Search

Merons are topological structures, but these have yet to be directly observed in ferroelectrics. Here, by epitaxially straining PbTiO₃ on a SmScO₃ substrate, electron microscopy and phase-field modelling allow the morphology and distribution of merons to be observed.

The collinear antiferromagnet ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) can generate an electric-field-induced spin current with a well-defined tilted spin orientation that is approximately parallel to the Néel vector.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses identify 26 risk loci for epilepsy, including 19 loci specific to genetic generalized epilepsy. Prioritized candidate genes implicate synaptic processes and overlap with targets of antiseizure medications.

A new study considering data from 7603 households across 28 sites in 22 low- and middle-income countries show that inequality of household water security follows a Development Kuznets Curve.

In this study authors use morphological profiling and CRISPR/Cas9 genetic screens to investigate the mechanisms by which BiDACs induce the degradation of plasma membrane receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) EGFR and Her2.

Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing along with whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing of 100 prostate cancer metastases identifies genomic regions that are differentially methylated during disease progression and a novel epigenomic subtype.

Super-enhancers (SEs) are big DNA regions regulating the transcription of oncogenes. Here the authors identify two SE regions regulating the expression of CD47, a protein expressed by cancer cells to avoid phagocytosis by macrophages, thus suggesting a potential mechanism of immune surveillance escape.

While the high concentration of CO₂ in flue gas makes it an attractive feedstock for electrocatalytic production of useful molecules, SO₂ contaminants can poison catalysts. Here the authors report a polymer/catalyst/ionomer heterojunction design with hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains that improves the SO₂ tolerance of a Cu catalyst.

Prostate cancer risk-associated SNPs are enriched in noncoding CREs. Here the authors perform CRISPRi screens of CREs in prostate cancer cell lines to describe a causal mechanism synergistically driven by a risk SNP and DNA methylation-mediated 3D genome architecture.

Developing an understanding of a material’s magnetic behaviour based on neutron scattering measurements often relies on extracting an effective spin model. Samarakoon et al. demonstrate an automated machine learning approach to this problem, leading to more robust inferences from complex data.

Carbon inequality mirrors extreme wealth and income inequalities globally, with a high level of consumption-based carbon emissions in rich nations. This study shows that lifting people out of poverty does not impact much emissions globally, though in poorer countries emissions could more than double.

In an application of terahertz phonon engineering, terahertz phonons were generated, detected and manipulated through precise integration of atomically thin layers in van der Waals heterostructures.

The volatilization of alkaline ions is a main factor to degrade the performances of KNN films. Here, the authors utilized the volatilization and incorporation of Mn to construct periodical Mn-inlaid antiphase boundaries in KNN matrix, leading to an improvement of ferroelectric properties.

Qu et al. report a self-assembled material with π-expanded conjugation to form hydrophilic ordered bilayer as hole selective layer for inverted perovskite solar cells. The enhanced interfacial charge extraction and transport enable certified efficiency of 26.39% and 25.21% for 7.15 mm² - and 99.12 mm² -devices, respectively.

Superionic fluoride dielectrics with a low ion migration barrier are capable of excellent capacitive coupling and are highly compatible with scalable device manufacturing processes for integrated electronics.

Using intergenic regions and coalescent methods to analyse the genomes of 363 bird species, the authors present a well-supported tree confirming that Neoaves experienced rapid radiation at or near the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. Here, the authors carry out a two-stage genome-wide association study for AMD and identify three new AMD risk loci, highlighting the shared and distinct genetic basis of the disease in East Asians and Europeans.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Dielectric constant of non-fullerene acceptors plays a critical role in organic solar cells in terms of exciton dissociation and charge recombination. Here, authors report selenium substitution on central core of acceptors to improve dielectric constant, realizing devices with efficiency of 19.0%.

The mechanisms that regulate the initiation of DNA replication in archaea are poorly understood. Here, Dhanaraju et al. identify a sequence element and its interacting protein required for DNA replication initiation in the model archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus.

Stig Bojesen, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Alison Dunning and colleagues report common variants at the TERT-CLPTM1L locus associated with mean telomere length measured in whole blood. They also identify associations at this locus to breast or ovarian cancer susceptibility and report functional studies in breast and ovarian cancer tissue and cell lines.

A biologically-interpretable and robust metric that provides insight into one’s health status from a gut microbiome sample is an important clinical goal in current human microbiome research. Herein, the authors introduce a species-level index that predicts the likelihood of having a disease.

Extracellular vesicles encapsulating mRNA encoding for extracellular-matrix collagen and delivered intradermally via microneedles led to the replacement of collagen in the dermis of mice with photoaged skin.

Azacitidine (AZA) response in myelodysplastic neoplasms is unpredictable. Here, the authors show in a phase 2 trial that while global methylation changes did not differ by response, baseline and initial CpG methylation differences in HSPCs predicted AZA response.

Bhattacharjee and Schaeffer et al. map exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in 94 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), finding increased EBF practice and reduced subnational variation across the majority of LMICs from 2000 to 2018. However, only six LMICs will meet WHO’s target of ≥70% EBF by 2030 nationally, and only three will achieve this in all districts.

A design principle based on the curvature parameter provides important guidance for the design of capacitive deionization electrodes.

Mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells have been implicated in antibacterial responses. Here the authors show MAIT cells confer IFN-γ-mediated protection from lethal infection in a mouse model of Legionella infection, which can be enhanced by synthetic MR1 ligands.

Combined single-molecule spectroscopy, hydrogen–deuterium exchange and molecular dynamics approaches reveal that agonist activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors entails population of several intermediary states before G protein coupling.

Chemical approaches to improve aqueous dispersions of conjugated polymers are limited by the feasibility of modifying the backbone or lead to poor performance. Here, Liu et al. show that ground-state electron transfer in donor:acceptor blends aids aqueous dispersion, for high conductivity and solubility.

The Russia–Ukraine war triggered an energy crisis that affected the cost of many goods and services. Guan et al. model the direct and indirect impacts of increased energy prices across expenditure groups and countries, finding temporary increases in total household energy costs of 63–113% under different scenarios.

Severe COVID-19 is associated with epithelial and endothelial barrier dysfunction, however, the molecular pathways resulting in endothelial barrier dysfunction and vascular leakage are only sparsely understood. Here, Biering et al. show that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is sufficient to induce barrier dysfunction and vascular leak. They show a role for integrins, TGF-beta, ECM remodeling enzymes, and glycosaminoglycans in this S-mediated barrier dysfunction.

Muñoz-Gil and colleagues report the results of an open challenge where they benchmarked algorithms for the characterization of motion changes in single-particle tracking. By ranking methods on simulations, the competition revealed strengths and limitations of AI and classic approaches, guiding researchers toward optimal tools.

Tavernier et al. decipher the mechanism by which the intrinsically disordered protein Bora, phosphorylated by Cyclin-Cdk, potentiates AURKA activity towards Polo-like kinase 1. Furthermore, they demonstrate the importance of this mechanism for timely mitotic entry in Xenopus and human cells.

Singlet fission produces two molecular excitations from one photon and has the potential to boost solar cell efficiencies. Now it has been shown that magnetic fields can reveal the spectral signatures of the multi-excitonic intermediates in this process.

Regulatory T cells are functional in a broad-spectrum systemic autoimmune disease and are capable of suppressing innate and adaptive immune responses, reversing established tissue inflammation and enabling long-term restoration of immunological health.

Left- and right-handed snub cubes show photocontrollable elasticity and hardness, in addition to the ability to encapsulate different small molecules in distinct compartments simultaneously, with potential applications in the development of advanced biomimetic materials.

Supramolecular interactions play an essential role in organic electronic materials and biological systems. Now, it has been demonstrated that the σ–σ stacking interactions between neighbouring non-conjugated molecules can offer an efficient pathway for charge transport through supramolecular junctions, which provides a new guideline for the design and fabrication of organic materials and devices.

Loss of MEN1 affects tumor growth, varing with the components of the tumor microenvironment. These tumors show redistribution of MLL1 on chromatin and the activation of a viral mimicry response.

Antimicrobial peptide mechanism of membrane disruption have not been fully characterized at the cellular level. Here, authors use cryo-electron tomography and AFM to directly visualize the disruption of the outer and inner membranes of Escherichia coli by a de novo-designed peptide.

African Americans have an elevated risk of developing chronic kidney disease, yet only a fraction of those with high-risk genotypes develop the disease. Here, the authors show that a missense variant in APOL1 has a strong protective effect when co-inherited with the high-risk G2 allele of APOL1, with important implications for clinical practice and translational research.

Variation in antibody levels elicited by the COVID-19 vaccine ChAdOx1 nCov-19 is linked to specific major histocompatibility complex class II alleles, providing insight into the breadth of immune response among vaccinated individuals.

Rice is a staple crop for much of the world’s population, but its production can be a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Supplemental nano iron oxides application can halve these emissions while boosting crop yield.

A global field survey of 383 sites with different vegetation types spanning an environmental gradient reveals that soil biodiversity and functions exhibit pervasive nonlinear behaviours worldwide and are mainly governed by water availability.

Beige fat activation involves a fuel switch to fatty acid oxidation following chronic cold adaptation. Here, the authors show that Sortilin in adipose tissues facilitates the translocation of ACSL1 from the mitochondria to the endolysosomal pathway for degradation, which controls adipose tissue fatty acid oxidation and substrate fuel selection during beige fat activation.

Immunotherapies have shown limited efficacy in patients with glioma. Here, based on an in vivo kinome knockout CRISPR screen, the authors show that checkpoint kinase 2 promotes CD8 T cell immune evasion and that its depletion or inhibition improve survival and response to PD1/PDL1 blockade in preclinical glioma models.

A one-dimensional Dirac-like band is observed in a layer van der Waals material, expanding the arsenal of 2D systems.

Oxygen redox instability at high voltages hinders the application of high-energy battery cathodes. Here the authors report that elimination of domain boundaries in single-crystal cathodes improves the redox stability and consequently the electrochemical performance in extended high-voltage cycling.

Here, the authors show that sequential treatment with long-acting slow-effective release ART and AAV9- based delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 results in undetectable levels of virus and integrated DNA in a subset of humanized HIV-1 infected mice. This proof-of-concept study suggests that HIV-1 elimination is possible.

Data from over 700,000 individuals reveal the identity of 83 sequence variants that affect human height, implicating new candidate genes and pathways as being involved in growth.