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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.

A combination of adenovirus-vectored and subunit protein intranasal vaccine enhances immune response against SARS-CoV-2 variants in animal models and humans.

Mixed matrix membranes capable of breaking the permeability-selectivity trade-off suffer from the inefficient and disconnected bulky transport channels as well as low compatibility between nanomaterials and polymers. Here the authors propose an original photothermally triggered in-situ gelation approach to elaborate a nanofiber-interwoven gel membranes with tunable 3D-interconnected ultrafast transport channels for highly-selective CO₂ separation.

Stereoselective synthetic routes use P3HB (a polyester produced by bacteria) as a chiral feedstock for related polymers that have properties more amenable to processing and use.

Observations of γ-rays with energies up to 1.4 PeV find that 12 sources in the Galaxy are PeVatrons, one of which is the Crab Nebula.

Time-resolved measurements of the X-ray photoemission delay of core-level electrons using attosecond soft X-ray pulses from a free-electron laser can be used to determine the complex correlated dynamics of photoionization.

Researchers have demonstrated the generation and control of subfemtosecond pulse pairs from a two-colour X-ray free-electron laser and conducted pump–probe experiments in core-ionized molecules.

Developing planar phononic circuits analogous to photonic circuits are of interest to provide scalable advantages and complex manipulation of phonons. Here, the authors realize a phononic integrated circuit with a Gallium Nitride-on-sapphire platform, which provides strong confinement and control of phonons.

The MICrONS mouse visual cortex dataset shows that neurons with similar response properties preferentially connect, a pattern that emerges within and across brain areas and layers, and independently emerges in artificial neural networks where these ‘like-to-like’ connections prove important for task performance.

Neural Decomposition (NEURD) is a software package that decomposes neuronal data from high-resolution electron microscopy volumes into feature-rich graph representations to facilitate analysis for neuroscience research.

A consensus cell type atlas for the fly brain provides both an intellectual framework and open-source toolchains for brain-scale comparative connectomics.

Dense calcium imaging combined with co-registered high-resolution electron microscopy reconstruction of the brain of the same mouse provide a functional connectomics map of tens of thousands of neurons of a region of the primary cortex and higher visual areas.

Optical tweezers based on focused laser beams are widely used for biophysical measurements of single molecules in vitro. Here Zhong et al. use infrared optical tweezers to trap and manipulate red blood cells within subdermal capillaries in living mice.

Synthesizing superstructures with precisely controlled nanoscale building blocks is challenging. Here the assembly of superstructures is reported from atomically precise Ce₂₄O₂₈(OH)₈ and other rare-earth metal-oxide nanoclusters and their multicomponent combinations. A high-temperature ligand-switching mechanism controls the self-assembly.

Kagome superconductors host a panoply of condensed matter phenomena, some of which are mediated by band topology. Here, authors use ARPES and DFT to identify type-II and type-III Dirac nodal lines, flat bands and topological surface states in the kagome metal CsTi₃Bi₅.

Existing proposals of axion insulators are limited to spin-1/2 systems. Here the authors put forward a concept of a high spin axion insulator with several peculiar properties, such as the absence of gapless surface states and tunability of the axion field by an external magnetic field.

Designing energy efficient and scalable artificial networks for neuromorphic computing remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate tree-like conductance states at room temperature in strongly correlated perovskite nickelates by modulating proton distribution under high speed electric pulses.

Iridium-based electrocatalysts are traditional anode catalysts for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis but suffer from high cost and low reserves. An alternative, nickel-stabilized ruthenium dioxide catalyst with high activity and durability in acidic oxygen evolution reaction for water electrolysis is reported.

Nitrate, a common pollutant in wastewater and groundwater, has been efficiently converted into valuable ammonia products via an electrochemical method using Ru-dispersed Cu nanowire as the catalyst.

On-surface synthesis of two-dimensional polymers is a useful strategy for designing the lattice, orbital and spin symmetries of materials, but controlling their layer stacking remains challenging. Now, a method to synthesize bilayer two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks at a liquid–substrate interface through monomer condensation has been developed; large-area moiré superlattices emerge from the twisted bilayer stacking.

BAX and BAK are pro-apoptotic proteins whose activity is essential for the action of many anti-cancer drugs and to suppress tumorigenesis. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen and identify VDAC2 as a promoter of BAX-mediated apoptosis that is important for an efficient chemotherapeutic response and to suppress tumor formation.

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.

Glutathione-capped copper–indium–selenium nanotubes that display phosphorescence in acidic environments facilitate enhanced tumour-specific imaging in the second near-infrared spectral window.

The authors observe a coherent Kondo lattice in a monolayer of VSe₂ grown on a superconducting 2H-NbSe₂ substrate. Superconductivity is established in the Kondo lattice through proximity effect from the substrate.

Understanding the critical scaling behaviors of quantum phase transitions can provide profound physical implications. Here, the authors report temperature dependence of the derivative of longitudinal resistance at a magnetic-field induced quantum phase transition between the quantum anomalous Hall insulator to the axion insulator in magnetic topological insulator sandwich samples.

Cross-linking mass spectrometry can provide insights into protein structures and interactions but its scope depends on the reactivity of the cross-linker. Here, the authors develop Arg-Arg and Lys-Arg cross-linkers, which provide structural information elusive to the widely used Lys-Lys cross-linkers.

Through the approach of paracrystallization under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, exceptional toughening has been achieved in oxide glasses by enhancing their crystal-like medium-range order structure. This discovery offers possibilities for the design of more resilient glass materials.

FlyWire presents a neuronal wiring diagram of the whole fly brain with annotations for cell types, classes, nerves, hemilineages and predicted neurotransmitters, with data products and an open ecosystem to facilitate exploration and browsing.

Aligned 2D assembled fibres have been developed by drawing like 1D polymers, yet with disorders in cross-section. Here, the authors bidirectionally promote assembly order of graphene fibres, achieving high modulus and highly thermal conductivity.

Rapid and facile detection of specific nucleic acid modifications could have numerous applications. Here the authors present Specific Terminal Mediated Polymerase Chain Reaction (STEM-PCR) as a generic and accessible approach, and demonstrate proof-of-principle cancer biomarker detection.

Quantum technologies are extremely sensitive to environmental disturbance. Control techniques inspired by classical systems engineering allow selective filtering of the noise spectrum, suppressing time-varying noise over defined frequency bands.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) maintains intestinal homeostasis by restricting its hyperproliferation but whether it directly regulates the stem cells is unknown. Here the authors show that BMP constrains the Lgr5⁺stem cell expansion under both homeostatic and injury conditions through Smad-mediated repression of stem cell signature genes.

The most up-to-date combination of results on the properties of the Higgs boson is reported, which indicate that its properties are consistent with the standard model predictions, within the precision achieved to date.

Here the authors present a wet-interfacial Joule heating approach for synthesizing nanomaterials in a sub-second, programmable, and energy/reactant-saving manner, based on the synergy between Joule-heating-based high temperature and evaporation-caused concentration.

Habituation is a learning mechanism that enables control over forgetting and learning. Zuo, Panda et al., demonstrate adaptive synaptic plasticity in SmNiO₃ perovskites to address catastrophic forgetting in a dynamic learning environment via hydrogen-induced electron localization.

Stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is heavily investigated due to its role in improving lithium metal batteries. Here, the authors present a new strategy by employing electrolyte additives to construct stable multifunctional SEI via in situ anionic polymerization.

An optical-imaging instrument that integrates a visible multispectral imaging system with the detection of near-infrared fluorescence in the first and second windows aids the fluorescence-guided surgical resection of liver tumours in patients.

Bi et al. reveal a coordinated function for GATA3 and AP1 in altering enhancer landscapes, thereby promoting a basal/mesenchymal phenotype and endocrine resistance in breast cancer.

There is tremendous ongoing effort in the development of electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution. Here, the authors report that single nickel atoms dispersed on graphitic supports are formed by carbonization of metal-organic frameworks and that they are highly active hydrogen evolution catalysts.

Lanthanide ions possess similar chemical properties, making their separation from one another challenging. Here the authors show that a tris-tridentate ligand causes high-precision metal ion self-sorting, leading to the selective assembly of tetrahedral M₄L₄ cages across the lanthanide series.

A renally cleared, water-soluble dye emitting in the near-infrared-imaging (NIR)-II window outperforms a clinically approved NIR-I dye in the in vivo imaging of tumours and their nearby blood and lymphatic vasculatures.

Raised serum urate levels are a risk factor for gout, a common form of inflammatory arthritis. Here Li et al.conduct a multistage genome-wide association study in a Han Chinese population and identify three novel loci likely associated with the progression from hyperuricemia to gout.

Ten years after the discovery of the Higgs boson, the ATLAS  experiment at CERN probes its kinematic properties with a significantly larger dataset from 2015–2018 and provides further insights on its interaction with other known particles.

Acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) mediates acidic neuronal necroptosis via recruiting receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1). Here authors show that auto-inhibition of ASICa prevents RIPK1 recruitment and demonstrate that targeting the auto-inhibition has therapeutic potential to prevent acidotoxicity.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging >1,000 nm allows deep tissue imaging, but available organic dyes display poor brightness and temporal resolution. Here, the authors synthesize a NIR dye that, upon binding serum proteins, exhibits a 110-fold increase in intensity, giving an 11% quantum yield.

The functional relationship between subchondral bone and articular cartilage is unclear. Here, the authors show that transforming growth factor-beta propagates the mechanical impact of subchondral bone on articular cartilage through αV integrin–talin mechanical transduction system in chondrocytes.

A free-swimming soft robot inspired by deep-sea creatures, with artificial muscle, power and control electronics spread across a polymer matrix, successfully adapts to high pressure and operates in the deep ocean.