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Mucosal immunity is an important component of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 response and may contribute to the relatively better protection provided by infection compared to vaccination of children against serious disease. Here, the authors analyse the antigen-specific B cell response in the tonsils, adenoids, and blood of children following infection with SARS-CoV-2 or vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines to find evidence that tissue-specific B cell memory is formed with both, albeit with characteristic differences between the two groups.

Global analysis of obesity trends from 1980 to 2024 in 200 countries and territories using data from 4,050 population-based studies reveals that framing obesity as a single global epidemic masks the highly varied dynamics across countries and age groups.

Perseveration – repeating one choice when others would generate larger rewards – is a common behavior, but neither its purpose nor neuronal mechanisms are understood. Here the authors demonstrate a neural correlate and causal role of dorsal prefrontal cortex, specifically anterior supplementary motor cortex, in perseveration in mice performing a dynamic reward learning task.

Phenotype switching is a key driver of melanoma progression and therapy resistance. Here, the authors identify the small MAF family transcription factor MAFG as a critical regulator of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) activity and melanoma cell state plasticity through binding MITF to redirect its genomic occupancy and modulate its transcriptional programming.

A hierarchical Al₃Ti/Al composite with high strength and modulus at elevated temperatures is developed incorporating high-energy ball milling-controlled in-situ reaction between Ti₂AlC and Al, through activating the internal decomposition in Ti₂AlC.

The authors develop a low carbon cement-based material which exhibits hierarchical structure with low density (0.75 g cm⁻³), high specific compressive strength (344 (kN m⁻²)/(kg m⁻³)) and fracture toughness (4865 kJ m⁻³).

Autophagic activity has a protective role in Alzheimer’s disease in mice. Here the authors investigate the role of autophagy-initiating protein ULK1 and report that its overexpression stimulates autophagic flux, reduces amyloid and tau pathology and delays cognitive decline.

According to a data model analysis, dark brown carbon emitted by wildfires exerts radiative effects that can rival or exceed those of black carbon, extending into mid- and high-latitude regions, including the Arctic.

Here the authors examine how spoken versus written conversation affects conversational receptiveness, and find that speaking is more constructive during disagreements than writing.

This study reported a lotus-leaf-inspired surface engineering to fabricate a superhydrophilic self-cleaning catalytic membrane via hexahydroxytriphenylene-Co metal-organic framework/film-mediated hierarchical raspberry-like MnO₂ mineralization.

A drawing-like task designed to study compositional generalization identifies a specific neural population in the ventral premotor cortex in primates that encodes action symbols.

A sequential deposition method combined with a multifunctional organic additive enables sky-blue all-thermally evaporated perovskite light-emitting diodes with a peak external quantum efficiency of 20.15%, as well as their integration into an active-matrix display prototype.

Perovskite solar modules suffer from reverse-bias instability. To address this, Wang et al. promote the assembly of self-assembled monolayers through hydrogen-bonding interactions with a polycarbazole template.

Tsai and colleagues propose that BET inhibitors can blunt T cell exhaustion via a pathway involving ornithine decarboxylase-dependent polyamine biosynthesis.

An ALMA polarization survey towards 30 massive star-forming regions reveals that chaotic turbulence, rather than ordered magnetism, governs the formation of stellar cluster seeds, reshaping our understanding of how the most massive stars are born.

NatD is an acetyltransferase responsible for N-α-terminal acetylation of the histone H4 and H2A and has been linked to cell growth. Here the authors show that NatD-mediated acetylation of histone H4 serine 1 competes with the phosphorylation by CK2α at the same residue thus leading to the upregulation of Slug and tumor progression.

A spatial transcriptomic atlas of tissue from healthy people and people with inflammatory bowel disease evaluates spatial transcriptomics platforms, reveals Treg biology, and establishes a benchmark for applying spatial transcriptomics in translational research.

Global Burden of Disease analysis found that in 2023, suboptimal diet was estimated to be responsible for 4 million deaths and 97 million morbidity burdens from ischemic heart disease.

This study uses brain recordings, self-reports, and facial analysis to decode acute pain in epilepsy patients. Machine learning reveals stable neural markers in mesolimbic, striatal, and cortical regions, plus facial cues, enabling reliable pain detection in naturalistic settings.

Tetracyclines are among the most widely prescribed antibiotics worldwide. Here, the authors show that tetracyclines simultaneously target the mRNA decoding center (30S) and the peptidyltransferase center (50S) of the bacterial ribosome.

Systems-level analyses of organ intrinsic nervous systems reveal that these networks are initially configured by lineage-dependent programmes, and their architecture and molecular identity are refined by intra-organ specific local cues.

While e-commerce greatly enhances convenience for urban consumers, it also contributes to rising last-mile delivery emissions. By estimating emissions across 365 Chinese cities, this study identifies pronounced city-level differences in emission intensity and reveals substantial opportunities for mitigation.

LHAASO has detected γ-ray emission with a spectrum extending to 2 PeV from the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) powered by PSR J1849-0001, indicating an extreme particle acceleration efficiency and challenging the current particle acceleration theories.

GSCo is a Generalist–Specialist Collaboration that combines the generalizability of generalist foundation models with the domain-specific benefits of specialist models. GSCo remains efficient and scalable while excelling at diverse medical tasks.

Native crystallographic defects are often introduced during synthesis of battery materials, but has been overlooked. Here, using in situ synchrotron X-ray probes and electron microscopy, the authors have revealed their adverse effect during battery operation.

A hierarchically integrated 1D@3D covalent organic framework heterostructure is constructed via a one-pot synthesis, leading to the formation of an S-scheme heterojunction with a built-in electric field. The heterostructure has a photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of 45.7 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, outperforming both of the constituent single-component COFs.

Using warming microcosms across 100 paired sites, a global meta-analysis and microbiome manipulation experiments, this study shows that agricultural microbiomes confer higher compositional and multifunctionality resistance to warming and can transfer this resistance to natural soils.

Higher-order interactions are shown to contribute to the decrease in species diversity from low to high latitudes in global forests, potentially explaining why this intricate phenomenon cannot be adequately explained by pairwise interactions alone.

The lack of hormone-responsive follicles is a major challenge in treating infertility related to premature ovarian insufficiency and diminished ovarian reserve. Here, the authors show that intraovarian securinine injection promotes small follicle development in aged mice and cynomolgus macaques by modulating stromal–granulosa signaling.

In a multicentre trial of AAV1-hOTOF gene therapy involving 42 participants aged 0.8–32.3 years with autosomal recessive deafness 9, treatment demonstrated safety, tolerability, and improved hearing and speech perception, with age and distortion product otoacoustic emissions associated with treatment outcomes.

The cellular origin and developmental trajectory of DICER1 syndrome-associated tumors are currently unknown. Here, the authors employ a lineage-traceable genetically modified mouse model for DICER1 syndrome to identify universal fibroblasts as the likely cellular origin of mouse Dicer1 sarcoma and map their developmental trajectory, findings that are validated in human DICER1 mesenchymal tumors.

PTCHD1-AS, which encodes a long non-coding RNA, is associated with the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder in humans through striatal molecular and circuit-level dysregulation.

When senescent cells accumulate during adulthood they negatively influence lifespan and promote age-dependent changes in several organs; clearance of these cells delayed tumorigenesis in mice and attenuated age-related deterioration of several organs without overt side effects, suggesting that the therapeutic removal of senescent cells may be able to extend healthy lifespan.

Using high-resolution satellite imagery combined with a deep-learning-based framework to build a national energy inventory enables a data-driven assessment of solar–wind complementarity strategies to reduce power variability and enhance renewable energy penetration across China.

Rice paddies are crucial for food security but are also a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study found that net soil GHG emissions nearly doubled from 1961–1980 to 2001–2020, mainly due to soil carbon stock change-derived CO₂-equivalent emissions and soil methane emissions, underscoring the need for climate-smart management.

A photolithographic fabrication process can be used to create soft and stretchy organic electrochemical transistor arrays that have a density up to 10,000 devices per square centimetre, and can perform edge computing tasks in wearable devices and soft robots.

The CMS experiment at CERN reports one of the highest-precision measurements of the W boson mass, finding it in line with standard model predictions and at odds with recent anomalous measurements.

Enhanced future methane emissions from global wetlands under warming could substantially offset the emissions reduction goals of the Global Methane Pledge, according to ensemble simulations from terrestrial biosphere models.

Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

Using satellite data and interpretable machine learning, the widespread adoption of new energy vehicles was shown to reduce particulate matter particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less and carbon monoxide in Chinese cities, preventing 262,000 non-accidental deaths and 75,000 all-cause deaths.

ΨDNA guides are used with Cas12 for precise, programmable targeting of cellular RNA.

Coupled sulfur and silicon isotopes in ancient granitoids reveal that early continental crust was generated by melting altered oceanic crust, recycled in the planet’s interior, rather than crystallising directly from pristine deep-mantle magma

A cross-organ, multi-omics U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and biological ageing clocks highlights the potential of sleep optimization to promote healthy ageing, lower disease risk and extend longevity.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, but can also be used as a source for advanced carbon materials. This work shows a sustainable approach to produce high-value carbon fibres through methane pyrolysis.

Rapid methods to identify antigen-specific T cells are essential for developing targeted immunotherapies. Here the authors present a high-throughput MHC class II single-chain trimer platform for the comprehensive profiling of CD4⁺ T cells, enabling the rapid identification and characterization of virus- and tumour-specific T cell receptors (TCR) at single-cell resolution.

Multi-ancestry and ancestry-stratified genome-wide analyses identify genetic variants associated with refractive error and enable construction of an enhanced polygenic predictor incorporating functional annotations.

Glaucoma is a common cause of vision loss. Here the authors show that elevated intraocular pressure disrupts the blood retinal barrier (BRB) and contributes to retinal ganglion cell death in mouse glaucoma models, and detect similar BRB disruption in human glaucoma donor eyes.

This paper reports that all regions of the genome acquire DNA methylation in parallel over nearly 1 year in primate male germ cells. The results raise interesting questions about the mechanisms of the extremely slow establishment of DNA methylation.