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Grain chalkiness is an undesirable trait that severely compromises rice quality. Here, the authors report the cloning of an E3 ubiquitin ligase encoding gene Chalk9 and reveal its crucial role in regulating grain chalkiness through mediating the ubiquitination-dependent degradation of OsEBP89.

Polyamide depolymerisation typically requires harsh conditions and has a limited substrate scope. Here, the authors use methyl tosylate to depolymerise polyamides under mild conditions via alcoholysis, yielding ε-caprolactam, amino acid esters, diamines, and diesters.

Sustained epigenetic silencing in monkeys is made more efficient with optimized regulators.

Diamond, a statistically rigorous method, is capable of finding meaningful feature interactions within machine learning models, making black-box models more interpretable for science and medicine.

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.

Wang and colleagues show that an AI-assisted designed peptide obstructs GSDMD pores and inhibits IL-1β and IL-18 release and pyroptosis.

HiScanner, a tool for identification of copy number alterations from single cell whole-genome sequencing data, uncovers cell-type-specific somatic mosaicism in human brain and offers a way to track clonal evolution at the single cell resolution.

A tunable magnetic nanochains platform (EVGpro) enables tandem enrichment, proteomic, and N-glycoproteomic analysis of extracellular vesicles from ultratrace biofluids. EVGpro identifies N-glycoprotein signatures and two asthenozoospermia subtypes.

Dextran sulfate sodium is a colitis inducer that stimulates a ROS–Src–IP6K2 signaling axis to generate 5-IP₇, which sterically inhibits PI(4,5)P₂ phosphatases to promote PI(4,5)P₂-mediated E-cadherin endocytosis and epithelial junction breakdown.

Long-lasting oxygen catalysts are crucial for rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Here, the authors report that placing tungsten atoms next to iron atoms within N₄ units creates durable Fe-N₄/W-N₄ diatomic sites, enabling a zinc-air battery to cycle reliably for more than 10,000 h.

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.

Diagnosing rare diseases, such as choroid neoplasias, remains a critical challenge. Here, the authors develop a multimodal concept-based interpretable model (MMCBM) to distinguish uveal melanoma from hemangioma and metastatic carcinoma, obtaining performance comparable to senior ophthalmologists in a large cohort of Asian patients with choroid neoplasms.

Authors demonstrate an AI-based method that generates high-quality 4K holograms with real-time, adjustable depth control. This overcomes the fixed-focus limitation of prior techniques, enabling flexible and interactive holographic displays without hardware changes.

Current brain organoids protocols face significant challenges in achieving adequate neural maturation to effectively replicate the functionality of mature neural circuits. Here, authors present an approach by integrating astrocyte-secreted factors to facilitate maturation and functional fidelity of in vitro brain organoids and planar neural cultures.

Zinc-ion batteries face challenges like dendrite formation, limiting their performance. Here, authors reveal that high-current deposition forms (002) textured Zn, enhancing cycling life, and propose guidelines for optimizing battery cycling protocols based on advanced in situ XRD analysis.

An artificial ligament replacement is made from aligned carbon nanotubes formed into hierarchical helical fibres with nanometre and micrometre channels which are demonstrated for the replacement of anterior cruciate ligaments in both rabbit and ovine models, showing strong integration and functional recovery.

An implantable hydrogel-based phononic crystal that deforms with the surrounding tissues modifying the ultrasonic bandgap allows continuous and wireless monitoring of internal tissue strains.

Zhang et al. identify GLP-1 receptor agonists mitigating Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive decline and amyloid pathology in a transgenic mouse model via promoting phagocytosis and through activation of the CaMKK2–AMPK signaling pathway.

The intrinsic instability of wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells is predominantly attributed to the vacancy defects caused by multiple ion migration. Here, authors incorporate an ether ring supramolecule into perovskites and achieve an efficiency of over 28% for all-perovskite tandem solar cells.

Shallow NV centers in diamond are promising quantum sensors but suffer from reduced coherence times due to surface spin impurities. Here the authors improve coherence times to over 1 ms through interface engineering by oxygen-terminating the diamond surface and patching it with graphene.

Alpha-fetoprotein is a known biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, the authors analyse differences between AFP positive and negative patients to identify alterations in androgen receptor signalling.

Most LiDARs have an intrinsic tradeoff between acquisition rate and non-ambiguity range. Researchers demonstrated a LiDAR called RRMFC based on an integrated lithium niobate frequency comb, leading to a 1.79 GHz acquisition rate and infinite non-ambiguity range.

Yang et al. show an age-related increase in the microbial-derived metabolite phenylacetylglutamine that drives host cellular senescence by inducing DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction via ADR–AMPK signaling.

Preclinical studies have shown synergy in the combination of tifcemalimab (anti-BTLA antibody) with toripalimab (anti-PD-1 antibody) in lymphoma. Here, the authors report a clinical trial investigating tifcemalimab alone and in combination with toripalimab in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma.

Hydrogel materials have emerged as versatile platforms for biomedical applications. Here this group reports an mRNA lipid nanoparticle-incorporated microgel matrix for immune cell recruitment/antigen expression and presentation/cellular interaction thereby eliciting antitumor efficacy with a single dose.

Honeybee behavioral plasticity provides a model to study how brain gene networks regulate behavior. Here, authors show stripe activation in Kenyon cells links gene regulatory networks to behavioral maturation via spatial-cellular coordination.

Room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials are promising for optical applications. Here, the authors demonstrate a scalable preparation of RTP nanospheres and their assembly into photonic crystals with multimodal luminescence.

Using theoretical and mechanical models, this study reveals that active twisting of most xeric plant leaves contributes to effective droplet collection and wind resistance in extreme environments. The twisting configuration is used to design a biomimetic plant cluster, enabling tunable water collection and transportation.

Heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs) offer high atom utilization and well-defined active sites but face challenges in multi-stage cross-couplings due to limited coordination and reactivity. Here, the authors introduce SACs on reducible carriers, enabling adaptive coordination to bypass oxidative addition in cross-couplings.

The authors present a 3.5-million-year-long pollen record from the Zoige Basin of the eastern Tibetan Plateau, 3,442 m above sea level. The ~5,000 pollen assemblages retrieved from the core reveal many ecosystem transitions during this time and, when correlated with climatic curves, indicate what effects future warming may have on regional vegetation.

Lewis acid additive semicarbazide hydrochloride improves the formation of α-phase FAPbI₃-based films and promotes a homogeneous vertical distribution of A-site cations through a deprotonation–reprotonation process. The upgraded device performance reaches up to 26.12% with high stability, and mini-module perovskite solar cells achieving 21.47% (area, 11.52 cm²) demonstrate great scalability.

While Bell inequalities have been violated several times—mostly in photonic systems—their violations within particle physics experiments are less explored. Here, the BESIII Collaboration showcases Bell-violating nonlocal correlations between entangled hyperon pairs.

Extracellular matrices are viscoelastic, yet how matrix viscoelasticity regulates the epigenome remains unclear. Here, the authors show that cells cultured on viscoelastic matrices exhibit changes in the nucleoskeleton and in chromatin that enhance cell reprogramming.

Here, the authors perform a pan-genome-based genome-wide meta-analysis of six independent GWAS experiments in rice, demonstrating the potential of this approach to increase understanding of the genetic basis of, and genes underlying key rice traits.

Exploring low-cost, efficient catalysts to replace platinum is crucial for electrocatalytic hydrogen generation. Here, the authors report a termination-acidity strategy that boosts the activity of molybdenum carbides, achieving a low overpotential and sustaining hydrogen generation for over 200 h.

TMEM16F is a Ca²⁺ activated ion channel and lipid scramblase involved in cell fusion. Here authors determine cryo-EM structures of TMEM16F with or without bound blockers, such as the FDA-approved drug niclosamide.

A bioresorbable, wireless hydrogel (metagel) sensor, encompassing both biodegradable and stimulus-responsive hydrogels for ultrasonic monitoring of intracranial signals, was implanted into intracranial space with a puncture needle and deformed in response to physiological environmental changes.

Complexity and harsh working conditions pose limitations for fabrication of patterned materials. Here the authors report a single-step method for in situ deposition of materials that is based on semiconductor nanoparticle assisted photon-induced chemical reduction and optical trapping.

There is an emerging interest in the use of mRNA therapeutics in cancer treatment, but their precise in vivo delivery remains a challenge. Here the authors develop IFN-γ mRNA-loaded small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) with CD64 overexpressed on their surface and demonstrate its efficacy in glioblastoma mouse models resistant to immunotherapy.

Current brain-targeted delivery strategies using orthosteric sites of receptors is highly susceptible to cross-reactions limiting efficiency. Here, the authors report on the allosteric targeting of receptors to avoid this and demonstrate application in drug delivery across the blood brain barrier.

Luo et al. identify schizophrenia risk loci in East Asians and uncover potential causal genes and therapeutic targets through cross-ancestry GWAS, fine mapping and functional genomics, offering insights into the genetic basis of schizophrenia.

The ATP-dependent chromatin assembly factor (ACF) generates and maintains nucleosome spacing by constantly moving a nucleosome towards the longer flanking DNA faster than the shorter flanking DNA. But how the enzyme moves back and forth between both sides of a nucleosome to accomplish bidirectional movement is unknown. Nucleosome movement is now shown to depend cooperatively on two ACF molecules, indicating that ACF functions as a dimer of ATPases.

CAD, a de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway enzyme, is known to promote chemotherapy resistance. Here, the authors shed light into this mechanism of chemoresistance, showing that chemotherapeutic drugs can promote the degradation of CAD following cleavage by activated caspase-3 on its Asp1371 residue.