Search

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of mammal teeth associated with stone tools and cut-marked bone dated to between 300,000 and 500,000 years ago reveals that, at the time of the earliest-known hominin presence, the Arabian peninsula was home to productive grasslands similar to modern-day African savannahs.

Vallentgoed et al. integrate clinical and multiomic data from persons with matched initial and recurrent IDH-mutant astrocytomas to identify progression-associated mechanisms and report a DNA methylation-based signature associated with survival.

A picometer-scale optical ruler is proposed based on precise location of a vanishingly small transverse optical phase singularity. This ruler is capable of measuring three-dimensional picometric displacements within optical interferometric systems.

Genome analysis of the pico-eukaryotic marine green alga Prasinoderma coloniale CCMP 1413 unveils the existence of a novel phylum within green plants (Viridiplantae), the Prasinodermophyta, which diverged before the split of Chlorophyta and Streptophyta.

Redox signalling is emerging as an important regulator of metabolism and physiology, which is dysregulated in ageing and disease. Here, the authors show that redox regulation of a key redox sensitive cysteine in Atg4a induces autophagy in vivo and extends lifespan in female Drosophila.

Tissue-resident macrophages (TRM) are important mediators of local immunity. Here the authors show that the deficiency or inhibition of a kinase, WNK1, unlinks macrophage colony-stimulating factor signaling and resulted macropinocytosis with the downstream, potentially IRF8-mediated genetic program to bias progenitor differentiation to neutrophil instead of TRM.

Mondal et al. report that autophagy inhibition promotes p63 activation and metastasis in breast cancer. This process depends on NBR1, which forms cytoplasmic p62/SQSTM1 condensates that sequester the ITCH ubiquitin ligase and prevents p63 degradation.

Peng and colleagues present SpatialTopic, a scalable computational method that decodes spatial tissue structure from large-scale multiplexed images, thereby enabling rapid, integrative analysis of millions of cells across multiple tissue slides.

Vaccination provides protection from COVID-19, but optimization in design and route is an ever-ongoing process. Here the authors pursue an open-label, multi-arm phase I clinical trial to report the safety of a multi-valent, aerosol vaccine administered via inhalation, as well as superior mucosal immunity induced by ChAd over HuAd vectors.

Divergent responses of female and male endothelial cells and fibroblasts to estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in 2D and 3D culture assays highlight the need for sex-specific human cell culture methods.

TRPML2, a lysosomal TRP channel, regulates endolysosomal integrity and chemokine secretion. This work reports the cryo-EM structures of TRPML2 in multiple states bound to modulators revealing its diverse regulatory mechanisms among ion channels.

Multimodal results (iEEG, fMRI and MEG) of predictions from integrated information theory and global neuronal workspace theory align with some predictions of both theories on visual consciousness, but also critically challenge key tenets of both theories.

Literature produced inconsistent findings regarding the links between extreme weather events and climate policy support across regions, populations and events. This global study offers a holistic assessment of these relationships and highlights the role of subjective attribution.

Here, the authors identify a small molecule degrader (XL44) for hRpn13 and solve the XL44-hRpn13 structure. XL44 induces apoptosis in myeloma cells with hRpn13 dependency and also targets KEN box proteins PCLAF and RRM2. Loss of hRpn13 and PCLAF abrogates XL44 restriction of cell viability.

Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. Here, the authors find that dominant tree species are taller and have softer wood compared to rare species and that these trait differences are more strongly associated with temperature than water availability.

Single-cell comparison of developing bat and mouse limbs reveals conservation of cell populations and gene expression patterns, and suggests repurposing of genes involved in proximal limb development for wing evolution.

Virus-host competition drives evolution of diverse antiviral defences in bacteria and antidefense systems in their viruses (phages). Here, Silas et al. use a functional screen of phage accessory genes to show how bacterial cell-surface sugars can be major determinants of phage host-range, and how some phage proteins injected into bacterial cells inhibit host immunity.

The mid-Holocene has seen a number of climate shifts, which have been associated with societal changes. Here, the authors investigate in a centuries long megadrought in Southeast Asia during the mid-Holocene, possibly caused by the end of the Green Sahara period.

Lymphostatin is a large protein required for Escherichia coli virulence. Here, Griessmann et al. use electron cryo-microscopy to describe the structure of lymphostatin determined at different pH values, showing three conformations, six distinct domains, and long inter-domain linkers that occlude the catalytic sites of the N-terminal glycosyltransferase and protease domains.

The Authors demonstrate imaging of separation and formation of chemical bonds during an elimination reaction by means of intense femtosecond X-rays pulses.

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.

Cocaine chemogenetics in rats is a selective approach for countering drug reinforcement by clamping dopamine release in the presence of cocaine.

High-resolution data are crucial for accurate structural modeling. Here, authors enhance MicroED data quality using energy filtering, achieving sub-atomic resolution protein data and uncovering diffuse scattering, offering detailed insights into protein structure and function.

This study highlights a unique drug target for trypanosomatid parasitic protozoa and a new chemical tool for investigating the function of their divergent kinetochores.

A large-scale mouse study reveals that while existing epigenomic data detect many developmental enhancers, a substantial fraction is missed - highlighting the need for expanded resources to fully annotate enhancers genome-wide.

The benefits and risks of nature to human health have been studied, however, robust empirical research on forest biodiversity and health outcomes is still lacking. Here the authors use a unique dataset from 164 European forest stands to explore the associations between forest types and well-being.

Unlike cortical progenitors, ventral telencephalic progenitors retain the ability to generate diverse neuron types during neurogenesis. Here, the authors show that ventral telencephalic progenitor maturation is gated by developmental timing, revealing a distinct regulatory logic underlying the development of inhibitory neurons.

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.

Certain RIFINs from Plasmodium falciparum can bind to both inhibitory (KIR2DL1) and activating (KIR2DS1) immune receptors on natural killer cells, demonstrating the potential role of activating killer immunoglobulin-like receptors in targeting pathogens and controlling malaria infection.

Klebanoff and colleagues report that survival and persistence of CAR-T and CAR-NK cells are regulated by a FAS ligand–FAS autoregulatory circuit, showing that disabling FAS signaling enhances their antitumor efficacy in preclinical models.

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.

The primary entry route of vanilloid ligands to the vanilloid-binding site in transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is found to be a distinct and targetable hydrophobic pathway at the TRPV1–cell membrane interface rather than through direct membrane penetration.

CellSpectra identifies functionally relevant changes in cellular pathways when analyzing single samples in comparison to a reference atlas, here applied to rodent models and patient samples of kidney disease.

Preventing axon breakdown is key to treating neurodegeneration. Here, the authors show that after axotomy, DLK kinase drives apoptotic mitochondrial fission in axons. Blocking this reduces axon degeneration and neuron death in both human and mouse models.

A combination of light-emitting semiconductors and photochromic molecules enables the fabrication of optically switchable organic light-emitting transistors with tunable current and luminance.

DNA methylation in mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) is restricted to transposable elements, but how this unique DNA methylome is established is poorly understood. Here, the authors identify UHRF2 as a factor required for the selective DNA methylation at transposable elements in PGCs.

Citizen science taps the efforts of non-experts. Here, authors describe Drugit, an extension of the crowdsourcing game Foldit, and its use in designing a non-peptide binder of Von Hippel Lindau E3 ligase for use with proteolysis targeting chimeras.

DREDge is a software tool for motion correction of high-density electrophysiology recordings. It can handle action potential or local field potential data and is demonstrated on a variety of acute or chronic recordings from humans, nonhuman primates and mice.

The characterization of 4,645 whole-genome and 19,184 exome sequences, covering most types of cancer, identifies 81 single-base substitution, doublet-base substitution and small-insertion-and-deletion mutational signatures, providing a systematic overview of the mutational processes that contribute to cancer development.

Resting T cells are difficult to manipulate, and are a reservoir for latent HIV. Here, the authors develop a lipid nanoparticle formulation with the ability to transfect resting primary human T cells, enabling delivery of mRNAs that result in reactivation of latent HIV. This could help development of HIV cure strategies.

Non-syndromic orofacial cleft is a relatively common congenital anomaly. Many non-coding genetic variants are associated with this disorder but only a subset is functional. Here the authors use reporter assays and stem cells to reveal members of this subset.

Integrated single-cell transcriptomic and genetic characterization of 121 adult glioblastomas identifies heterogeneity at cell type, cell state and baseline expression program levels associated with specific mutations that form three stereotypical ecosystems.

Sensitive diagnostics are needed to detect carcinogenic human liver fluke infections. Sadaow et al. here use an immunomics approach to develop field-deployable tests for diagnosing liver fluke infection and its associated liver cancer.

In somatic cells the mechanisms maintaining the chromosome ends are normally inactivated; however, cancer cells can re-activate these pathways to support continuous growth. Here, the authors characterize the telomeric landscapes across tumour types and identify genomic alterations associated with different telomere maintenance mechanisms.

Strong transgene suppression has been observed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here, the authors identify a sirtuin-type histone deacetylase that selectively acts on transgenic DNA to repress gene expression by assembling a repressive chromatin structure composed of deacetylated histones.

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.

Here, the authors show the emergence of valley-polarized Floquet-Bloch states in 2H-WSe₂ upon below-band-gap driving using circularly polarized light.