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Short-circuiting during fast charging through lithium dendrite intrusion into electrolytes is a major challenge in solid-state batteries. Here, using thermally annealed 3-nm-thick Ag coatings, lithium penetration into brittle electrolyte Li_6.6La₃Zr_1.6Ta_0.4O₁₂ is inhibited at local current densities of 250 mA cm⁻² due to an increase in surface fracture toughness.

Silicon anodes promise much higher battery capacity but are limited by poor storage life. This work identifies key ageing mechanisms and suggests ways to improve long-term stability.

Highly ionically conductive and flexible solid-state composite battery electrolytes are engineered by alternately stacking inorganic Li_xM_yPS₃ (M = Cd or Mn) nanosheets with lithium-containing organic polymers in a perpendicular orientation to the surface of the electrodes.

The stabilization of an unconventional −VII oxidation state of gold is demonstrated in Li₁₀AuF under high pressure. This electride phase features paired interstitial anionic electrons, expanding our understanding of charge distribution.

A rate-limiting step to oncology clinical trial enrollment is prescreening. Here, the authors conduct a randomised trial using retrospective electronic health records to compare the accuracy and efficiency of prescreening by trained research staff alone vs. a human + artificial intelligence (AI) model in lung and colorectal cancer cohorts, showing that AI language models can approximate and augment human-driven prescreening in accuracy without changes in efficiency.

Amorphous sulfurized polyacrylonitrile suppresses polysulfide shuttling in Li–S batteries, enabling long cycle life, but the structural processes involved during synthesis and initial cycling remained unclear. An operando pair distribution function, wide-angle scattering and sulfur absorption spectroscopy reveal S–C bond formation, π–π stacking and sulfur-chain shortening, which enable reversible sulfur redox.

Therapies combining chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown limited efficacy in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here the authors report the results of a pilot phase 1 trial of neoadjuvant modified Folfirinox plus nivolumab in borderline-resectable PDAC, including safety, efficacy and immunological correlates.

Newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants underscore the need for broad-spectrum antiviral solutions. This study shows a macrocyclic peptide inhibitor that locks the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer into a “closed” conformation by engaging a conserved region, and demonstrates that intranasal administration of the peptide inhibitor protects against Omicron variants.

Self-amplifying RNA enables durable therapeutic expression, but its high immunogenicity and low-fidelity replication limit its use. Here, authors engineer a Norovirus-derived VPg-saRNA platform that achieves cap-independent, low-immunogenic and precise therapeutic protein expression in vivo.

In Li-mediated electrochemical N₂ reduction to ammonia, selectivity and activity are governed by the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). This study reveals how the applied potential shapes the SEI properties and composition, thereby influencing reaction performance.

The success of Li batteries relies on electrolyte reduction at anodes for interphase formation, yet controlled interphase formation on high-energy cathodes has proven challenging. Now it has been shown that a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution-assisted strategy advances both primary and secondary batteries by regulating the electrolyte reduction potential and interphase passivation capability.

Schizophrenia is a complex brain disorder with its underlying protein changes generally not well understood. Here, authors show widespread alterations in the prefrontal cortex, marked by reduced energy production and disrupted synaptic function.

Unsatisfactory long-term stability of solid-state Li-metal batteries is hampering their commercialisation despite their potential high energy density. Here, authors employed a rationally designed porous tellurium interlayer and demonstrated high capacity retention for 4000 cycles.

GDF15 has been associated with cancer-associated cachexia. Here, the authors show that STK11/LKB1 loss-of-function mutations in non-small cell lung cancer result in an exaggerated integrated stress response culminating in the tumor cell secretion of the cytokine GDF15 promoting cachexia.

Eukaryotic Fanzor proteins are compact and advantageous for delivery, but their activity remains limited. Here, the authors engineer an improved Fanzor2 system (evoMmeFz2) using structure-guided and AI-assisted strategies to enable efficient exon skipping in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy model.

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans facilitate the assembly of clusters of glycoRNAs and cell surface RNA-binding proteins, which negatively modulate VEGF-A signalling and angiogenesis.

Solid-state batteries promise high energy and safety but face challenges in ion transport and scalability. Here, authors develop entropy-driven zwitterionic dry polymer electrolytes enabling scalable, high-energy all-solid-state batteries operating efficiently under practical conditions.

Stretchable electrodes are essential for wearable electronics and soft robots, yet their performance always degrades under strain. Here, authors use robotics- and machine learning integrated workflow to design microtextured nanocomposites for strain-insensitive gold conductors and zinc batteries.

In this study, the authors present that patterned low-intensity ultrasound mimicking brainwave rhythms revitalizes spinal astrocytes to normalize pain signaling, reversing inflammation and providing long-lasting relief from neuropathic pain in mice.

Cobalt-free cathodes are needed for sustainable batteries, but their cycling stability remains a challenge. Here, authors report a dual-phase lithium nickelate, i.e., layered LiNiO₂ and rocksalt LixNi_2-xO₂, stabilized by interlocked domains, synthesized via kinetic control, that delivers high capacity and improved cycle life.

Using pear as a study system, the biosynthetic pathway of acetophenones has been elucidated: naturally impaired side-chain shortening of aromatic 3-ketoacyl-CoAs leads them to undergo hydrolysis, followed by decarboxylation, to yield acetophenones.

Several transmission-blocking vaccine candidates based on Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 are in clinical development, but it remains unclear whether they will demonstrate high efficacy. Here, the authors develop a stabilized chimeric antigen presenting potent epitopes from Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 in a single construct and demonstrate induction of transmission-reducing antibodies when female mice are immunized with the antigen in a self-assembling protein nanoparticle formulation.

Large-effect variants in autism remain elusive. Here, the authors use long-read sequencing to assemble phased genomes for 189 individuals, identifying pathogenic variants in TBL1XR1, MECP2, and SYNGAP1, plus nine candidate structural variants missed by short-read methods.

This study presents a scalable and sustainable electro-membrane crystallization-assisted general recycling technology that efficiently recovers high-purity lithium, manganese, nickel, and cobalt from spent lithium-ion batteries.

Humanity’s Last Exam, a multi-modal benchmark at the frontier of human knowledge, is designed to be an expert-level closed-ended academic benchmark with broad subject coverage.

Commercial negative electrodes for lithium-ion batteries face trade-offs including energy density, safety, and durability. Here, the authors design a vacancy-ordered perovskite superlattice negative electrode that achieves fast charging, long cycling life, and stable lithium storage through a reversible topological phase transition.

Lithium is depleted in mid-F dwarf stars, known as the lithium-dip since 1986, which challenges standard stellar models. Here, the authors show that rotational mixing uniquely explains this depletion using spectra from NGC 188 subgiants.

Phagocytes must safely remove mitochondria released after tissue injury to prevent harmful immune activation. Here, the authors show that TMEM110 preserves lysosomal function to clear mitochondrial DNA, thereby limiting organ damage and mortality after traumatic brain injury.

Strong oxidative oxygen species generated at high voltage pose great challenges to positive electrode-side interface stability in lithium-based batteries. Herein, authors propose a robust gel polymer electrolyte with bifunctional additives for interface modification, achieving high-voltage ceramic solid-state lithium batteries.

The xylosyltransferase isoenzymes XT1 and XT2 catalyze the first glycosylation step in the biosynthesis of proteoglycans. Now, bump-and-hole engineering of XT1 and XT2 enables substrate profiling and modification of proteins as designer proteoglycans to modulate cellular behavior.

Lithium metal batteries are restricted by their low safety and poor electrochemical performance. Here, authors present a flame-retardant electrolyte with weakly coordinating dichloroalkane diluents, demonstrating application potential in safer lithium metal batteries in the −60 to +60 °C temperature range.

Subduction of sediment, derived from weathered continental crust, can enrich the mantle in critical metals and volatiles. Melting of such enriched mantle produces alkaline magmas that may form major rare-earth deposits.

This study reports that de novo germline missense variants in SF3B1, distinct from the somatic variants frequently observed in cancer, cause a neurodevelopmental disorder and disrupt global RNA splicing.

The application of Li-metal batteries is limited by parasitic interfacial reactions that slow charge transfer at the anode. A tailored electrolyte that forms a planar Li⁺–solvent complex with aligned electron channels overcomes this barrier, enabling fast reduction kinetics under demanding conditions.

During the Last Glacial Maximum, the deep Northwest Atlantic was only about 2 °C colder than today, suggesting sustained production of relatively warm North Atlantic Deep Water during the Last Glacial Maximum.

This study uncovers genetic links between plant roots and their microbiome in Brassica napus, identifying microbe-associated loci and a beneficial bacterium, Sphingopyxis, that promotes nitrogen uptake.

This study elucidates nanoscopic strain evolution in single-crystal Ni-rich positive electrodes, demonstrating that mechanical failure results from lattice distortions, and redefines the roles of cobalt and manganese in battery cycling stability.

The distinct architecture of the Escherichia coli membrane transporter LetA mediates lipid trafficking across the bacterial envelope in partnership with the tunnel-like complex LetB.

Lithium-ion battery cathode lifetime is limited by large expansion and contraction during cycling. This study uses electrochemical activation to suppress collapse in LiNi_0.9Mn_0.1O₂ cathodes, achieving improved capacity and cycle life.

To enable a sensed RNA to activate diverse RNA effectors, the authors engineer a programmable dual-site ribozyme that, upon RNA trigger binding, self-cleaves to release an embedded RNA. It enables trigger-dependent release of diverse ncRNAs and controls CRISPR-Cas9 editing in zebrafish and human cells.

Current lithium-ion batteries still rely heavily on nickel (Ni), whose growing demand raises serious economic and environmental concerns. This work now presents a cathode that delivers longer cycle life than high-Ni chemistry while substantially reducing Ni use.

CO₂-driven warming reduces phosphorus availability in rice paddies by promoting its binding with iron and organic carbon in the soil, according to a ten-year experiment using a free-air CO₂ enrichment system to simulate in situ climate warming.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an understudied biofilm-associated infection. Here, analyses of preclinical and clinical data reveal that the Fsr quorum sensing (QS) system of Enterococcus faecalis is a negative regulator of IE pathogenesis.

Viral ribonucleoprotein–viral protein networks form pre-replication centres that nucleate viral factories and drive respiratory syncytial virus replication.

The existence of a long-lived, prethermal regime in many-body systems with tunable heating rates, driven by structured random protocols, is observed using a 78-qubit superconducting quantum processor.

Application of multiancestry and ensemble-based approaches yields improved polygenic risk prediction models for breast cancer and its subtypes among women of African ancestry.

The study used snMultiome-seq to map gene expression and chromatin accessibility in human central amygdala cells from people with and without AUD. Here, the authors show that inhibitory neurons are most affected, with KLF16-driven regulatory changes and AUD-risk variants disrupting gene activity.

A triboelectric nanogenerator-based probe monitors the formation and evolution of the electrical double layer at nonconductive interfaces via solid-liquid contact electrification.

This study detects Chlamydia pneumoniae in human retina and brain, increasing with AD severity. Retinal pathogen load with Aβ₄₂ may predict AD stage. In models, infection drives Aβ deposition and NLRP3 activation, worsening pathology and cognition.

Here, the authors develop fluorescent reporters to visualize heterogeneity in C. difficile toxin gene expression in situ during infection, showing that toxin gene expression is not spatially regulated, and visualizing unique cell morphologies.