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Atomic clocks are increasingly important for many applications in scientific research and technology. Here, Nicholson et al. present a series of developments allowing them to achieve a new record in atomic clock performance, with a systematic uncertainty of just 2.1 × 10⁻¹⁸ for their ⁸⁷Sr atomic clock.

Magnetometers based on organic magnetoresistance are limited by narrow sensitivity ranges, degradation and temperature fluctuations. Bakeret al. demonstrate a magnetic resonance-based organic thin film magnetometer, which overcomes these drawbacks by exploiting the metrological nature of magnetic resonance.

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.

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

Supercontinuum-enhanced terahertz spectroscopy breaks the trade-off between distortion and resolution in chirped single-shot measurements, enabling high-resolution and ultrafast measurements of refractive and absorptive properties of dynamic media.

Deltex E3s modify ADP-ribosylated targets with ubiquitin, creating a hybrid modification whose readers remains unknown. Here, the authors synthesise a non-hydrolysable probe that mimics the modification and identify RNF114 as an interactor. RNF114 binds tightly to this modification and further elongates it with a K11-linked ubiquitin chain.

In eukaryotes, DNA replication depends on loading the ring-shaped helicase, Mcm2–7 onto double-stranded DNA and subsequent activation by GINS–Cdc45. Using single-particle EM reconstructions, the Mcm2–7 forms ring hexamers that are open between Mcm2 and Mcm5. When present, GINS and Cdc45 both seal off this gap. In the presence of a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog, two pores are formed. In this way, the complex could promote duplex opening and then segregate the two strands by partitioning them into the two pores.

Here, Isaacs, Nieto and Zhang et al. discover a potent nanobody and engineer a dual-action antibody that targets two viral proteins, offering strong protection against Nipah and Hendra viruses while preventing viral escape, potentially contributing to future treatments.

Interfacial charge transfer states are believed to have an important role in the performance of organic solar cells. Bernardo et al.show that delocalization achieved through local fullerene order is critical to achieving long-range charge separation from these otherwise tightly bound states.

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.

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.

Spectral modulation of a broadband pump beam allows sensitive and specific molecular imaging based on stimulated Raman scattering. Measurements of cholesterol, protein, and stearic and oleic acid are reported.

In superconducting thin films of a few atomic layers, surface and bulk orders may compete. Here, the authors measure how the Pearl length, which characterizes the distribution of magnetic field in vortices, varies with thickness in NbSe₂, showing that surface superconductivity dominates at low thickness.

Peer review information: Nature Communications thanks Martino Poggio, and the other, anonymous, reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.

Porins, like OmpG, are embedded in the outer membrane of bacteria and facilitate uptake and secretion of nutrients and ions. Here the authors present a protocol for solid state NMR structure determination of proteins larger than 25 kDa and use it to structurally characterize membrane embedded OmpG.

A metalloenzyme capable of oxidatively cleaving cellulose, found in a microbial community specialized in lignocellulose degradation, could enable sustainable biofuel production.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are membrane receptors and are important drug targets, whose regulation by cations is poorly understood. Here authors use NMR to elucidate effects of cations on functional states of the GPCR, adenosine A_2Areceptor (A_2AR).

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.

An interfacial catalytic polymerization strategy is able to turn nature-derived compounds into high-quality membranes for reverse osmosis, challenging traditional approaches for membrane production that use toxic amine-based monomers.

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

Field-free switching of the perpendicular yttrium iron garnet magnetization with considerable efficiency is desired for device performance. Here, the authors demonstrate such an accomplishment with a collinear spin current in Py.

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.

Reducing rotational dephasing is a major challenge in ultracold molecules. Here, the authors demonstrate coherent control of three rotational states in ultracold molecules trapped in magic-wavelength optical tweezers, opening prospects towards quantum applications with higher-dimensional systems.

While fluid restriction is typically recommended for patients with chronic heart failure, this randomized clinical trial showed no difference in health status, as assessed by patient-reported outcomes, between patients recommended to a liberal versus a restrictive fluid regimen over the course of 3 months in an outpatient setting.

Epichaperomes are chaperone assemblies that reorganize protein networks under stress. Here, authors reveal how HSP90 phosphorylation drives epichaperome formation, linking this process to cancer cell behaviors and pluripotent stem cell functions.

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.

Atomic clocks using optical transitions have much better frequency stability compared to microwave counterparts, but are also more complex, which means their use has been mostly lab-based so far. Here, the authors demonstrate successful operation of three different optical atomic clocks on a ship at sea for three weeks.

An ultra-low-loss integrated photonic chip fabricated on a customized multilayer silicon nitride 300-mm wafer platform, coupled over fibre with high-efficiency photon number resolving detectors, is used to generate Gottesman–Kitaev–Preskill qubit states.

Barri and colleagues introduce a tuneable rotational bistable element that can be modularly combined to create multistable mechanisms. Their concept enables more energy-efficient and adaptable designs for aerial drones and other engineering systems.

MORC2, a chromatin remodeler involved in epigenetic silencing and DNA repair, is linked to cancer and neurological disorders when dysregulated. Here, the authors show that MORC2 binds DNA at multiple sites, clamps onto it, and induces compaction, a process regulated by its phosphorylation.

The combination of strong light-matter interactions and controllable magnetic properties make magnetic semiconductors attractive for both fundamental physics and the development of devices. Here, Hendriks et al show how the optically driven magnetization dynamics in Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ can be controlled via electrostatic gating.

Surface wrinkling reduces the performance of mixed-halide perovskite solar cells. Here, the authors identify that sequential nucleation of bromide-rich and iodide-rich domains results in compositional heterogeneity and subsequent wrinkling.

The contributions of chirality and conformation as contributing factors to the biological properties of synthetic nanomaterials remain underexplored. A synthesis of bottlebrush polymers with mirror-image side chains has now been developed and it has been revealed that an interplay between side-chain absolute configuration and flexibility influences the biological properties of these polymers both in vitro and in vivo.

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.

Why joints are highly responsive to systemic inflammation is unknown. Hasegawa et al. sought to address this question, developing a whole-mount imaging system of the entire synovium to profile the vascular, neuronal and immune components.

In a mouse model, maternal obesity during pregnancy can lead to fatty liver disease in the offspring, driven by aberrant developmental programming of Kuppfer cells.

The few options available for the measurement of in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity of covalent organic frameworks films limit their application for lightweight thermal management. Here, the authors measure both, the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivity of two dimensional covalent organic frameworks with different pore sizes using laser-based pump-probe techniques.

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.

We report superconductivity, in a limited region of displacement field and density, in 5.0° twisted bilayer WSe₂ with a maximum critical temperature of 426 mK, establishing that moiré flat-band superconductivity extends beyond graphene structures.

The mainstream passivation strategies routinely rely on crystalline materials for perovskite photovoltaics. Here, authors utilize a solid phase reaction to prepare an amorphous (lysine)₂PbI₂ layer to neutralize surface and interface defects, achieving device efficiency of over 26% for solar cells.

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.

An RNA codon-expansion strategy enables incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins of interest orthogonally to existing methods by inserting pseudouridine codons into specific mRNA transcripts and using an engineered decoder tRNA.

The structure of the GABA_B receptor in an inactive state reveals, amongst other features, a latch between the two subunits that locks the transmembrane domain interface, and the presence of large phospholipids that may modulate receptor function.