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The authors introduce and demonstrate a programmable optically-driven organic micro-actuator for precise manipulation of on-chip structures. This paves the way for adaptive, multifunctional photonic systems.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney failure. This study shows that prolonged glucagon exacerbates lipid accumulation, promoting renal injury in early DKD, rather than lipid oxidation. Targeting glucagon signaling significantly inhibits DKD progression.

Characterization of four SALICYLIC ACID-DEFICIENT GENEs in rice identifies an ancestral pathway for biosynthesis of salicylic acid from phenylalanine and provides genetic targets for engineering disease resistance in crop plants.

This trial evaluated the immunogenicity and safety profiles of a bivalent aerosolized adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccine and an intramuscular bivalent mRNA booster. The mRNA booster induced higher neutralizing antibody levels and a distinct memory B cell response, yet was associated with a higher incidence of adverse reactions.

High-resolution speleothem records and an isotope-enabled climate model suggest distinct responses of East Asian summer monsoon δ¹⁸O to various kinds of interstadials, driven by nuanced shifts of Westerlies modulated by high-latitude warming intensity.

The efficiency of a quantum computer depends on which basic operations it can implement. Now a scheme that can implement any two-qubit logic gate has been demonstrated on a superconducting architecture.

Using data from six population-scale cohorts involving more than 10 million individuals, a large language model-based aging signature is shown to outperform traditional aging biomarker indices and signatures in predicting multiple health outcomes, at general and organ-specific levels.

A newly identified coronavirus isolated from farmed minks can use the receptor ACE2 to infect cells of different mammalian species, including human cells, which has implications for potential zoonotic spillover events.

In plants and algae, isoamylases drive phytoglycogen-to-amylopectin conversion. Here, the authors show that ISA1 and ISA2 form a heterocomplex that coordinately trims glucan branches to promote starch granule formation, defining a key step in starch biosynthesis.

Defect engineering plays a pivotal role in materials science but achieving precise control over defects in pure organic systems remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate the creation of controllable defects in molecular crystals through the supersaturated solution-fed seeded self-assembly of two strategically designed molecules.

Chromosome-level genome assemblies of allotetraploid Nicotiana tabacum and its ancestors, along with their transcriptomes, epigenomes and genotype and phenotype data for 5,196 N. tabacum germplasms, provide insights into genome evolution and complex trait regulation.

Yang et al. demonstrate that the rice lectin OsChtBL1 accumulates in the food canal of insect vectors, creating a barrier that hinders feeding and reduces rice stripe virus (RSV) transmission. RSV counters this by using its P2 protein to recruit the host E3 ubiquitin ligase OsRING18, leading to OsChtBL1 degradation.

Worldwide, the number of only-child families is increasing. This research examines how growing up without siblings affects adult brain structure, function and connectivity, cognition, personality and mental health.

Socioeconomic status is multidimensional and can change over time. Xu, Lui, Ji et al. found dimension-specific, late-stage-specific and change-specific socioeconomic effects on brain, cognition, personality and emotion.

A study reveals that activation of Toll/interleukin-1 receptor signalling is an important mechanism for boosting plant defence during pattern-triggered immunity.

Middle-aged individuals are more susceptible to obesity, but the mechanisms are unclear. Here, the authors show that extracellular vesicles from adipose progenitor cells in middle-aged individuals lack miR-145-5p, driving inflammation, and that restoring miR-145-5p could prevent midlife obesity.

This study establishes a dynamic regulatory network for barley grain development integrating genetic, metabolic, and gene expression information, revealing the regulatory role of key transcription factors in barley grain flavonoid metabolism and grain color formation.

Realizing organic p–n junctions based on ordered crystalline materials with dimensions comparable to the exciton diffusion length of most organic semiconductors remains a challenge. Here, the authors report a strategy to form molecular monolayer crystal-based p–n junctions with thickness below 5 nm.

XPR1 is the only known protein that exports inorganic phosphate from cells. This study demonstrates that XPR1 uses a channel-like mechanism for phosphate transport, offering insights into potential therapeutic strategies for XPR1-linked diseases.

Orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) beams have great potential for multiplexing signals in optical communication, but creating a compact source is challenging. The authors integrate a chip-scale optical vortex emitter and DFB laser into a single monolithic device for direct electrically pumped production of OAM beams.

In a phase 1/2 trial in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), followed by a phase 2 trial in an EGFR-mutant selected population, treatment with the TROP2-targeting antibody–drug conjugate sacituzumab tirumotecan led to encouraging clinical response rates, especially in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC, which was supported by mechanistic data.

Cross-ancestry genome-wide association studies of 3,414 brain imaging phenotypes in Chinese Han and white British participants identify autosomal and X-chromosomal associations in more diverse populations.

Monitoring the early-stage healing of severe traumatic nerve injuries is essential to gather pathological information for timely interventions. Here, the authors introduce a biodegradable and restorative neural interface for wireless real-time tracking.

The authors show that SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in the lung are key to fighting infection and persist after viral clearance, contributing to long-term immunity and protection.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) and PAF-like phospholipids were identified as propagators of ferroptosis, whereas PAFAH2 suppressed synchronized ferroptosis and, thus, prevented tubular cell death in acute kidney injury.

Amino acid changes in a newly identified spike epitope enabled the Delta variant to evade a population antibody response.

Metagenomic analysis of cold seep water columns reveals microbial diversity and metabolic interactions driving biogeochemical cycles, emphasizing key roles of methanotrophs and ecological stratification at the bottom water interface.

Ferroelectrics, which exhibit excellent charge separation ability, suffer from poor photocatalytic activity. The authors unveil the limitations in charge extraction and offer strategies to design high-performance photocatalysts by eliminating surface defects.

A precise catalogue of more than 19 million variants from 838 tomato genomes, including 32 new reference-level genome assemblies, advances the understanding of the heritability of complex traits and demonstrates the power of the graph pangenome in crop breeding.

Genomic analyses of Citrus species including haplotype-resolved genomes of Citrus sinensis and Citrus aurantium highlight the origin of sweet orange and provide a strategy for de novo domestication of perennial crops.

Efficient detection of single molecules is vital to many biosensing technologies, which require analytical platforms with high selectivity and sensitivity. Ren et al. combine a nanopore sensor and a field-effect transistor, whereby gate voltage mediates DNA and protein transport through the nanopore.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses in populations of East Asian and European ancestries identify variant–trait associations for 44 hippocampal traits and provide insight into the genetic architectures of hippocampal and subfield volumes.

Convergence of heavy or light chains in antibodies recognising pathogens could drive mutations in these pathogens. Here the authors examine antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and find that a conserved VL6-57 light chain recognising a conserved motif in the spike protein is associated with virus mutations and could drive changes in SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants.

Membranes with precise ion-ion separation are critical for sustainable water treatment. Here, authors demonstrated controlled construction of a nanofiltration membrane with fast permeation and high Cl^-/SO₄^2- selectivity by simultaneous spatial and temporal control of interfacial polymerization.

Creating flexible acoustoelectric devices with ultrathin thickness, high elasticity, stable conductivity, and high electromechanical energy conversion capability poses a challenge. Zhang et al. present a liquid crystal mediated technique that creates an elastic piezoelectric nanomembrane with double noise reduction, offering promise for auditory system reconstruction and other acoustoelectric conversion applications.

The authors show that the lncRNA-derived microprotein SMIMP, which is shown to promote tumor formation, regulates cohesin core subunit binding to cis-regulatory elements and alters the expression of tumor-suppressive cell cycle regulators.

SETD2 methylates histone H3K36me3 in gene bodies in mammalian cells. Here the authors show H3K36me3 is also enriched at the promoter regions, and that this methylation is carried out by SMYD5, which is recruited by RNA polymerase II. They furthermore show SMYD5 is elevated in liver cancer and is correlated with changes in gene expression.

Melatonin is a physiological regulator in many organisms including plants. Here, the authors demonstrate a molecular mechanism of red light-induced melatonin biosynthesis in tomato fruit which could guide the engineering of melatonin-enriched tomatoes.

Adaptation requires limiting exposure to climate threats, and policies should focus on curbing development in risky areas. By examining the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, researchers demonstrate that removing financial incentives for development can lower climate risks and damages.

Liu, Gu, Chen, Zhang et al. propose KUTS, a foundational triage model that integrates knowledge prompt-tuning and uncertainty-based classification to enhance emergency acuity level prediction. The model achieves superior AUC performance across all levels, especially for moderate acuity cases, offering a robust and efficient solution for real-world triage applications.

Low-temperature decomposition and insufficient plastic deformability are bottlenecks that limit the practical applications of nanograined Al alloys. Here the authors utilize a high density vacancies in combination with Sc microalloying to stabilize nanograined Al-Cu alloys.

RNA secondary structure is a new regulatory layer of transcript fates. Here, Li et al. find that plant RNA helicase Brr2a, acting beyond its canonical role in spliceosome, can optimize secondary structure of pri-miRNAs to promote miRNA production.