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Efficient nuclear delivery of DNA remains a major challenge in non-viral gene therapy. Here the authors present an improved workflow for generating DNA oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates which are ligated to linear DNA and achieve nuclear localization.

In the nucleus accumbens, acetylcholine boosts dopamine release to promote effortful behaviour.

Here, the authors identify distinct, autism-specific diet microbiome interactions, showing how unhealthy diets and synthetic emulsifiers drive dysbiosis. The findings pave the way for microbiome-aware dietary strategies for autism.

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.

Stepp and colleagues present hybrid-EDA, an event-driven acquisition (EDA) that enables gentle investigation of rare mitochondrial events. This approach combines continuous, low-phototoxicity phase-contrast surveillance with event-triggered fluorescence imaging, powered by dynamics-aware machine-learning event detection.

Excessive antimicrobial use can increase the threat of antimicrobial resistance; however, how such use is embedded in global trade is still unclear. Authors here estimate global livestock antimicrobial footprints through global supply chains to better understand and manage antimicrobial use.

Many biological systems appear to organize their dynamics close to a critical point. Now it is shown that the protein array mediating Escherichia coli chemosensing is near-critical, enabling large signal amplification without compromising response speeds.

Irregular terrains challenge users of classic prosthetic feet. Here, the authors introduce an adaptive prosthetic foot that equalizes ground contact pressure and reduces compensatory strategies and gait asymmetries compared with a traditional carbon fibre foot.

Engineered mucus-tethering bispecific nanobodies neutralize and entrap viruses to enhance mucosal immunity, preventing influenza infection and limiting SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

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.

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.

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.

A combination of biochemical, cell biological and electron microscopy analyses reveal a ‘nucleotide code’ that coordinates Lis1–dynein binding stoichiometry, which in turn governs Lis1’s ability to relieve dynein autoinhibition.

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.

Luppi et al. identify transcriptomic and connectomic controllers of information integration and its breakdown induced by anaesthesia in humans, macaques, marmosets and mice.

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.

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.

Identifying jets originating from heavy quarks plays a fundamental role in hadronic collider experiments. In this work, the ATLAS Collaboration describes and tests a transformer-based neural network architecture for jet flavour tagging based on low-level input and physics-inspired constraints.

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.

Population-scale WGS reveals genetic determinants of persistent EBV DNA, linking immune regulation—especially antigen processing and MHC class II variation—to EBV persistence and heterogeneous disease associations.

Kinematic measurements of the Perseus galaxy cluster reveal two drivers of gas motions: a small-scale driver in the inner core associated with black-hole feedback and a large-scale driver in the outer core powered by mergers.

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.

Analysing the causal links of gene expression and protein abundance on type 2 diabetes risk in blood and seven tissues related to the disease from individuals of four ancestries, the authors advance our understanding of the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is predicted to slow with climate change. Sea surface temperature data and climate model analysis show that since 1900 natural variability has been dominant in AMOC changes; anthropogenic forcing is not yet reliably detectable by this method.

A single-cell epigenomic atlas of human immune cells highlights cell-type-specific features associated with genetic or environmental exposures.

Five-year survival data and biomarker analysis of the PRADO extension cohort of the phase 2 OpACIN-neo trial, in which patients with high-risk stage III melanoma received neoadjuvant ipilimumab and nivolumab and underwent pathologic response-directed surgery and adjuvant therapy, show 71% event-free survival and 88% overall survival, with tumor mutational burden, IFNγ signature and PD-L1 expression associated with favorable outcomes.

Analysis of Babesia divergens egress from host cells reveals druggable targets and identifies compounds for potential babesiosis treatment.

Annunziato, Quan and Donckele et al. identify G3BP2 (Ras–GAP SH3 domain-binding protein 2) as a molecular glue-induced neosubstrate of the CRL4^CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase. The CRBN–glue neosurface uses a molecular surface mimicry mechanism to recruit and degrade G3BP2 in a compound-dependent manner.

The role of protein UFMylation in cancer remains to be understood. Here the authors show that UFM1-specific ligase 1 and AKT positively regulate each other through UFMylation and phosphorylation in breast cancer cells, which could be therapeutically targeted by a cell-penetrating peptide through disrupting UFL1-AKT interaction.

This study finds that native tree extinctions and alien naturalizations are pushing forests towards fast-growing, resource-demanding species. This global shift could affect carbon storage and ecosystem stability, highlighting the need to protect slow-growing trees.

Long COVID is associated with challenges in energy management, with limited interventions available. In this study, a just-in-time app-based energy management intervention for long COVID did not reduce postexertional malaise compared to usual care, though both groups improved over time, showing the approach was safe but not effective.

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.

Symmetry breaking is key to tissue formation. Now it is shown that symmetry breaking of epithelial spheroids is controlled by an interplay of collective migration with curvature and matrix remodelling.

Rapid immune activation requires tight control of mRNA stability in CD8⁺ T cells. Here, the authors show that a compositive RNA motif – m⁶A sites positioned next to AU-rich elements - marks mRNAs for rapid decay during activation, revealing a coordinated mechanism that shapes T-cell immunity.

This study examines long-term changes in species richness across tropical forests in the Andes and Amazon. Hotter, drier and more seasonal forests in the eastern and southern Amazon are losing species, while Northern Andean forests are accumulating species, acting as a refuge for climate-displaced species.

Smc5/6 association with DNA junctions can support genomic functions. Here, the authors show that Smc5/6 junction polarity preferences, targeting, and dwell times are determined by its structural modules as well as the RPA and PCNA genomic factors.

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.

An Earth system model estimates that natural halogens, of marine biotic and abiotic origin, remove about 13% of present-day global tropospheric O₃. Projections suggest this ratio is stable through 2100, with high spatial heterogeneity, despite increasing natural halogens.

Epigenetic traits can persist across generations through small RNAs and chromatin marks. Here, the authors show that SET-24, a non-enzymatic SET protein, partners with HCF-1 to maintain RNAi silencing and sustain chromatin states and small RNA populations in C. elegans.

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

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 large sulfur-bearing carbon ring molecule has been detected in space, 2,5-cyclohexadien-1-thione, using laboratory spectroscopy and a radio telescope. Found near the Galactic Centre, it opens the door to a new family of interstellar molecules.

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.

Methane emission occurs in natural wetlands on a large scale, but the corresponding trace element emissions have not been studied. Here, the authors study selenium and arsenic emission in a pristine peatland and show that this causes large amounts of those trace elements to enter the biogeochemical cycle.

In the adrenal cortex, cholesterol used for steroid production is stored in lipid droplets. The authors demonstrate here the importance of the transcription factor HHEX in maintaining glucocorticoid levels and protecting lipid droplets from androgen-induced lipid depletion.

A photocatalytic synthetic route to deuterated N-heteroarenes over an atomically dispersed palladium photocatalyst in D₂O is developed. By recycling used D₂O and photocatalyst, up to 1.157 kg of deuterated N-heteroarenes can be obtained using only 4.5 litres of D₂O (19.7 equiv.).

Here, the authors characterize H5N1cross-reactive antibody landscapes and evaluate the effect of pH1N1/AS03 and non-adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccination on H5N1 cross-neutralization and antibody titers targeting influenza-derived antigens.

Quantum error correction codes protect quantum information, but running algorithms also requires the ability to perform gates on logical qubits. A lattice surgery scheme for fault-tolerant gates has now been demonstrated in a quantum repetition code.

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