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Aqueous two-phase systems have potential as biomimetic materials, but often lack stability and are prone to collapse. Here, the authors use interfacial assembly of chitin nanofibres and cellulose nanocrystals to prepare a biobased system with permeability and switchable motility.

Native top-down proteomics reveals epidermal growth factor receptor–estrogen receptor-alpha (EGFR–ER) signaling crosstalk in breast cancer cells and dissociation of nuclear transport factor 2 (NUTF2) dimers to modulate ER signaling and cell growth.

Polymer electrolytes are promising candidates as separators in lithium metal batteries. Here, authors reveal the existence of local lithium-based crystallites inside the polymer electrolyte in a lithium symmetric cell. A combination of unique operando wide-angle X-ray scattering with a nano-sized beam and complementary spectroscopic techniques identifies these crystallites as lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and even metallic lithium. It is shown that these crystallites lower the ionic conductivity and the transference number.

This study uses brain recordings, self-reports, and facial analysis to decode acute pain in epilepsy patients. Machine learning reveals stable neural markers in mesolimbic, striatal, and cortical regions, plus facial cues, enabling reliable pain detection in naturalistic settings.

Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have limited therapeutic options. Here the authors show that functionally impaired NK cells contribute to immune escape of pre-malignant clones in early stage MDS and that NK adoptive cell therapy can be considered to prevent or delay the development of MDS.

Fungal diseases threaten crops worldwide. By resolving the cryo-EM structure of fungal succinate dehydrogenase, researchers designed an inhibitor with broad antifungal activity, strong field performance, and reduced environmental toxicity.

LARGE1 glycosyltransferase synthesizes matriglycan (xylose-glucuronate)_n on dystroglycan, and short matriglycan can cause neuromuscular disorders. Authors show that LARGE1 processively polymerizes matriglycan of defined length on prodystroglycan.

Inhibitors of the protein kinase Wee1 are promising drugs for cancer therapy. Here, the authors show that these drugs activate the integrated stress response via GCN2, synergising with mRNA translation defects. They suggest strategies such as PROTACs or ISR inhibitors to improve WEE1 mediated toxicity.

Extensive measurements of the emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia from wastewater treatment facilities in the USA present higher values than are currently stated in national inventories. The results of this analysis show that greenhouse gas and nitrogenous emissions from the wastewater sector are often overlooked and that their impact on climate should be reassessed.

Viruses such as EBV use various mechanisms to avoid antiviral responses. Here the authors propose that the EBV protein BRRF2 is secreted via extracellular vesicles from NPC cells, disrupts the cGAS-STING pathway, reduces cGAS-DNA phase separation and the subsequent antiviral response.

Li₅FeO₄ is a high-capacity prelithiation agent but suffers from poor air stability. Here, authors apply a carbon coating strategy to significantly improve its resistance to moisture, enabling over 92% capacity retention after 72 h exposure to ambient air.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a cancer predisposition disorder caused by TP53 variants, but the way different TP53 variants contribute remains unclear. Here, the authors analyse TP53 mutagenesis datasets and identify five TP53 variant clusters that show associations with specific cancer patterns as well as potential clinical strategies.

Disordered rock-salt positive electrodes are promising for nickel- and cobalt-free lithium-ion batteries. Here, the authors demonstrate a synthesis method that yields highly crystalline, sub-200 nm dispersed single particles, enabling improved electrochemical cycling stability.

Electrochemical energy-storage devices require rapid charge–discharge profiles, but the dense electrode packing required to achieve high energy densities results in sluggish ion-transport kinetics. Now a two-dimensional vertical ladder polymer cathode has been shown to achieve promising performance and tolerance by using a cross-flow lithium migration pathway.

Infant KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with poor overall survival rates. Here, the authors use WGS and WES of 36 relapsed KMT2A-rearranged ALL and AML patients and find alterations in drug response genes in ALL, which may correspond with relapse time. Longitudinal analyses of >250 samples could track residual leukemia cells, clonal drug responses, and the upcoming relapse.

Researchers use a chimeric approach to reveal the first near-atomic resolution structures the yellow fever virion, showing key differences between vaccine and virulent strains that affect how antibodies recognise and neutralise the virus.

Polar skyrmions are nanoscale topological structures of electric polarizations. Their collective modes, dubbed as “skyrons”, are discovered by the terahertz-field-excitation, femtosecond x-ray diffraction measurements and advanced modeling.

N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) is an N⁴‐acetylcytidine (ac⁴C) writer, which catalyzes RNA acetylation at cytidine N⁴ position on RNAs. Here, the authors show that NAT10 catalyzes ac⁴C addition to a long non-coding RNA encoded by the oncogenic DNA virus Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), triggering viral lytic reactivation from latency, which promotes NAT10 recruitment of IFI16 mRNA, resulting in inflammasome activation.

Accurately describing and tuning active sites remains a major challenge. Here, the authors introduce an effective metal-ion chelation strategy—guided by DFT predictions and in situ Raman measurements—to structurally engineer and quantitatively link the electronic properties of active sites in an ionic liquid.

The structural stability is challenging for 1T-MoS2 based catalysts. Here, authors report that p-block In-O atoms stabilize the 1T-MoS2 matrix via interface orbital coupling. In-O also enables epitaxial growth of Ru nanoparticles from the MoS2 lattice, enhancing performance in Li | |O2 batteries.

Chemical reduction of alkali cations to their metals is extremely challenging. Here, the authors synthesized a series of redox-active borate anions stabilized by bipyridine ligands which can reduce lithium ions generating elemental lithium metal and borate radicals.

Lo and colleagues report that double-positive thymocytes from neonates express less Zap70 and show reduced Ca^2⁺/NFAT signaling compared to double-positive thymocytes from older thymi. This diminished Ca^2⁺ signaling alters negative selection for self-reactive TCRs, resulting in a cell-intrinsic temporal window for regulatory T versus conventional T cell development in the thymus.

Membranes which extract lithium are critical to developing sustainable technologies. Here, the authors report a covalent organic framework featuring randomly oriented channels, separating lithium from a mixture of cations.

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.

Aqueous zinc batteries possess advantages in safety, cost and environmental friendliness. To address side reaction, limited cycle life and other challenges, the authors formulate a dual-salt electrolyte that decouples the interfacial electrolyte from the bulk, enabling suppressed hydrogen evolution, fast zinc transport and resilience against low temperature.

Here the authors perform a trans expression quantitative trait locus meta-analysis study of over 3,700 people and link a USP18 variant to expression of 50 inflammation genes and lupus risk, highlighting how genetic regulation of immune responses drives autoimmune disease and informs new therapies.

Safe electrolytes for wide temperature applications of lithium metal batteries are highly demanded. Here, authors develop an ether-based electrolyte with 1,3,5-trioxane additive which renders thermoresponsivity, enabling lithium metal batteries in the range of −60 to 60 °C.

All-solid-state lithium metal batteries face interfacial instability challenges. Here, authors develop a computational screening framework to identify Li₃OCl as a stable interlayer between Li₃InCl₆ electrolyte and the Li metal electrode, improving the capacity retention of all-solid-state batteries.

A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomy for the medically and ecologically important genus Artemisia remain unavailable. Here, the authors combine genomic data with morphological analyses to reconstruct the most comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomy of global Artemisia.

Electrochemical CO_x reduction to multi-carbon products is hindered by low energy efficiency, in part due to sluggish ion transport across charge-selective membranes used in electrolysers. Here the authors use a porous, non-charge-selective separator that enhances ion transport and improves performance for CO electrolysis.

Giardini et al. present an imaging method that combines quantitative measurements of cardiac electrophysiology with high-resolution three-dimensional structural reconstructions, enabling the detection of arrhythmogenic electrical coupling between cardiomyocytes and non-myocytes in murine hearts.

Programming stimulus responsiveness into living systems enables advanced biocomputation. Here, the authors autonomously compile proteins with defined topology that can be site-specifically tethered to and conditionally released from biomaterials and cells following user-specified Boolean logic.

Aqueous and non-aqueous Li-based electrolyte solutions have narrow electrochemical stability windows, which hinder the operation of batteries at high cell potentials. Here, to circumvent this limitation, the authors propose the combined use of tailored aqueous and non-aqueous electrolyte solutions in various Li-based cell configurations.

Present Li-ion batteries for portable electronics are based on inorganic electrodes made through non-ecological processes. Sustainable conjugated dicarboxylate organic salt anodes showing advantageous reversible capacities and thermal stability are now reported.

The Li dendrites and adverse Li-electrolyte reactions hinder the practical use of Li metal batteries. Here, authors propose an organic/inorganic artificial solid electrolyte interphase, where an outer metal layer ensures uniform Li nucleation and a F-rich inner layer acts as an electronic insulator.

This study presents evidence for the existence of Neoarchean plate boundaries and triple junctions, supporting a mobile-lid tectonics model of the southern Superior Craton.

Radiation-induced malignantly transformed cells undergo multi-scale 3D genome reorganization. TP63 acts as a key mediator, creating accessible chromatin sites that form tumour-specific loops activating the MYC oncogene during malignant transformation.

Hydropower is a clean energy source but dams trap river sediment, decreasing delivery downstream and to coastlines. In the Mekong River Basin, replacing some hydropower dams with solar, wind and energy storage facilities could maintain energy supply while reducing impact on sediment transport.

Antifog coatings are of great interest, though it is challenging to balance interfacial strength, cyclic drying, and resistance to contaminants. Here the authors designed a coating using noncoplanar structures to enhance stability and anti-fogging efficiency.

Here the authors construct an artificial pathogen cell with tunable rigidity and find crosstalk between these and macrophages. Macrophages probe the artificial pathogen surface, and increasing rigidity of the artificial pathogen promotes proinflammatory polarization of macrophages.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

A comprehensive understanding of how urban nature affects mental health at a global scale remains essential. This study addresses that need through a systematic review and meta-analysis, revealing the effects of exposure to various urban nature types on 12 distinct mental health outcomes.

Although rechargeable lithium–air batteries are receiving significant attention because of their high theoretical specific energy, carbon cathodes that are currently used decompose during oxidation and promote electrolyte decomposition on cycling. A titanium carbide-based cathode is now shown to reduce side-reactions, and exhibits enhanced reversible formation and decomposition of Li₂O₂.

The triple synergy of oxygen, proton, and electron supply is crucial for hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis. Here, the authors report a squaric-acid zwitterionic covalent organic framework that achieves this synergy, boosting hydrogen peroxide yield and enabling solar-driven continuous-flow production.

Genetic code expansion (GCE) has expanded protein functionality, but the cost of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) hinder large-scale use. Here, the authors coupled amino acid biosynthesis with GCE in E. coli for the production of ncAA-containing biomolecules.

Metronomic photodynamic therapy is a long-term, low-dose treatment strategy limited by the need of continuous photosensitizer administration. Here this group reports combining the self-bioluminescent bacteria with a neutral red photosensitizer in alginate microcapsules as a self-driven metronomic photodynamic therapeutic system with preclinical anti-cancer effects.

Low glume coverage is the preferred for easy threshing in grain production, but the genetic basis remains unclear. Here, the authors report the gene GC1, which encodes an atypical G protein γ subunit, negatively regulates sorghum glume coverage and the naturally truncated alleles can be useful in the naked grain breeding.