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Electrochemical CO reduction to multi-carbon products offers a carbon-negative approach to produce chemicals, but the intricate reaction pathways lead to a broad spectrum of products. Now it has been shown that alkali cations alter the mechanistic pathways that govern the reaction selectivity involved in the formation of hydrocarbons versus oxygenates.

Strong paramagnetism is generated in hydrogels rich in carbon–oxygen double bonds simply by coupling with diamagnetic Ca cations. These paramagnetic hydrogels are applied as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and magnetic drug carriers.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) associated uveitis can cause vision loss in children, but mechanisms remain unclear. The authors here identify elevated CD19⁺IgD^-CD27^- double negative type 1 B cells in JIA-uveitis and show that targeting B-T cell interactions suppresses disease in mouse models of uveitis.

A mode-locked laser is achieved by coupling two ring resonators in a parity–time-symmetric configuration. Stable pulses emerge through a balance of gain in one cavity and loss in the other, combined with symmetry-breaking induced by the Kerr effect.

Downsizing into the strong confinement regime can improve single-photon purity in quantum dot emitters, but often at the expense of optical stability. Here, the authors present an alternative approach leveraging electron–phonon coupling to achieve stable, room-temperature single-photon emission with enhanced purity in colloidal hybrid lead halide perovskite quantum dots.

To maintain genome stability, the specialised reverse transcriptase telomerase processively adds telomeric DNA repeats to chromosome ends. Here the authors reported structures of human telomerase at three stages of telomeric repeat synthesis, providing key insights into its mechanism.

A strategy compatible with a broad range of materials by precisely manipulating optofluidic interactions within a confined 3D space to control the assembly of colloidal microparticles/nanoparticles is demonstrated, enabling the precise manufacture of complex microstructures/nanostructures.

The genetic basis underlying resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) in oilseed rape remains elusive. Here, the authors identify BnaA07.MKK9 as a pivotal regulator of SSR resistance in oilseed rape by GWAS, providing new insights into plant defense mechanisms against necrotrophic pathogens.

Given rising diabetes prevalence globally, access to diabetes treatments is gaining urgency. Here, the authors show patterns of glucose-lowering medication use for diabetes across 62 low- and middle-income countries.

In this work, the authors reveal that three non-ribosomal peptides targeting a common protein quality system differentially alter the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome, providing new insight into the molecular mechanisms behind their antimycobacterial activity.

New methods for targeted covalent protein modification at low reactivity aspartates and glutamates are of high interest. Here, the authors report a technique inspired by the HaloTag technology, which employs a covalent conjugation reaction between ligands with a reactive chloroalkane linker and a specific aspartic acid, and use it to covalently modify lipoprotein chaperone PDEδ at a binding site glutamic acid.

In this work, an exotic nuclear decay in one dimension is simulated using IonQ trapped-ion quantum computers. The coherent evolution of many decay channels is classically hard and quantum simulation of these processes may impact future searches for new physics.

Phosphorylation-dephosphorylation and ubiquitination tune TCR signaling to avoid self-reactivity. Kim and colleagues show that acetylation also modulates TCR signaling.

Proxy records from Lake Baikal show that rapid cooling coincided with Northern Hemisphere ice sheet expansion 2.7 million years ago, a change accompanied by a transition to open steppe ecosystems.

The study introduces radio interferometric multiplexed spectroscopy (RIMS), a method designed to efficiently monitor the radio emissions of massive samples of stars. Applying it to LOFAR data, the authors identify stellar bursts, offering clues to possible star–planet magnetic interactions.

Landfalling tropical cyclones generally accelerate as they approach coastlines due to changes in surface roughness and thermal properties, according to numerical modelling simulations and global observations.

A hidden quality-control system to filter out defective sperm during development is exploited by selfish genes to eliminate competing chromosomes.

The relative contribution of lipid catabolism on fasting-induced longevity was unknown. Authors showed lifespan extension from fasting depend on silencing lipid catabolism upon nutrient replenishment through phosphorylation of NHR-49 by KIN-19.

By combining satellite observations with ground-based data and expert validation, this analysis demonstrates considerable misestimation of grassland extent and thereby carbon stock estimates in previous global assessments based on remote sensing.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses are of global concern. This study shows that a low-dose H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b Alum/CpG-adjuvanted vaccine elicits broad, durable antibody and T cell responses and protects female mice against lethal homologous and heterologous H5N1 challenges.

Atomic force microscopy is used to investigate the adsorption and organization of ions on charged surfaces. Trivalent ions adopt complex networks, clusters and layers associated with overcharging, whereas divalent ions follow classical predictions.

Focused ion beam-based nanofabrication enables the production of 3D helical devices from single-crystalline Co₃Sn₂S₂. The resulting chiral geometry-driven symmetry breaking produces a diode-like electrical response in transport measurements.

The lesion network mapping method links diverse brain lesions to similar functional brain networks, reflecting general brain organization rather than disorder-specific circuits.

Natural products inspire the development of pseudo-natural products through combinations of fragments of compound classes that are chemically and biologically distinct. Here, the authors report a library of 244 pseudo-natural products, evaluate them in the cell painting essays and identify the phenotypic role of individual fragments.

Global Burden of Disease estimates show that between 1990 and 2023, the prevalence and burden of drug use disorders, inclusive of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use, have been increasing in high-income countries, particularly in the USA.

Bacteria use diverse defence systems against phages, including a 164-residue prophage-encoded protein, Rip1, which senses conserved phage assembly rings to form membrane pores that block virion maturation and trigger premature host cell death.

A martensitic alloy with a tensile strength exceeding 3 GPa and a fracture elongation of 5.13% is developed. These mechanical properties arise from interface complexes interacting with dense dislocation networks, which is a mechanism shown to be applicable to other compositions.

Droplet impacts shape technologies from erosion to bioprinting. Here, authors show a scaling crossover in peak impact force on soft substrates, from inertial to Hertzian, unified by a similarity parameter. The proposed stress tomography provides a practical map to design impact-resistant processes.

Fractionally charged excitations at zero magnetic field in twisted MoTe₂ bilayers, a recently discovered fractional quantum anomalous Hall system, are observed via anyon-trions, excitonic complexes formed by binding a trion to a fractional charge.

Soil water uptake is a major determinant of plant performance and stress tolerance. Here the authors show that, by affecting xylem formation in the root, natural variation at the Arabidopsis XND1 locus has contrasting effects on root hydraulics and drought tolerance versus pathogen resistance.

An algorithm that combines deep learning, Bayesian optimization and computer vision techniques can be used to autonomously tune a semiconductor spin qubit from a grounded device to Rabi oscillations.

Psilocybin may help treat chronic pain, possibly due to direct analgesic effects. Here, authors tested psilocybin on acute and chronic pain in three mouse models of pain and found minimal effects on sensory, affective, or functional pain measures.

Applications of optical laser-based techniques are limited by the long wavelengths of the lasers. Now, observations of phonons and thermal transport at nanometre length scales are reported with an all-hard X-ray transient-grating spectroscopy technique.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with anti-PD-1 plus a VEGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, donor fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) from complete responders to immunotherapy did not significantly improve the primary endpoint of 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) but did significantly improve median PFS versus placebo FMT.

In a case series of eight pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis or systemic sclerosis, autologous anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy was feasible, safe and effective in reducing disease activity.

Centrosome dynamics play a central role in immune regulation. Here, the authors demonstrate that centrosome integrity as well as centriole numbers and spatial organisation emerge as critical determinants of effective T cell responses.

A pathogenic subset of NK cells is identified that promotes type 1 diabetes and is generated via T cell-derived IL-21.

Albumin selectively inhibits Mucorales growth through the release of bound free fatty acids.

The PhenoSphere is a unique plant cultivation facility in which field-like environments can be simulated. Here, the authors find that a single season simulation is superior to an averaged season and to a climatized glasshouse cultivation to elicit field-like phenotypes evaluated in 11 maize lines.

Respiratory virus genomic surveillance output is unevenly distributed globally. Here, the authors show that addressing this imbalance could substantially reduce the time to first detection of novel (variant) viruses, enhancing surveillance effectiveness and efficiency.

Affinity-proteomics platforms often yield poorly correlated measurements. Here, the authors show that protein-altering variants drive a portion of inter-platform inconsistency and that accounting for genetic variants can improve concordance of protein measures and phenotypic associations across ancestries.

Large-scale computational and in vitro analyses identify commensal type III secretion systems and substrates in the human gut microbiome that can interact with human proteins to modulate immune pathways.

The inferior heterojunction quality and misaligned energy levels at the buffer/absorber layer hinders development of antimony selenosulfide solar cells. Here, authors introduce low-work-function tantalum pentoxide dielectric layer for field-effect passivation, achieving device efficiency of 10.95%.

While the photoreceptor outer segments in the bird outer retina have access to oxygen, the inner retina operates under chronic anoxia, supported by anaerobic glycolysis in the retinal neurons.

CAR-T cell efficacy is often limited by the inability to maintain a memory T cell program. Here, the authors show that intrinsic CXCR4 expression enhances CAR-T cell persistence and memory differentiation in acute myeloid leukemia.

The role of normally silenced transposable elements (TEs) in tumorigenesis remains unclear. Here, the authors show that increased expression of TEs in both patients and mice with colitis or by DNA hypomethylating drugs elicits a viral mimicry response that suppresses tumorigenesis. This viral mimicry response inhibits the stemness of cancer initiating cells in a cell autonomous manner.

Transcriptomic and clinical data analyses from multiple cohorts of patients with cancer receiving immunotherapy find that PD-1 blockade potentiates tumor-specific IgG1 plasma cell responses that complement cellular immunity and contribute to clinical benefit.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) plays an important role in decarbonization pathways to meet climate goals, but some methods are land-intensive. Multimodel analysis reveals conflicts between biodiversity and CDR that are distributed unevenly, and shows that synergies are crucial to meet climate and conservation goals.

Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study reveal declines in chronic respiratory disease mortality between 1990 and 2023—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—but the burdens on people affected remain substantial.

Plant traits drive ecosystem dynamics yet are challenging to map globally due to sparse measurements. Here, the authors combine crowdsourced biodiversity observations with Earth observation data to accurately map 31 plant traits at 1 km² resolution.