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IN a previous letter to this journal¹ we have described a method of producing a steady stream of swift protons of energies up to 600 kilovolts by the application of high potentials, and have described experiments to measure the range of travel of these protons outside the tube. We have employed the same method to examine the effect of the bombardment of a layer of lithium by a stream of these ions, the lithium being placed inside the tube at 45° to the beam. A mica window of stopping power of 2 cm. of air was sealed on to the side of the tube, and the existence of radiation from the lithium was investigated by the scintillation method outside the tube. The thickness of the mica window was much more than sufficient to prevent any scattered protons from escaping into the air even at the highest voltages used.

China ended its ‘zero-COVID’ policy in late 2022, but the public health impacts of the rapid removal of restrictions are not known. Here, the authors use mathematical modelling combined with survey data and estimate that at least 90% of the population became infected by the end of December 2022.

Lightbody et al. present SWIFT-seq, a single-cell RNA sequencing approach to profile circulating tumor cells from patients with multiple myeloma and its precursor conditions and leverage it to derive clinical and biological insights into the disease.

Archival X-ray data reveal quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) in binary systems on timescales of several hours to several months. The discovery of QPEs in Swift J0230 data with periods of weeks may help bridge the gap in our understanding of their origins and timescales.

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.

The study reports the discovery of a persistent bow shock around a diskless magnetic accreting white dwarf, revealing a powerful energy-loss mechanism that challenges current models of accretion and compact binary evolution.

Early high-resolution images of two 2021 novae reveal eruptions unfolding in multiple stages with colliding outflows that produce shocks and gamma rays, reshaping our understanding of stellar explosions.

A series of early-time, multiwavelength observations of an optical transient, AT2022cmc, indicate that it is a relativistic jet from a tidal disruption event originating from a supermassive black hole.

Observations from a multiwavelength campaign of a low-mass X-ray binary, Swift J1858.6–0814, shows that accreting neutron stars have the same kind of pulsing behaviour as accreting black holes.

The death of massive stars has traditionally been discovered by explosive events in the gamma-ray band. Liu et al. show that the sensitive wide-field monitor on board Einstein Probe can reveal a weak soft-X-ray signal much earlier than gamma rays.

The detection and modelling of nine X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions from a nearby tidal disruption event shows that these eruptions arise in accretion disks around massive black holes, left behind by tidally disrupted stars, and that an orbiting body colliding with this disk is a plausible explanation for the X-ray variability.

Identifying jets originating from heavy quarks plays a fundamental role in hadronic collider experiments. In this work, the ATLAS Collaboration describes and tests a transformer-based neural network architecture for jet flavour tagging based on low-level input and physics-inspired constraints.

A faint gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) has been recently detected in coincidence with the gravitational wave (GW) event GW 170817. Here, the authors report that another faint short GRB at a cosmological distance (GRB150101B) and its late time emission are analogous to the neutron star merger event GRB 170817A.

The Einstein Probe has discovered a fast X-ray transient, EP240414a, associated with a broad-lined type Ic supernova. Its unusually soft spectrum and weak jet add to the diversity of stellar deaths and suggest a previously unknown Wolf–Rayet star explosion mechanism.

Very-high-energy γ-rays observed ten hours after the prompt emission of the γ-ray burst 180720B can be attributed to either an inverse Compton or an extreme synchrotron process.

A multi-frequency observing campaign of the γ-ray burst GRB 190114C reveals a broadband double-peaked spectral energy distribution, and the teraelectronvolt emission could be attributed to inverse Compton scattering.

A persistent, blue-shifted absorption feature is reported in time-resolved UV spectroscopy of the neutron star binary Swift J1858.6-0814, revealing a warm, moderately ionized component in the accretion disk that is wind driven from this system.

Engineered mucus-tethering bispecific nanobodies neutralize and entrap viruses to enhance mucosal immunity, preventing influenza infection and limiting SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Using ultraviolet data as well as a comprehensive set of further multiwavelength observations of the supernova 2023ixf, a reliable bolometric light curve is derived that indicates the heating nature of the early emission.

Observations from the JWST of the second brightest GRB ever detected, GRB 230307A, indicate that it belongs to the class of long-duration GRBs resulting from compact object mergers, with the decay of lanthanides powering the longlasting optical and infrared emission.

Long duration γ-ray bursts (GRBs) release copious amounts of energy across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and provide a window into the process of black hole formation from the collapse of massive stars. Observations of the extraordinarily bright prompt optical and γ-ray emission of GRB 080319B shows that the prompt emission stems from a single physical region, implying an extremely relativistic outflow that propagates within the narrow inner core of a two-component jet.

Observations of teraelectronvolt-energy γ-rays starting about one minute after the γ-ray burst GRB 190114C reveal a distinct component of the afterglow emission with power comparable to the synchrotron emission.

Radio observations of black hole MAXI J1820+070’s 2018 outburst captured an isolated radio flare that the authors connect with the launch of bipolar relativistic ejecta. Following the oncoming ejecta for more than half a year reveals that black hole jet energetics have been systematically underestimated.

The Zwicky Transient Facility has observed a transitioning white dwarf with two faces, with one side of its atmosphere dominated by hydrogen and the other by helium.

An observed one-day difference between the peaks of emission of ultraviolet and optical light from the hot spot on GM Aurigae indicates that the hot spot has a radial density gradient.

A bright, long-duration gamma-ray burst observed by the Swift observatory has hybrid high-energy properties, suggesting that its origin is the merger of a compact binary.

Here the authors functionally test and resolve the spatial genome organization of cis-regulatory elements and genetic variants in atrial, ventricular, and failing human cardiomyocytes and linked them to heart disease traits, including QT syndrome.

ILT J1101 is a white dwarf–M dwarf binary that emits minute-duration radio pulses with a 2-h periodicity. The period of the radio pulses is linked to the orbital period of the binary, rather than the rotation period of the stellar components.

Supernovae are usually discovered through their 'delayed' light, which becomes visible some hours after the actual event. Now Soderberg et al. report the discovery of a supernova at the time of the explosion, marked by an extremely luminous X-ray outburst.

Nitazenes are potent synthetic opioids that are difficult to detect. Here, authors computationally redesign a plant receptor to create sensitive sensors capable of detecting diverse nitazenes and their metabolites in biological samples.

A 51-minute-orbital-period, fully eclipsing binary system consisting of a star with a comparable temperature to that of the Sun but a 100 times greater density, accreting onto a white dwarf is reported.

Two further radio bursts associated with magnetar SGR 1935+2154 have been detected with a Westerbork 25 m dish, bringing the total to four. These observations demonstrate that SGR 1935+2154, a putative Galactic analogue of a fast radio burst source, can emit bursts across seven orders of magnitude in energy.

Two very-high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (at 2,132 Hz and 4,250 Hz) are detected within the initial hard spike of a magnetar giant flare originating from the galaxy NGC 253, and detailed temporal and spectral analyses are performed.

Observations of the supernova SN 2019hgp, identified about a day after its explosion, show that it occurred within a nebula of carbon, oxygen and neon, and was probably the explosion of a massive WC/WO star.

The tidal disruption event AT2019dsg is probably associated with a high-energy neutrino, suggesting that such events can contribute to the cosmic neutrino flux. The electromagnetic emission is explained in terms of a central engine, a photosphere and an extended synchrotron-emitting outflow.

Observations of the close gamma-ray burst GRB 060218 and its connection to supernova SN 2006aj reveal the break-out of a shock wave driven by a mildly relativistic shell into the dense wind surrounding the GRB progenitor. These observation catch a supernova in the act of exploding.

Recent MPXV outbreaks underscore the need for better vaccines and treatments. Here, the authors isolate and structurally characterize potent antibodies interacting with A28 that they identify as a key viral surface protein essential for viral entry and that induces strong, protective antibody response in mice.

A long-period radio transient with coincident radio and X-ray emission and observational properties unlike any known Galactic object has been observed by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder.

Observations of a bright γ-ray burst clearly show the temporal relationship and relative strength of the optical components.

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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