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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.

Light scattering represents the main limitation to image at depth in biological microscopy. The authors present a strategy to characterize light propagation in and out of a scattering medium based on linear fluorescence feedback and from the same measurements exploit memory effect correlations to image and reconstruct extended objects.

The Authors demonstrate how time traces of individual fluorescent sources can be demixed from spatio-temporal intensity patterns transmitted by short multimode fibers. This is a first step towards measuring activity of single sources in fiber photometry experiments.

Cells often navigate through confined spaces. Now it is shown that cells retain a mechanical memory of previous confinement events, which makes them more efficient at migrating through narrow microenvironments.

Many insects mimic plants in order to avoid detection by predators. Here, Garrouste and colleagues describe a katydid fossil that extends the record of leaf mimicry to the Middle Permian, more than 100 million years earlier than previously known fossil specimens of plant mimicry.

Understanding how ancient animals perceived their environment is difficult due to a lack of fossilized eye structures. Here, the authors reconstruct the compound eye of a 160-million-year old thylacocephalan arthropod, Dollocaris, finding evidence of hunting adaptations.

The use of PET for detection of Aβ in the brain in AD has limitations; studies also indicate that retinal changes, including Aβ deposition, occur in AD. Here the authors demonstrate the potential to use in vivo retinal hyperspectral imaging as a surrogate for brain accumulation of Aβ.

Deep learning frameworks require large human-annotated datasets for training and the resulting ‘black box’ models are difficult to interpret. Here, the authors present Kartezio; a modular Cartesian Genetic Programming-based computational strategy that generates fully transparent and easily interpretable image processing pipelines.

Nonlinear optical computations have been essential yet challenging for developing optical neural networks with appreciable expressivity. In this paper, light scattering is combined with optical nonlinearity to empower a high-performance, large-scale nonlinear photonic neural system.

Multiple scattering complicates femtosecond optics such that phase conjugation allows spatial focusing and imaging through a multiple scattering medium, but temporal control is problematic. McCabeet al. report the full spatio-temporal characterization and recompression of a femtosecond speckle field.

The cellular RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain is known to support transcription of influenza virus mRNAs. Here, Krischuns et al. use cell-based and in vitro approaches to demonstrate that it also plays a role in replication of the viral genome.

Dedifferentiated liposarcomas (DDLPS) typically have dedifferentiated (DD) and well-differentiated (WD) components, although their cellular origins remain elusive. Here, the authors characterise primary DDLPS tumours using bulk and single-cell multi-omics and find adipocyte stem cells that could be a common ancestor of WD and DD components.

The collective migration of cell clusters is modulated by substrate geometry through a combination of velocity and polarity alignment.

CD74, the MHC class II invariant chain, was thought to be mainly expressed by antigen presenting cells. Here the authors report that CD74 is overexpressed by human tumor infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) and that its loss affects Treg accumulation and function in tumors.

Experiments show that the dynamics of phase fluctuations  in a one-dimensional polariton condensate falls in the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang universality class, and theoretical analysis supports this finding revealing the key signatures of this universality class.

Lateral diffusion of receptors between synaptic and extrasynaptic sites is known to mediate plasticity. Hausrat et al. show that diffusion of α5-containing GABA_Areceptors is controlled by phosphorylation of the extrasynaptic anchoring protein Radixin, and reveal a role for Radixin in learning and memory.

An approach is demonstrated that allows the optical transmission matrix to be noninvasively measured over a large volume inside complex samples using a standard photoacoustic imaging set-up. This approach opens the way towards deep-tissue imaging and light delivery utilizing endogenous optical contrast.

A close-up look at the action of space weathering on carbonaceous asteroids, provided by Ryugu’s returned samples, highlights its role on the dehydration of the first micrometre-thick layer of the surface, possibly hiding a water-rich interior. The depth of the 2.7 µm hydration band may be an indication of the level of space weathering withstood by a C-type asteroid.

Microbial communities are the siege of complex metabolic interactions including cooperation and competition. Here, the authors report the utilization of optogenetics and spatial light-patterning to activate the expression of the invertase SUC2 at selected locations and selectively switch cooperation and competition roles of the yeast cells.

Iron nitride (Fe₄N) is detected on magnetite particles within the Ryugu sample returned by Hayabusa2. It is probably the product of impacts of nitrogen-rich dust from the outer Solar System on the surface of Ryugu, indicative of a flux of N-rich dust in the inner Solar System.

The mechanisms of Z-ring assembly and regulation in bacteria are poorly understood, particularly in non-model organisms. Here, Sogues et al. study the interaction between FtsZ and SepF in Corynebacterium glutamicum, showing an essential interdependence of these proteins for formation of a functional Z-ring.

Chromatin structure plays a significant role in the regulation of gene expression. Here the authors show that TFIIH interacts with the histone acetyl transferase KAT2A and recruits the ATAC/hSAGA complexes to chromatin; and that loss of xeroderma pigmentosum group B (XPB) function results in chromatin decondensation and increased gene expression through activation of KAT2A.

Fragile X syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder with altered neuronal excitability and behavior. Here, the authors show that dysfunction of astroglial Kir4.1 potassium channels drives neuronal and behavioral impairments in a fragile X mouse model.

Cells migrating within a collective naturally have restricted access to their surroundings. Experiments on micropatterned substrates now show that this confinement can regulate epithelial migration—governing cell morphology, forces and velocity.

Slow gamma oscillations are associated with memory and have been reported to be disrupted in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Here the authors show that optogenetic stimulation of medial septum parvalbumin neurons at 40 Hz rescues memory retrieval in the J20 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

Organisms living on and inside of plants—such as microbes and herbivorous insects—can interact in complex ways. Here the authors show that a plant virus increases the temperature of the plant and also the thermal tolerance of an aphid species feeding on the plant; this change in thermal tolerance also affects competition with another aphid species.

The ER exit site component Sec16A was identified as the target of Retro-2, a small-molecule inhibitor of protein toxins and pathogens. Retro-2 treatment alters retrograde early/maturing endosomes-to-Golgi trafficking of Shiga toxin.

Two mScarlet variants with high brightness and fast maturation times have been evolved. These variants behave favorably as fusion tags and Förster resonance energy transfer acceptors.

An extremely bright, truly monomeric RFP, mScarlet, is described that outperforms existing RFPs in diverse labeling applications, especially in FRET with ratiometric imaging.

Beta-arrestins play central roles in the mechanisms regulating GPCR signalling and trafficking. Here the authors identify a selective inhibitor of the interaction between β-arrestin and the β2-adaptin subunit of the clathrin adaptor protein AP-2, which they use to dissect the role of the β-arrestin/β2-adaptin interaction in GPCR signalling.

Using a mouse model harboring a WHIM Syndrome-linked gain-of-function CXCR4 mutation and bone marrow samples from WHIM patients, the authors show that proper CXCR4 signaling termination is essential for bone tissue homeostasis.

High-resolution infrared observations of hard-X-ray-selected black holes show an excess of late-stage mergers in obscured luminous black holes compared with inactive galaxies of similar stellar masses and star formation rates.

Random lasers generate the optical feedback required for stimulated emission by scattering light from disordered particles. Their inherent randomness, however, makes controlling the emission wavelength difficult. It is now shown that this problem can be remedied by carefully matching the pump laser to the specific random medium. The concept is applied to a one-dimensional optofluidic device, but could also be applicable to other random lasers.

SARS-CoV-2 infection damages the airways. Here the authors show that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces the rapid loss of airway motile cilia, resulting in altered cilia clearance function. Cilia loss is preceded by reduced expression of the ciliogenesis regulator Foxj1.

Actin filaments are involved in the modulation of nuclear shape and function, but mechanistic understanding of these processes is lacking. Versaevelet al. show that orientation and deformation of the nucleus are regulated by lateral compressive forces driven by tension in central actomyosin fibres.

Analysis of a large set of marine vibrios and their phages identifies mechanisms of phage–host coevolution.

The size of cells fluctuates but there are limited experimental methods to measure live mammalian cell sizes. Here, the authors track single cell volume (FXm) over the cell cycle and generate a mathematical framework to compare size homeostasis in datasets ranging from bacteria to mammalian cells.

p53 isoform Δ133p53β is reported to promote intrinsic oncogenic functions. Here the authors show Δ133p53β is sequestered as aggregates in an inactive form, while association with interacting partners including p63 isoforms and the CCT chaperone complex promotes Δ133p53β activity, resulting in enhanced cancer cell migration and invasion.

Pertussis toxin is used extensively for perturbing Gαi/o pathways in the study of physiology and disease, but an equivalent inhibitor of Gαq signalling is not currently available to the research community. Here the authors characterize FR900359 as a specific Gq inhibitor and demonstrate its utility to dissect GPCR signalling and its potential to inhibit melanoma cells.

The G protein–coupled receptor F2rl1 translocates from the plasma membrane to the nucleus of retinal ganglion neurons to control Vegfa expression and retinal angiogenesis.

Drive engineering in optical systems can be used to stabilize new nonlinear phases in topological systems. Dissipatively stabilized gap solitons in a polariton lattice establish drive engineering as a resource for nonlinear topological photonics.

DNA methylation contributes to transcriptional silencing. Here, Groth et al.show that mutant plants defective in MTHFD1, an enzyme involved in folate metabolism, have a DNA hypomethylation phenotype highlighting the link between one-carbon metabolism and DNA methylation, which is mediated by SAM as a common methyl donor.

Host cell recognition is mediated by the phage tail tip proteins, which then triggers viral genome delivery via the phage tail. Here, the authors combine crystallography and cryoEM to structurally characterise the bacteriophage T5 tail tube structure before and after interaction with its host receptor.

The most efficient silicon solar cells use interdigitated back-contact silicon heterojunction architectures. Here, the authors fabricate this type of cell via a simpler process, using an interband silicon tunnel junction for the electron contact and reaching a certified efficiency higher than 22%.

The translation initiation complex mediates tumor immune escape in melanoma by controlling STAT1 mRNA levels and T lymphocyte–induced PD-L1 expression.