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Heterolytic hydrogenations are a key reaction class that includes CO₂ reduction to formate and NADH regeneration, yet the mechanism remains unclear. Now it has been shown that this class of thermochemical reactions proceeds through an electrochemical mechanism, with polarization-driven, interfacial hydride transfer as the rate-determining step.

Copper-based organic light-emitting diodes are low-cost alternatives to precious metal-based counterparts. Here, the authors develop copper(I) thermally activated delayed fluorescent emitters with colors spanning from blue to near infrared, and achieve device lifetime close to 3700 h at 1000 cd/m².

Populations of the pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniaeconsist of distinct co-circulating lineages. Here, the authors show lineages are characterized by particular combinations of stable genomic islands, whereas prophage and restriction-modification systems vary over short timescales.

The authors find that highly ordered ferroelectric hybrid perovskite domains exhibit planar chirality that switches sign between adjacent domains, which manifest in a large dichroic ratio for circularly polarized second harmonic generation from the domain walls.

Geometric analysis and constrained optimization algorithms allow for the design of kirigami patterns that can be deployed into any two- or three-dimensional shape.

Osteocytes are the master regulatory cells within the skeleton. Here, the authors map the transcriptome of osteocytes from diverse skeletal sites, ages and between sexes and identify an osteocyte transcriptome signature associated with rare skeletal disorders and common complex skeletal diseases.

The nanoscale measurement of electronic bandgaps is crucial for material characterization, but it is usually performed under cryogenic conditions. Here, the authors report a scanning probe method to determine the electronic bandgap of 2D semiconductors at the nanoscale by monitoring their quantum capacitance under ambient conditions.

The authors sequence the genomes of 552 bacterial isolates sampled across 23 sites of the lungs of a patient with cystic fibrosis, and identify bacterial genes under global and location-specific adaptation.

Nicholas Croucher and colleagues report whole-genome sequencing of 616 asymptomatically carried Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major cause of pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis. They examine the impact of the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PCV7 on pneumococcal population dynamics.

Peptide CSP regulates natural competence in pneumococci and has been proposed as a quorum-sensing signal or a probe for sensing environmental cues. Here, the authors show that CSP levels can indeed act as an indicator of cell density and also incorporate information on environmental factors or cell history.

Magnetized and biohybrid blood hydrogel fibres can be used for magnetically controlled targeted drug delivery into tumours with real-time tracking through X-ray fluoroscopy, as shown for minipigs with intracranial tumours.

A second hit to Brca1 in heterozygous mice leads to accelerated tumor development compared to wild-type mice in which both alleles are simultaneously deleted. This is because of an epigenetic state associated with Brca1 haploinsufficiency that impacts AP-1 and Wnt10a.

Electrochemical upcycling of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is hindered by low current density and challenging glycolic acid separation. By constructing a Lewis acid substrate and employing a cost-effective purification strategy, the authors achieve a scale-up upcycling of waste PET.

Therapy resistant dormant myeloma cells contribute to disease relapse. Here, the authors use intravital microscopy to track the location of these cells and demonstrate that they hone to the endosteal niche within the bone.

Cox and colleagues develop PXS-5505, a first-in-class selective pan-lysyl oxidase inhibitor and show that it reduces chemotherapy-induced desmoplasia and stiffness, thereby improving chemotherapy response and survival in pancreatic cancer models.

Mathematical modelling of 15 years of data from South Africa reveals the spread and vaccine-driven changes in fitness and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a causative agent of meningitis and bacteremia. In a combined pathogen and host GWAS, Lees et al. find that host genetic variation is associated with both susceptibility and severity of pneumococcal meningitis, and specific bacterial genetic variation associated with susceptibility.

The distribution and organisation of matrix molecules in the tumour stroma help shape solid tumour progression. Here they perform temporal proteomic profiling of the matrisome during breast cancer progression and show that collagen XII secreted from CAFs provides a pro-invasive microenvironment.

Accessory loci are shown to have similar frequencies in diverse Streptococcus pneumoniae populations, suggesting negative frequency-dependent selection drives post-vaccination population restructuring.

Controlling proton-coupled electron transfer reactions—an important process for fuel cells—can be challenging. Lipid-modified electrodes are now used to modulate proton transport to a Cu-based catalyst that facilitates oxygen reduction reactions.

Phenotypic screens in organoids and primary cells are scaled up using perturbation pooling.

Single-unit ensemble activity recorded in unilateral human precentral gyrus reveals a wide range of gesture-related signals across both hands, providing an intuitive and diverse set of potential command signals for intracortical BCI use.

Genome-wide association analyses identify 301 new loci influencing bone mineral density and 13 loci influencing fracture risk. Integrative analyses of epigenomic data and mouse knockout phenotypes provide additional insights into osteoporosis pathophysiology.

The spin transport mechanism remains unclear for organic semiconductors. Here, authors investigate the effect of halogen substitution in bay-annulated indigo-based polymers and reveal the distance of substitution site from conjugated center and nitrogen atoms play crucial roles in spin relaxation.

Tumor cell in the peritoneum are often exposed to shear forces generated by ascitic flow during metastasis. Here, the authors show that metastatic cancer stem cells tether more and roll slower than the non-metastatic counterparts, and that sialyl-Lewis^x -P-selectin axis mediates peritoneal metastasis.

David Evans, Brent Richards and colleagues carried out a genome-wide association study in 142,487 individuals from the UK Biobank and identified 153 new loci associated with heel bone mineral density. They also conducted in vivo studies that implicated GPC6 and several other genes in osteoporosis.

The molecular programs that underlie progression in multiple myeloma (MM) are incompletely understood. Here the authors use a mouse model of MM and single-cell RNA-seq to define subclonal expression programs that arise during progression and that inform targeted therapeutic strategies.

The inherent inaccuracy of viral RNA polymerases promotes viral evolution, but the importance of viral genetic diversity during infection is unclear. Here, Cheung et al.show that influenza strains with enhanced polymerase fidelity and low mutational frequency display reduced pathogenicity in mice.

An anomalous exothermal calorimetric peak far below crystallization temperatures in prototypical Pd-Ni-P glasses has been recognized for four decades. Here authors use neutron and high-energy X-ray diffraction to find evidence for a polyamorphous phase transition where medium-range order undergoes large changes while short-range order changes little.

Physical vapour transport is now used to grow single-atomic-layer lateral MoSe₂/WSe₂ heterojunctions, enabling the development of in-plane architectures for optoelectronic applications based on these semiconducting materials.

Flycatcher1 (FLYC1) is a candidate mechanosensitive channel involved in Venus flytrap touch-induced prey capture. Here, the authors report structural and functional details of FLYC1, with insights into gating conformational transitions.

Subtypes of cancer associated fibroblasts can both promote and suppress tumorigenesis. Here, the authors investigate how p53 status in pancreatic cancer cells affects their interaction with cancer associated fibroblasts, and report perlecan as a mediator of the pro-metastatic environment.

This study reveals a novel function of the Rho GTPase-activating protein called α2-chimerin in cortical development, where acute knockdown of α2-chimerin caused neuronal migration deficit and cortical circuit malformation in the developing mouse brain. This developmental defect was also associated with an impairment of circuit development causing epileptic discharges in adult animals.

Although circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) can predict immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) responses, its association with tumour biomarkers remains unknown. Here, the authors use ctDNA to inform exome and transcriptome profiling of >100 patients with 30 cancer types on a single clinical ICB trial and identify tumour microenvironment features associated with response.

α-synuclein aggregates cause neuronal damage, but their heterogeneity complicates studying their toxic properties. Here, the authors analyze α-synuclein aggregates in vitro and study post-mortem brain samples, providing evidence that small aggregates are the main culprit for neuronal death in Parkinson’s disease.

The use of machine learning to characterise quantum states has been demonstrated, but usually training the algorithm using data from the same state one wants to characterise. Here, the authors show an algorithm that can learn all states that share structural similarities with the ones used for the training.

Model patchy colloids with directional bonding are designed that assemble into icosahedral quasicrystals through the propagation of an icosahedral network of bonds and may be realized using DNA origami particles.

Lau et al. find that α-synuclein strains initiate distinct diseases when injected into mice, which provides a potential molecular explanation for the clinical and pathological differences between Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders.

Photoresponsive compounds have potential applications in various fields, including the development of smart materials and switches. Here the authors report a gold(I) complex that undergoes multiple photoinduced color changes upon excitation of light at specific wavelengths, offering an enhanced storage capacity towards optical memory devices.

The pathogenicity and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in golden (Syrian) hamsters resemble features of COVID-19 in human patients, suggesting that these hamsters could be used to model this disease.