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Whole-genome sequencing data from more than 2,500 cancers of 38 tumour types reveal 16 signatures that can be used to classify somatic structural variants, highlighting the diversity of genomic rearrangements in cancer.

Understanding who is being left behind, where and how is crucial to advancing the United Nations’ commitment to ‘leaving no one behind’. This study maps urban slums and wealth distribution across 32 sub-Saharan African countries, revealing a decreasing proportion of the population living in slums, yet a concerning rise in wealth inequality.

An analysis of 2,954 genomes from 38 cancer subtypes identified 19,166 retrotransposition events in 35% of samples. Aberrant LINE-1 retrotranspositions can lead to the deletion of tumor-suppressor genes as well as the amplification of oncogenes.

Multi-omics datasets pose major challenges to data interpretation and hypothesis generation owing to their high-dimensional molecular profiles. Here, the authors develop ActivePathways method, which uses data fusion techniques for integrative pathway analysis of multi-omics data and candidate gene discovery.

The exact mechanism for superconductivity in iron-based superconductors remains elusive, but is thought to involve complex interactions between many orbitals. Using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, Liuet al. report the electronic structure of the single-layer parent compound FeSe.

Pressure-induced modulation of interlayer coupling and elastic constant in two-dimensional layered materials is quantitatively described through a unified chain model, offering insights into the tunable mechanical behaviors under extreme conditions.

Fractional quantum Hall states in 2D electron gases arise due to strong electron-electron interactions, which makes a general theoretical understanding difficult. Fu et al. present data showing the ν = 5/3 quantum Hall state has a 3/2 plateau in the diagonal resistance that has not been captured by existing models.

Magnetic skyrmions—topologically stable swirls in the spin structure—have great potential for spintronics devices. Here, the authors find two bound skyrmions with a topological charge of two in bilayer-structured manganite, which can be electrically driven with an exceptionally low current density.

Multiple resonance (MR) emitters with narrowband luminescence typically suffer from inadequate frontier molecular orbital levels. Here, authors incorporate cyano motifs at peripheral sites of the MR backbone to adjust the energy levels, realizing device efficiency of over 23% for stable devices.

Ferromagnetic systems produced by the transition metal doping of semiconductors may be used as components of spintronic devices. Here, a new ferromagnet, Li_1+y(Zn_1-xMn_x)As, is prepared in bulk quantities and shown to have a critical temperature approaching 50 K.

Solution-grown perovskite heterojunctions and quantum wells bring new opportunities for exploring semiconductor physics in a convenient manner

In this Consensus Statement, a consortium of microbiome scientists discuss current sequencing data sharing policies and propose the use of a Data Reuse Information (DRI) tag to promote equitable and collaborative data sharing.

In this study, the authors describe an imaging technology, ¹⁸F-FDS PET, for noninvasive detection, localization and monitoring of invasive mold infections, including Aspergillus, non-Aspergillus and azole-resistant molds, throughout the body.

Cancers evolve as they progress under differing selective pressures. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, the authors present the method TrackSig the estimates evolutionary trajectories of somatic mutational processes from single bulk tumour data.

The collective-flow-assisted nuclear shape-imaging method images the nuclear global shape by colliding them at ultrarelativistic speeds and analysing the collective response of outgoing debris.

A complete genome assembly of a crab-eating macaque, revealing 46% fewer segmental duplications and 3.83 times longer centromeres than those of humans, is presented, enhancing understanding of lineage-specific phenotypes, adaptation and primate evolution.

The instability of quantum dot inks hinders the scaling up of colloidal quantum dot electronics. Now, Shi and team stabilize the inks with an iodine-rich environment in a weakly coordinating solvent, achieving 13.4% in small-area solar cells and over 10% in modules.

Wide use of graphene nanosheets has raised concerns about the potential for environmental toxicity. Here, the authors explore the use of humic acid, traditionally considered to reduce graphene nanosheet toxicity, and show the coating has increased toxicity to model bacteria.

Sustainable management of soil organic carbon (SOC) in farmland is critical for mitigating climate change and improving soil health. Degradable film mulching is a promising alternative to plastic film mulching, sequestering SOC and reducing C loss in dryland agroecosystems under climate change.

Many tumours exhibit hypoxia (low oxygen) and hypoxic tumours often respond poorly to therapy. Here, the authors quantify hypoxia in 1188 tumours from 27 cancer types, showing elevated hypoxia links to increased mutational load, directing evolutionary trajectories.

Zhang, Mille-Fragoso and colleagues developed a synthetic receptor platform named LIDAR (Ligand-Induced Dimerization-Activating RNA editing), which enables ligand-responsive gene regulation without the need of DNA promoters and is, thus, compatible with mRNA delivery.

Whether superconductivity coexists or competes with other types of order in unconventional superconductors is a question that has been hotly contested. An ARPES study reported by Yi et al. suggest that superconductivity and spin-density wave orders coexist and compete dynamically in Ba_1−xK_xFe₂As₂.

Silver nanoparticles are useful antimicrobial agents in water purification systems. Here the fabrication of silver nanoparticles that include a magnetic layer could lead to improved purification systems as it allows the recovery of the nanoparticles by magnetic fields.

There’s an emerging body of evidence to show how biological sex impacts cancer incidence, treatment and underlying biology. Here, using a large pan-cancer dataset, the authors further highlight how sex differences shape the cancer genome.

Functional materials that act as bio-sensing media when interfaced with complex bio-matter are attractive for health sciences and bio-engineering. Here, the authors report room temperature enzyme-mediated spontaneous hydrogen transfer between a perovskite quantum material and glucose reactions.

Ultrashort electron bunches are promising for diffractive imaging measurements of structural dynamics, particularly in small or delicate structures. To this end, McCulloch et al. use a two-colour photoionization process to generate high-coherence ultrafast electron bunches from laser-cooled atoms.

The poor structural stability of cathode materials is responsible for the rapid capacity loss of sodium-ion batteries during cycling. This work addresses the instability by introducing vacancies into the transition metal layers and realize long-life pouch cells.

Sand fly vector control strategies are limited. Here, Cecilio et al. use the bacteria Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1 to reduce the ability of sand flies to become infected with Leishmania parasites and effectively transmit them to mammalian hosts.

In this study the authors consider the structural variants (SVs) present within cancer cases of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. They report hundreds of genes, including known cancer-associated genes for which the nearby presence of a SV breakpoint is associated with altered expression.

By controlling the flow or composition of liquids, optofluidics provides numerous possibilities for devices, and so has great potential for transformation optics. Here, a multi-mode optofluidic waveguide is presented, which manipulates light to produce controllable chirped focussing and interference.

Earth-abundant Ni-X (X= Zn, Ga, In) bimetallic nanocrystals are achieved via colloidal synthesis and studied as alkyne semihydrogenation catalysts, for which the Ni₃Zn composition is found to offer an optimal balance between selectivity and activity.

The authors present a soft metalens (SML) with tungsten-gel composite for ultra-broadband transcranial focus, significantly enhancing intracranial sound pressure and spatial resolution. This breakthrough advances underwater sonar, medical ultrasound imaging, and non-invasive detection for energy transmission.

The red fluorescent protein mScarlet3-H is bright, photostable and very robust to high temperature, chaotropic conditions and oxidative environments. mScarlet3-H works well in correlative light and electron microscopy, tissue clearing and time-lapse super-resolution microscopy.

An electron and a hole trapped in the same quantum dot couple together to form an exciton. Conventionally the hole involved is a heavy hole. Light-hole excitons are now observed by applying elastic stress to initially unstrained gallium arsenide-based dots. The quasiparticles are identified by their optical emission signature, and could be used in future quantum technologies.

Accurate data collection remains challenging in fragile contexts, which are prone to food insecurity. Remote sensing, survey data and deep learning can generate poultry–fish sector production estimates and contribute towards long-term food security monitoring.

Water scarcity is a global issue that demands urgent resolution, but current approaches are inadequate. Now a metre-scale atmospheric water harvester, featuring a hygroscopic origami hydrogel panel and a window-like glass chamber, demonstrates exceptional efficiency in extracting water from air, even in extremely arid conditions.

Deformation twinning, a key deformation mechanism that is rarely explored in superhard materials, is shown to be activated in cubic boron nitride and other cubic covalent materials under a loading-specific twinning criterion.

The SARS-CoV-2 3CL main protease (3CL M^pro) is a chymotrypsin-like protease that facilitates the production of non-structural proteins, which are essential for viral replication and is therefore of great interest as a drug target. Here, the authors present the 2.30 Å room temperature crystal structure of ligand-free 3CL M^pro and compare it with the earlier determined low-temperature ligand-free and inhibitor-bound crystal structures.

Most of the notable properties of graphene are a result of the cone-like nature of the points in its electronic structure where its conduction and valance bands meet. Similar structures arise in 2D HgTe quantum wells, but without the spin- and valley-degeneracy of graphene; their properties are also likely to be easier to control.

Insight-HXMT detected a double-peaked X-ray burst from Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154, consistent with two fast radio bursts (FRBs) observed from the same object within seconds. This coincidence suggests a common physical origin, and gives insight into the mechanism behind the origin of FRBs.

The characterization of 4,645 whole-genome and 19,184 exome sequences, covering most types of cancer, identifies 81 single-base substitution, doublet-base substitution and small-insertion-and-deletion mutational signatures, providing a systematic overview of the mutational processes that contribute to cancer development.

Erbium-doped lead magnesium niobium titanate ceramics demonstrate ultrahigh strain and piezoelectric coefficients under low electric fields, setting a benchmark for piezoelectric materials and offering versatile applications in precision actuators and sensors.

In somatic cells the mechanisms maintaining the chromosome ends are normally inactivated; however, cancer cells can re-activate these pathways to support continuous growth. Here, the authors characterize the telomeric landscapes across tumour types and identify genomic alterations associated with different telomere maintenance mechanisms.

The coexistence of topological and superconducting states in a single layer of FeSe on a SrTiO₃ substrate is reported.

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider reports a search for charged-lepton-flavour violation in decays of Z bosons into a τ lepton and an electron or muon of opposite charge.

Fibers derived from non-silk proteins hold potential for various biomedical applications, but mechanically-balanced and highly-biocompatible regenerated protein fibers are elusive. Here, the authors report an entanglement-reinforced strategy to fabricate keratin/albumin bio-fibers that show high strength and toughness, along with favorable biocompatibility, degradability and immunocompatibility.

A long- and short-read barley pan-transcriptome assembled from 20 diverse barley genotypes offers insights into genotype- and tissue-dependent gene expression and function.

The precise placement of thioester bonds into sequence-controlled polymers remains challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate the versatile synthesis of sequence-controlled polymers from the step polymerization of cyclic thioanhydrides, diacrylates, and diols/diamines.