASAP4 family of genetically encoded voltage indicators allows recording of action potentials and subthreshold activity with either one- or two-photon microscopy over extended periods of time.

Three-photon in vivo imaging provides access to medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and spinal cord in mice at up to 1.7 mm depth of neurons, dendrites, spines, astrocytes and microglia.

Using a thin-film outcoupling enhancement method consisting of a weak optical cavity on a flexible substrate with a non-indium-tin-oxide anode, researchers demonstrate phosphorescent organic LEDs with an external quantum efficiency of up to 63% at green wavelengths, which remains as high as 60% at luminous intensities of >10,000 cd m⁻².

The outflow pathway of cerebrospinal fluid into lymph nodes in the neck and how non-invasive mechanical stimulation can enhance drainage and restore impaired outflow in aged mice are explored.

Gouwens et al. established a morpho-electrical taxonomy of cell types for the mouse visual cortex via unsupervised clustering analysis of multiple quantitative features from 1,938 neurons available online at the Allen Cell Types Database.

A newly identified coronavirus isolated from farmed minks can use the receptor ACE2 to infect cells of different mammalian species, including human cells, which has implications for potential zoonotic spillover events.

The mechanisms driving epithelial regeneration in the colon are not well understood. Here, the authors show that IFN-γ, produced by immune cells in response to chemically induced colitis, acts as a central driver of crypt reorganization by inducing apoptosis and extrusion of BMP2-expressing colonocytes.

Andre Berndt and colleagues introduce a machine learning approach to enhance the biophysical characteristics of genetically encoded fluorescent indicators, deriving and testing in vitro new GCaMP mutations that surpass the performance of existing fast GCaMP indicators.

The local electronic structure of interface states between topologically distinct domains is imaged and controlled, allowing visualization of the interplay between strong interactions and non-trivial topology.

Confined photoactivation of photoactivatable mCherry using two-photon illumination with line-scanning temporal focusing in combination with three-dimensional localization algorithms allows three-dimensional super-resolution microscopy of cellular features at <50 nm lateral and <100 nm axial resolution and depths greater than 8 μm.