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Observations of a fast X-ray transient reveal that it is a gamma-ray-burst explosion from a very distant galaxy that emits light with the wavelength necessary to drive cosmic reionization, the last major phase change in the history of the Universe.

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.

Delocalized radical systems are appealing for controlling stereoselectivity in organic synthesis. Here the authors report on a Co(II)-based enantioselective radical system for the dearomative 1,7-conjugate amination of readily available 4-vinylphenols with aryl azides.

Panoptes, an anti-phage defence system against virus-mediated immune suppression, is revealed.

Many animals display brilliant colors thanks to the precise formation of guanine crystals within specialized organelles. Here, the authors demonstrate that dynamic pH shifts orchestrate this process: an initially acidic lumen stabilizes amorphous, protonated guanine and subsequent alkalinization triggers its crystallization.

Here the authors show how the DNA-sensing cGAS–STING pathway activates NF-κB and inflammatory gene expression with delayed kinetics via post-Golgi endolysosomal signaling.

A recently discovered high-mass X-ray binary has an evolutionary history showing the neutron star component formed during an ultra-stripped supernova, and has orbital elements that should allow for forming a binary neutron star in the future.

The authors report on a method for precise control of stoichiometry and surface termination during thin-film growth of a wide range of perovskite ABO₃ phases that exploits dynamic B-site layer inversion seen in the in situ electron diffraction.

Klein and colleagues characterize 04_A06, a new V_H1-2-encoded broadly neutralizing antibody that has marked breadth and potency against extended multiclade HIV-1 pseudovirus panels and can maintain full viral suppression in HIV-1-infected humanized mice.

2023 CX1 is the only L-chondrite-like asteroid analysed from space to ground. It catastrophically fragmented in the atmosphere, depositing 98% of its energy in one burst—an unusual, high-risk fragmentation mode with implications for planetary defence.

Tunable polarization control and a two-colour X-ray pump–X-ray probe operating mode are demonstrated at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).

PROTACs induce degradation by bridging a target protein and E3 ubiquitin ligase. Here, authors show that protein interface frustration correlates with cooperativity, offering a structural metric to prioritize PROTAC candidates prior to synthesis.

Kaiser et al. characterize the disordered extracellular N-terminus of a peptide-activated G protein-coupled receptor. They combine biophysical, biochemical, and computational methods to uncover its role in the activation of G protein and arrestin pathways.

This study demonstrates 3D printing of hierarchically ordered, porous transition metal oxides and nitrides directed by block copolymer self-assembly, with record surface areas and nanoconfinement-induced critical fields in the nitride superconductors

Diffraction-before-destruction of ultrashort X-ray pulses can visualize non-equilibrium processes at the nanoscale with sub-femtosecond precision. Here, the authors demonstrate how the brightness and the spatial resolution of such snapshots can be substantially increased despite ionization.

Mixing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with halide salts enable low-temperature melting and processable MOF-derived glasses with tunable properties and enhanced structural versatility.

Polymer thin films that emit and absorb circularly polarised light are promising in achieving important technological advances, but the origin of the large chiroptical effects in such films has remained elusive. Here the authors demonstrate that in non-aligned polymer thin films, large chiroptical effects are caused by magneto-electric coupling, not structural chirality as previously assumed.

High plating currents are achieved in solid-state batteries without dendrites by densifying Li₆PS₅Cl, with modelling showing how specific microstructural changes increase the critical current density.

Results from the randomized, noncomparative, phase 2 MATISSE trial show that ultra-short neoadjuvant therapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab can prevent surgery and radiotherapy in patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, with an early decrease in total lesion glycolysis by [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT associated with response.

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is possibly the most widely used technique to probe the electronic structure of crystals. Unfortunately the technique is usually too sensitive to surface properties. It is now demonstrated that by using hard X-rays as the incident radiation it is possible to probe the electronic structure in the bulk.

Time-resolved measurements of the X-ray photoemission delay of core-level electrons using attosecond soft X-ray pulses from a free-electron laser can be used to determine the complex correlated dynamics of photoionization.

The Zika viral protease NS2B-NS3 is a crucial target for antiviral drug development due to its role in processing viral polyproteins. Here, the authors utilize crystallographic fragment screening and deep mutational scanning to identify binding sites for resistance-resilient inhibitors.

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.

Ricca et al discover a new family of tubular pili in Microcystis aeruginosa, a harmful algal bloom-forming cyanobacterium. These pili are crucial for buoyancy by forming cell micro-colonies, which increases drag and prevents sinking. The pili also enrich microcystin and co-localize with iron-enriched extracellular matrix components, suggesting a vital role in bloom proliferation.

Researchers have demonstrated the generation and control of subfemtosecond pulse pairs from a two-colour X-ray free-electron laser and conducted pump–probe experiments in core-ionized molecules.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is essential for brain development. Here, the authors use gold nanoparticle enhanced X-ray microtomography to map CSF distribution in post-natal rodents and describe particle size-dependent CSF pathways that transport CSF into the brain parenchyma of rodents.

Strong X-ray emission from a population of radio jets shows variability that supports a model of synchrotron emission by a secondary population of electrons boosted to teraelectronvolt energies within a small volume of a jet.

Visualizing the structural dynamics of isolated molecules would help to understand chemical reactions, but this is difficult for complex structures. Intense femtosecond X-ray pulses allow the full imaging of exploding photoionized molecules, in this case, with eleven atoms.

A possible kilonova associated with a nearby, long-duration gamma-ray burst suggests that gamma-ray bursts with long and complex light curves can be spawned from the merger of two compact objects, contrary to the established gamma-ray burst paradigm.

Early emission from gamma-ray burst GRB 211211A comes entirely from charged particles accelerating in strong magnetic fields. The fast-evolving spectrum may be the key to understanding unusually long-lived GRBs from neutron star mergers.

The accretion geometry of X-ray binary Cygnus X-3 is determined here from IXPE observations. X-ray polarization reveals a narrow funnel with reflecting walls, which focuses emission, making Cyg X-3 appear as an ultraluminous X-ray source.

The nature of the ferryl intermediate generated in reactions catalysed by heme-containing enzymes is uncertain, due to the ambiguity of X-ray crystallography data. Here, the authors apply neutron diffraction, kinetics and other spectroscopy to directly observe a protonated ferryl intermediate in a heme peroxidase.

Netrin-4 is a tumor suppressor that interferes with laminin lattice formation. Here, Kulczyk et al. present a cryo-EM structure of the netrin-4-laminin γ1 complex. The structure reveals how netrin-4 inhibits laminin polymerization and disassembles the laminin matrix.

XFEL radiation is providing new opportunities for probing biological systems. Here the authors perform nanoscale x-ray imaging of microtubules with helical symmetry, by using imaging sorting and reconstruction techniques.

Quantum coherence and dephasing in molecular motions determine the behaviour of many chemical reactions and are the fundamental basis for the concept of coherent control. Now, ultrafast X-ray scattering combined with a detailed structural determination analysis precisely measures the coherent vibrational motions of a polyatomic organic molecule following photoexcitation.

Continental shelves have become a substantial sink of anthropogenic mercury since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. However, human activities and climate-related processes can remobilize mercury-bearing sediment, potentially transforming this mercury sink into a marine source.

This paper presents evidence for dynamical interactions in the very dense regions in the core of galaxies causing two compact objects, such as neutron stars and black holes, to merge, leading to a gamma-ray burst.