Search

Simultaneous profiling of spatial transcriptomics (ST) and metabolomics (SM) offers a novel way to decode tissue microenvironment heterogeneity. Here, the authors present SpatialMETA, a conditional variational autoencoder-based framework designed for the integration of ST and SM data.

Bio-hybrid photoelectrochemical systems integrate microbial components with abiotic conductors/semiconductors for solar fuels and chemical conversion. Here, the authors analyze the bottlenecks related to catalytic efficiency, stability and scalability, and propose strategies to address these challenges.

In this study, authors show that the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drives 63% of dengue case variation via rising local temperatures. They estimate future cases may increase by 39–82% due to increasing ENSO events under human-induced warming.

Techniques for determining chiral purity are important, but can be challenging to achieve by eye. Here, the authors report the development of dyes with visual chiral recognition capabilities by changes in the coassembly process and therefore variable steric hindrance.

Based on an immunogenicity screen of monkeypox virus (MPXV) surface proteins, the authors develop an mRNA vaccine with 12 antigens, which they combine with T cell epitope-rich regions to achieve protection through coordinated activation of humoral and cellular immune responses.

A significant challenge remains in preparing high-quality, large-area tin-lead mixed narrow-bandgap perovskite films for all-perovskite tandem solar modules. Here, the authors introduce pyridine to facilitate crystallization process, achieving maximum efficiency of 22.0% for 10.4 cm² mini-modules.

Episodic sediment erosion occurred in partially silted Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi reservoirs during the 2019 flooding and regulation-induced drawdown conditions in the Yellow River, China, according to quantitative assessments of episodic reservoir erosion effects on fluvial sediments.

Rice indica varieties have higher nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) than that of japonica varieties. Here, the authors show that natural variation of OsWRKY23 and its interaction with DULL NITROGEN RESPONSE1 (DNR1)-mediated auxin accumulation play a role in NUE divergence between the two rice subspecies.

Developing photocatalysts from earth-abundant materials is crucial for sustainable solar hydrogen production, yet challenges in efficiency and stability persist. Here, the authors report that the topological semimetal cobalt triarsenide functions as an active and durable platform for this reaction.

The contribution of the extracellular matrix and its degradation to the aging process is not well understood. Here, the authors show that degraded elastin fragments, which increase in the circulation with age, promote aging, while counteracting elastin fragment signals alleviates inflammation, promotes healthy aging and extends lifespan.

Ferroelectric organic materials can be used for tunnel barriers in memory devices as a cheaper and eco-friendly replacement of their inorganic counterparts. Here, Tian et al. use poly(vinylidene fluoride) with 1–2 layer thickness to achieve giant tunnel electroresistance of 1,000% at room temperature.

The authors report on new developments on the sensitivity of the nuclear clock transition in Th229 for new physics searches involving variations of the fine-structure constant. This highlights the need for developing of advanced nuclear models and parameter searches relating to experimental measurements.

The authors report the mechanical stress-induced dielectric strength weakening of hBN nanosheets with thinner nanosheets showing more remarkable weakening, as evidenced by lower breakdown strength, shorter breakdown time, and larger leakage current.

The H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) remain dominant in live poultry markets in China, and H9N2 AIVs with HA-Q226L, PB2-V/K627 and NP-N52 mutations can be transmitted between guinea pigs and between ferrets via direct contact and respiratory droplet.

Zhang et al. show that the activation of RIPK1 is suppressed by acetylhypusination in a spermidine-dependent manner. Disruption of this axis contributes to RIPK1-mediated vascular pathology to promote insulin resistance and diabetic kidney pathology.

We report direct measurement of repulsive van der Waals forces on suspended graphene using atomic force microscopy. The strong repulsive forces substantially lower the wettability of suspended graphene.

Wang et al. reveal that the fungal effector BcSSP2 disrupts protein phase separation at the plant nuclear pore, inhibiting the transport of immune regulators and suppressing host defenses to facilitate pathogen infection.

The streamlined dual-functional group transfer strategy represents an efficient and sustainable approach for difunctionalization reactions, where all atoms or functional groups from the starting materials are fully incorporated into the final products. Herein, the authors report a regioselective pyridylcyanation of internal alkynes enabled by an oxalate-based photocatalytic system, employing cyanopyridine as a streamlined dual-functional group transfer reagent.

Existing datasets of nitrogen (N) balance in agriculture are often discrepant. Comparing 13 of them regarding five metrics (fertilizer application, manure application, biological N fixation, atmospheric deposition, and N harvested as crop products) over 1961–2015 reveals why. Recommendations for improving N quantification and an N budget benchmark dataset are also proposed.

The authors propose a hierarchical defect engineering strategy for ferroelectric oxides to achieve full-spectrum optical absorption and boost broadband self-powered photodetection, realizing self-powered photodetection in the 250–5000 nm range with a responsivity of >1 mA/W.

2D semiconductors hold promise for solution-processed circuits requiring low-cost components and manufacturing scalability. Here, the authors investigate the criteria for the electrochemical exfoliation of high aspect-ratio nanosheets from 28 different layered materials, identifying the most promising candidates and key bottlenecks for solution-processed complementary electronics and functional circuits.

Skyrmions, known for their robust topological protection, hold great promise for spintronic applications, but controlling their topological invariants has been a long-standing challenge. This work demonstrates light-induced manipulation of half skyrmions via eight identified monopole types, enabling topological transformations, tunable monopole interactions, and particle transport.

Seed size plays an important role in determining soybean yield. Here, the authors report GmSW17, encoding a homolog of Arabidopsis UBP22 that plays a role in deubiquitination, as a positive regulator of soybean seed width and seed weight through inhibition of the G1-to-S transition by interacting with GmSGF11 and GmENY2.

Pan et al. report an attention-inspired architecture for adaptive spatial-temporal information processing based on 0D-2D hetero-dimensional interface between MoS₂ and Ag filament. Wafer-scale device array is prepared for in-memory analog computing and applied to autonomous driving edge intelligence scenarios.

Tian et al. show that RNA folding limits extensive base pairing among mRNAs in Drosophila germ granules. Instead, mRNAs interact via scattered bases exposed on the surface of folded RNAs, which may preserve proper gene function during development.

Conditional knockout of LARP4 in naive CD4⁺ T cells leads to attenuated quiescence exit and clonal expansion.

Subduction-driven warming and uplift are linked to the Cambrian Explosion, and Li-Os-Sr isotopes trace enhanced erosion of phosphorus-rich juvenile rocks that boosted productivity and oxygen levels to fuel animal diversification.

Clustering cells based on similarities in gene expression is the first step towards identifying cell types in scRNASeq data. Here the authors incorporate biological knowledge into the clustering step to facilitate the biological interpretability of clusters, and subsequent cell type identification.

Charge transport and extraction in polycrystalline perovskite films are often hindered by inefficient carrier transfer across grain domain boundaries (GDBs). Here, authors employ supramolecular assisted Rb+ delivery for in-situ GDB bridging, achieving efficiency of 26.02% for perovskite solar cells.

Ma et al. demonstrate that air pollution is associated with an increased risk of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD), and that genetic susceptibility to TAAD amplifies this risk through multiplicative and additive interactions.

Fan et al. describe DF-003, an alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1) inhibitor that targets the root cause of the rare genetic disease ROSAH syndrome, demonstrating the ability of DF-003 to inhibit ocular inflammatory pathology in ROSAH model mice.

Activity recognition in live-cell imaging is laborious. Here, authors present, IVEA, a fully automated AI ImageJ plugin, that efficiently detects and classifies exocytosis events, from synaptic transmission to single-vesicle fusion, across cell types and imaging setups.

Lu et al. characterize cis-regulatory element dynamics at different stages of colorectal cancer progression and identify a functional variant associated with increased colorectal cancer risk because of selective transcription factor binding.

A new artificial intelligence model, DeepSeek-R1, is introduced, demonstrating that the reasoning abilities of large language models can be incentivized through pure reinforcement learning, removing the need for human-annotated demonstrations.

Researchers use a chimeric approach to reveal the first near-atomic resolution structures the yellow fever virion, showing key differences between vaccine and virulent strains that affect how antibodies recognise and neutralise the virus.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries suffer from slow solid-state Mg²⁺diffusion in the intercalation cathode. Here the authors show magnesium/iodine chemistry in which the liquid–solid two-phase reaction leads to increased rate capabilities by overcoming the sluggish kinetics.

An optical detection and analysis platform quantifies aggregate density, distribution and size in fluorescently labelled post-mortem human brain tissue.

Shoot branching is critical in determining soybean yield. Here, the authors report natural variation of Dt2 in controlling soybean branching number and the interaction of Dt2 with GmAgl22 and GmSoc1a to activate transcription of GmAp1a and GmAp1d.

Self-assembled monolayers targeting wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells are essential to reduce the open-circuit voltage loss. Here, the authors report the stepwise tuning of interfacial energy level through inductive effect, achieving perovskite/TOPCon tandem solar cells with efficiency over 31%.

3d-atom intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides present complex behaviour due to the interplay between localized and itinerant electrons. Here, the authors investigate Cr_1/3NbS₂ and Mn_1/3NbS₂, revealing that Hund’s coupling and orbital hybridization significantly alter electronic structures, inducing strong spin polarization and anomalous changes in the density of states at the Fermi level.

Sequencing the genome and microbiome of about 1,500 tick samples from regions across China revealed host–microbe associations in ticks that could have implications for controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Existing photo-controlled CRISPR diagnostic methods suffer from limited universality, high cost, and low detection efficiency. Here, the authors develop a photo-caging strategy designed for the direct repeat (DR) region of Cas12a crRNA, enabling a broadly applicable one-pot detection platform

Efficient chemical synthesis of nucleoside is challenging due to the low reactivity of nucleobases acceptors. Herein, the authors report a protocol for nucleoside synthesis with glycosyl o-(tert-butylethynyl)phenyl thioglycosides as donors.

Azetidine is a pharmacophore present in drug-related molecules. Here the authors unveil a two-metalloenzyme cascade leading to the azetidine-containing polyoximic acid, in which PolE functions as an Fe²⁺/pterin-dependent l-isoleucine desaturase, while PolF is a haem-oxygenase-like diiron oxidase, orchestrating the sequential desaturation and cyclization. These findings expand our knowledge of metalloenzymes.

Anode-free Li metal batteries suffer from irreversible Li plating/stripping and interfacial side reactions. Here, authors propose a dual-gradient metal layer on Cu current collector to promote uniform Li deposition and the in situ formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase.

Bone marrow adipose tissue is linked to skeletal and metabolic health. Here, the authors use deep learning and GWAS to identify genetic determinants of bone marrow fat and reveal a causal link between femoral fat content and osteoporosis risk.

Covalent polymers with helical conformations offer an adaptive scaffold for smart materials, but polymer-to-monomer deconstruction is inhibited by the covalent backbone. Now it has been shown that poly(disulfide)s can be folded into helices driven by side-chain hydrogen-bonding self-assembly, resulting in a synthetic helical polymer that can be fully recycled.