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In Li-mediated electrochemical N₂ reduction to ammonia, selectivity and activity are governed by the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). This study reveals how the applied potential shapes the SEI properties and composition, thereby influencing reaction performance.

Ionic liquid additives increase the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells, but their effect on perovskite crystallization remains unclear. Xu et al. provide mechanistic insights and demonstrate improved operational stability under continous illumination and 90 °C thermal stress.

A platform based on complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology operating with qubits close to 100 mK can generate static and dynamic signals for the control of many qubits.

Controllable dislocations are desirable for modulating the physicochemical properties of materials. Here authors present a light-driven strategy for reversible high-density dislocation writing in ferroelectric crystals, enabling multidimensional manipulation and repeatable erasure, with potential for innovating informatics and functional materials.

The high speed switching and energy efficiency nature grant all-optical switching (AOS) great potential for future photonic integrated spintronic devices. Here the authors demonstrate the combination of AOS and domain wall propagation in Pt/Co/Gd synthetic ferrimagnetic racetrack for applications in photonic memory technologies.

Amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Better understanding of their biochemistry can inspire new biomarkers and therapeutics. Using multimodal mass spectrometry imaging, this work reveals surprising lipid heterogeneity in plaque microenvironments across the brain.

As presented at the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer, in a multiarm phase 2 trial, perioperative immunotherapy was safe and feasible in patients with resectable diffuse pleural mesothelioma, with exploratory data suggesting that ctDNA kinetics could be informative of tumor regression and post-treatment survival.

Experiments on twisted bilayer graphene point to various interaction-induced phases, including the non-Fermi liquid, but its unambiguous assignment remains challenging. Here, using simultaneous transport and thermoelectric power measurements, the authors identify non-Fermi liquid signatures at low twist angle.

The molecular mechanisms that promote and constrain the evolution of morphological traits remain unclear. Here, Parsons et al. show that the Wnt pathway is associated with the development of a novel head form in Lake Malawi cichlid fish but also limits head plasticity later in life.

High resolution structural information for G protein-coupled receptors has so far been limited to rhodopsin; here a crystal structure of the β₂AR adrenaline receptor is presented.

Understanding how photoswitchable chiral dopants can control the helical pitch of host liquid crystals will aid the development of smart and adaptive soft materials. Now the molecular-level mechanisms that control the chirality transfer in chiral triptycene-containing bistable hydrazones have been elucidated. This enables the preparation of rewritable multi-coloured liquid crystal canvases.

Here the authors present the cryo-EM structure of active and inhibited human MTHFR, revealing a dynamic inhibitory mechanism dependent on dual SAM binding. The resulting closed conformation features an autoinhibitory element effectively blocking enzymatic activity.

The efficiency of organic blends used for photovoltaic applications depends on their ability to convert photoexcited charges into free holes and electrons. It is now demonstrated that the lowermost energetic states formed at the donor/acceptor interface can reach conversion efficiencies close to 100%, and therefore do not behave as traps for charge carriers.

To what extent regeneration recapitulates embryonic development is a longstanding question. Here, they show that embryonic gene modules are re-used, rewired, and interconnected to specific injury-induced down-stream targets during regeneration.

Laser cooling is a powerful technique that enables precision measurements and quantum control, yet its implementation in molecules remains challenging due to their complex structures. Here, the authors apply 2D transverse laser cooling to a focused beam of cold barium monofluoride (138Ba19F) molecules to significantly increase beam brightness.

Some cancer cells exhibit high loads of reactive iron in lysosomes, and this feature is exploited by using fentomycin-1, a newly developed small molecule, to induce ferroptosis.

Detection of geoneutrinos from ⁴⁰K decay in the Earth would yield a wealth of information on Earth’s bulk chemical composition and radiogenic heat. By exploiting the positron identification ability of LiquidO to reject backgrounds, charged-current neutrino capture reactions on ⁶³Cu is proposed as the ideal way to observe potassium geoneutrinos

Tuberculosis is a major global health threat. Here, the authors develop a single-cell drug discovery approach and identify a compound that tunes bacterial phenotypic variation. This enhances the activity of anti-tubercular drugs against the pathogen.

Dynamic systems show promise for physical neural networks, but gradient based optimization requires mathematical models. Here, the authors present a data-driven framework for optimizing networks of arbitrary dynamic systems which is robust to noise, and enables tasks such as neuroprosthetic control.

Active photonics in free space is important in computing, imaging and sensing. Here, hybrid silicon-organic nanoscale structures change the intensity of a free-space light beam by applied microwave signals at gigahertz speeds with a high efficiency.

Wastewater surveillance for disease outbreaks currently requires lab testing which causes delays. Here, authors develop ultra-sensitive quantum sensors enabling 2-hour near-source pathogen detection from raw wastewater with high sensitivity and specificity, creating a portable “lab-in-a-suitcase” system.

Trapping electrons on a superfluid helium surface provides access to collective quantum phenomena and a platform for circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). Here, the authors demonstrate precision spatial and frequency engineering of plasmonic modes in a hybrid electron-on-helium system, opening the door towards integration of plasmon physics within future cQED-like devices.

AAA+ ATPase spastin recognizes tubulin polyglutamylated C-terminal tails and severs microtubules. A cryo-EM structure of fly spastin with polyGlu reveals how spastin engages with the substrate, an activity allosterically coupled to nucleotide binding and oligomerization.

A spin-triplet pair density wave is discovered in the candidate topological superconductor UTe₂ using superconductive scanning tunnelling microscopy tips.

Dual-comb spectroscopy has become a valuable tool for broadband high-resolution measurements. Here Bergevin et al. apply this technique to a laser-induced plasma detecting different species in a solid sample with a spectral resolution sufficient to resolve hyperfine splitting of the Rb D₂ line.

During speech, neurons in the subthalamic nucleus transiently couple with cortex oscillations. Speech sound errors occur when this coupling is delayed. These findings enhance understanding of information processing in human brain during speech.

In the proof-of-concept phase 2 ROME trial, comprehensive genomic profiling followed by molecular tumor board evaluation and randomization of patients with metastatic solid cancer to receive personalized therapy or standard of care led to a significantly higher objective response rate and longer progression-free survival in patients who received personalized therapy.

Assessment of surface contamination shows that trace oxygen is a key factor influencing the trajectory and quality of graphene grown by low-pressure chemical vapour deposition, with oxygen-free synthesis showing increased reproducibility and quality.

PARP inhibitors, either alone or in combination with bevacizumab, have regulatory approval as maintenance therapy following response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Here this group reports SOLACE2 trial investigating whether combining olaparib with low dose cyclophosphamide treatment improves progression-free survival, comparing to olaparib monotherapy alone, in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer.

The function of Synaptotagmin IV (Syt IV) in vesicle exocytosis and neurotransmitter release is debated, as Syt IV does not bind calcium. Here, Zhang et al. show that Syt IV localizes to the vesicles of neuropeptide-secreting nerve terminals in the posterior pituitary and regulates the kinetics of calcium-triggered exocytosis.

In high-temperature superconductors, a very low density of states, the pseudogap, exists even above the critical temperature. Here, the authors show that this is also the case for a conventional superconductor, titanium nitride thin films, and that this pseudogap is induced by superconducting fluctuations.

Magnetic atomic chains assembled on the surface of superconductors are a potential platform for engineering topological superconducting phases. Here the authors step towards this by manipulating magnetic atoms at interstitial sites to tune interatomic interactions and control the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states that form.

A palladium-catalysed reaction converts hydrocarbon-derived precursors to chiral boron-containing nortricyclanes, and the shape of these nortricyclanes makes them plausible isosteres for meta disubstituted aromatic rings.

How superconducting states with different order parameter symmetries can interact with each other is not well understood. Now, the edge mode of a Weyl superconductor serves as a probe for competing condensates.

Mapping of spatial metabolic gradients in the mouse liver and intestine identifies fructose-induced focal derangements in liver metabolism.

Ultrafast excitation offers new routes to controlling material properties on short timescales, but probes are needed to better understand the changes. By studying the phonon spectrum of VO₂ in the time domain, Wall et al. find a prompt change in lattice potential after a photoinduced structural transition.

This study identifies PfAnchor as an adaptor essential for apicoplast fission and inheritance in malaria parasites, uncovering a parasite-specific mechanism that offers a new avenue for antimalarial intervention.

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Electromagnetic responses can reveal the non-trivial properties of topological materials. Here, the authors demonstrate an anomalous planar Hall effect in trigonal crystals associated with the presence of topological nodal lines in trigonal-PtBi₂.

Faster cryo specimen preparation can advance cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM). Here, the authors present a vitrification device with automated sample handling for cryoEM of proteins, suspensions and cells, enabling blot-free sample thinning, dew-point control and characterization of cryo grids prior to data acquisition.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a difficult-to-treat cancer, driven by the fusion oncoprotein SS18::SSX. SS18::SSX alters the BAF (mammalian SWI/SNF) chromatin remodelling complex to create an oncogenic transcriptome. Here, the authors identify SS18::SSX-driven SMARCE1 SUMOylation as a therapeutic vulnerability in SS and show that SUMOylation inhibition stabilizes the cBAF complex, inducing cell death and sensitization of SS to chemotherapy.

Integrating a thin-film resistance thermometer above a high-Q SiN microresonator enables local temperature monitoring and active stabilization of its resonance wavelength. The emission wavelength of a distributed feedback laser locked to the microresonator fluctuates within 0.5 pm over a period of 50 h.

A dual-wavelength fibre laser source has been developed for stimulated Raman scattering microscopy. It is precisely tunable over the entire high-wavenumber region of Raman spectra, where most stimulated Raman scattering imaging is performed. Imaging speeds of up to 1 frame s⁻¹ with shot-noise-limited sensitivity were achieved.

An analysis of fish and macroinvertebrate communities in European rivers over 32 years shows that inland ship traffic is associated with declining taxonomic richness, diversity and trait richness and with increased taxonomic evenness.

The archetypal transverse Ising magnet CoNb₂O₆possesses a set of collective spin modes near its quantum critical point. Here, the authors use heat capacity measurements to evidence the existence of Fermionic gapless spin excitations at the critical point.