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Magnetic reconnection is the process of releasing energy by magnetized and space plasma. Here the authors report experimental observation of magnetic reconnection in laser-produced plasma and the role of electron scaling on reconnection.

Data from the NASA GRAIL spacecraft recover the lunar gravity field suggesting preservation of a predominantly thermal anomaly in the nearside mantle, which could influence the spatial distribution of deep moonquakes.

The noise in a stochastic differential equation can be interpreted by Itô or by Stratonovich calculus, and which one to use has been a subject of discussion in statistical physics. Pesce et al.show that the underlying dynamics induce a shift from Stratonovic to Itô calculus in a noisy electrical circuit.

Entanglement between single photons and solid-state emitters is a key component for photonic quantum computing and networks. Here, using a single electron spin in a quantum dot, the authors present a deterministic photon source achieving three-qubit entanglement of one electron spin and two photons.

Magnetic impurities break time reversal symmetry in topological insulators, but there has been disagreement between theory and experiment. Here, the authors study the response of topological states to magnetic dopants at the atomic level and show that, contrary to what generally believed, magnetic order and gapless states can coexist.

Ocampo et al. present several structures and the biochemical characterization of a compact Cas9 nuclease, shedding light on how these enzymes function and evolve.

A brain-to-voice neuroprosthesis enables a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to synthesize his voice in real time by decoding neural activity, demonstrating the potential of brain–computer interfaces to enable people with paralysis to speak intelligibly and expressively.

The authors develop a general method that combines machine learning and physics to construct macroscopic dynamics directly from microscopic observations, leading to an intuitive understanding of polymer stretching in elongational flow.

An oligodendrocyte-specific genomic silencer element determines the cell type specificity for a fatal neurological disorder caused by a widely expressed nuclear protein (Lamin B1) and suggests a role for silencer elements in disease causation.

Europium-based materials are interesting for magnetic devices because divalent europium carries a large spin-magnetic moment. Chikina et al. show that the non-magnetic Si-Rh-Si surface trilayer of the antiferromagnet EuRh₂Si₂reveals a surface state with large spin splitting controllable by temperature.

Here, using a multisystem approach, the authors characterize the impact of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) on the gut-brain axis and its effects on cognitive and microbiome development in one-year-old children from Dhaka, Bangladesh, finding relationships between faecal microbiota (specifically the species Rothia mucilaginosa, Streptococcus salivarius, and Bacteroides fragilis), plasma odd chain fatty acid concentrations, brain activity, and behavioral measurements.

Mechanisms that regulate epithelial bending mainly link to cell shape changes, for example, the formation of wedge shaped cells. Here, the authors identify a different cell behaviour in the salivary glands and teeth where initial invagination arises by a coordinated vertical cell movement.

Reconstructing short-term plate-motion changes through time provides important geodynamical information, but data noise is a problem at fine temporal resolution. This study presents a trans-dimensional hierarchical Bayesian framework that eliminates noise without loss of temporal resolution.

The properties of magnetic, crystalline solids can be described in terms of quantum particles of spin-wave and lattice-vibration energy, known as magnons and phonons respectively. Here, the authors show that strong magnon-phonon coupling in a noncollinear antiferromagnet can create magnetoelastic excitations.

Polymers are known to spontaneously produce micro- and nanoplastics but the mechanisms by which environmentally-triggered Å-level random bond breaking events lead to the formation of these relatively large fragments are unclear. Here, the authors show that chain scission accumulates in the amorphous phase of a semicrystalline morphology which leads to mechanical failure and the concurrent release of nanoplastics even under quiescent conditions.

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as interesting two-dimensional materials. Here, the authors show that in a new member of this family of compounds, rhenium disulphide, the layers in the bulk are vibrationally and electronically decoupled, so that they behave almost as monolayers.

Cavity optomechanics connects light to the mechanical degrees of freedom of a resonator and has great potential for sensing applications. Here, the authors realize a one-dimensional optomechanical crystal with a complete phononic bandgap containing high Q-factor modes and limited clamping losses.

The generative gap.

Catena et al. report that melanoma-secreted midkine impairs differentiation and function of dendritic cells, limiting antitumor immunity and response to immune checkpoint blockade.

Quantum mechanics allows to generate nearly ideal random strings from initially weak random sources, important for security of data systems, but this remains elusive in practice. Here the authors propose a realistic, error-tolerant and secure protocol for randomness amplification of arbitrary bits.

Phagosome maturation is the process by which a particle-containing phagosome 'matures' through a series of increasingly acidic membrane-bound structures, becoming an acidic phagolysosome before fusing with lysosomes. The identification of a pathway for apoptotic cell-containing phagosomes reveals parallels and differences with receptor-mediated endocytosis.

The spintronics based complex network is promising for next generation computing systems but hampered by short-range spin-wave coupling. The authors make progress by achieving long range and tunable mutual synchronization of two spin-torque oscillators with improved emission power and signal linewidth.

In the I-SPY2.2 trial, patients with high-risk stage 2/3 breast cancer received neoadjuvant datopotamab–deruxtecan, followed by sequential chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy, with the option of early surgical resection after each block of therapy. In a subgroup of patients, the sequential treatment strategy was superior to standard of care.

Viruses are the most diverse and uncharacterized components of all the major ecosystems on Earth, including that within the mammalian gut. Here, Gordon and colleagues review our current understanding of the diversity and ecology of the bacteriophages present in the human gut and discuss how an improved understanding of phage dynamics could revitalize phage therapy.

Controlling the interaction between distant quantum dots is important if they are to be used in quantum information devices. Delbecq et al. place two quantum dot circuits in a microwave cavity and show that they interact via cavity photons, even though they are separated by 200 times their own size.

There has been growing evidence that strategies to circumvent the barren plateau problem in variational quantum computing might also kill potential quantum advantages. In this Perspective, the authors gather this evidence, discuss what is still missing to provide a definitive answer, and provide new research directions.

The theory-guided synthesis of a tungsten-based W₂TiC₂T_x MXene from a non-MAX nanolaminated ternary carbide (W,Ti)₄C_4−y is reported. The tungsten-rich basal plane of the W₂TiC₂T_x MXene is then examined for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction using a combined experimental and theoretical approach.

Background radiation has been identified as a key factor limiting the coherence times of superconducting circuits. Here, the authors measure the impact of environmental and cosmic radiation on a superconducting resonator with varying degrees of shielding, including an underground facility.

The electrons and holes in a semiconductor can bind together to form excitons, which in turn couple together at higher carrier densities to create biexcitons. Here, the authors show, contrary to expectation, that biexcitons can outlive excitons at carrier densities close to the appearance of unbound electrons and holes.

Microwave radiation has a dramatic effect on the magneto-resistance of two-dimensional electron systems, even reducing it below zero. It is thought that this is the result of the formation of distinct current domains. Direct experimental evidence for these domains is now presented for the first time.

The associations between gut metabolites, brain activity, and behavior in youth with autism is unclear. Here authors show that some tryptophan metabolites are different in autism and are associated with autism symptoms and activity in interoceptive brain regions.

Symbiotic fungi control network-level structure and flows to meet trade demands.

The tendency of small objects to stick together as they come into contact is a commonly observed phenomenon. Yet the interactions that govern this behaviour can be complex. A systematic study of the variation in the force between a particle and a solid surface as they are brought together finds many parallels with the characteristics of glassy and granular systems.

There is interest in encoding of information in complex spin structures present in magnetic systems, such as domain walls. Here, Léveillé et al study the ultrafast dynamics of chiral domain walls, and show the emergence of a transient spin chiral texture at the domain wall.

The relative importance of imported compared to local transmission of malaria in island populations is difficult to quantify. Here, the authors perform a quasi-experimental study to assess how travel restrictions to Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the prevalence of malaria on the island.