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Exchange bias, where an adjacent antiferromagnet leads to an offset magnetization loop in a ferromagnet is a critical effect in magnetic memory devices. Here, Pellet-Mary et al introduce a “lateral exchange bias”, allowing control of the Neel vector in bilayer samples of CrSBr via laterally adjacent odd layered segments.

Rice paddies contribute to atmospheric methane (CH₄) levels. Here the authors show that increasing levels of the rice plant hormone PSY can reduce CH₄ emissions by over 50% via alteration of microbial H₂ cycling in the rhizosphere.

RAS-driven cancers depend on SHOC2–PP1C. Here, the authors reveal that KRAS forms a low-affinity SHOC2–PP1C complex with fewer contacts than MRAS and show that dual inhibition of KRAS- and MRAS-dependent assemblies strengthens SHOC2 suppression and may overcome resistance.

A randomized field study in rural western Kenya, a region most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, found that modifying houses with cool-roofs and vector proofing most effectively reduced indoor heat, improved thermal comfort and lowered malaria mosquito density.

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.

Saito et al. identify sphingosine kinase 1 as a critical regulator of physiological ductus arteriosus closure and pathological supravalvular aortic stenosis through its role in smooth muscle cell proliferation and propose potential therapeutics.

A soft robotic probe enables continuous in utero monitoring of fetal physiological parameters, including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, temperature and electrocardiogram data, during open or fetoscopic surgery to provide real-time information on fetal condition and distress.

The viscosity of tumour cells is shown to govern their ability to disseminate through the bloodstream and extravasate, establishing a key biomechanical factor of metastasis.

In this work, authors utilise a prefractionation natural product extract screening platform, which uncovers coniotins, lipopeptaibiotics with broad antifungal activity and a mechanism of action that targets fungal cell wall β-glucan.

The study finds coherent spin waves, generated by ultrafast laser pulses, drive antiferromagnetic domain walls (DWs) in Sr₂Cu₃O₄Cl₂ at a record  ~50 km/s. DW propagation direction is controllable via laser helicity and DW winding number, explained by in-plane magnon mode-induced dynamics unique to easy-plane anisotropy magnets.

Treatment with 4′-fluorouridine (also known as EIDD-2749) in an African green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops) model of Lassa disease resulted in complete clearance of infectious virus in a high proportion of cases and prolonged survival to the pre-determined study end-point in all cases.

The use of ferroelectric materials in memory device applications is held back by low retention times. Here, the authors demonstrate that by intentionally introducing defective nanoregions which increase the activation field for domain wall motion, retention times larger than a year can be achieved.

MreC is a membrane-associated protein that modulates the activity of the elongasome, a protein complex that controls cell wall formation in rod-shaped bacteria. Here, the authors use electron cryo-microscopy and X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of a self-associated form of MreC in atomic detail.

Mitochondria play roles in sensing environmental and physiological stress, but their response can become maladaptive during chronic stress. Here they identify a protective miRNA response in C. elegans that maintains tissue health by attenuating mitochondrial stress signaling.

The authors show that the fungal pathogen Candida albicans exploits diverse host-associated signals, including specific nutrients and stresses, to promote immune evasion by masking cell wall β-glucan, a major pathogen-associated molecular pattern.

A population genomic analysis of 1,854 Listeria soil isolates collected across the contiguous United States identifies geographically prevalent phylogroups with increased pangenome openness and recombination, as a result of adaptation to variable environments.

The analysis of the energy spectrum of 36 million tritium β-decay electrons recorded in 259 measurement days within the last 40 eV below the endpoint challenges the Neutrino-4 claim.

Even when neocortical neurons form in abnormal locations, they retain their identity and function, revealing that brain circuit formation can be guided by intrinsic developmental programs rather than physical position.

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex encodes the value, salience and valence of learned stimuli along distinct neural dimensions, and the geometry of these representations shapes motivated behaviours in mice.

Anthers, the male reproductive organs in plants, are a model to explore the establishment of complex three-dimensional shapes. Live imaging, genetics and modelling reveal an active role for inner layers in driving morphogenesis.

Planctomycetes appear to differ from all other bacteria in their cellular organization and their apparent lack of a peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall. Here Jeske et al. show that Planctomycetes do possess a typical PG cell wall and that their cellular architecture resembles that of Gram-negative bacteria.

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.

The authors show that RALF22 has a dual role in cell wall assembly in root hairs: as a structural component organizing cell wall architecture and as a feedback signalling molecule that regulates this process depending on its interaction partners.

A platform using matched patient-derived lung tumouroids and healthy lung organoids enables accurate examination of patient responses to CAR T therapy and offers a faithful framework for improved CAR T design.

It is important to understand the enzymatic degradation of wood biomass by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase, however, disagreements about the co-substrate exist. Here, the authors use piezo-controlled hydrogen peroxide micro-sensors to demonstrate that even low levels of hydrogen peroxide support the enzymatic degradation of wood cell walls.

SEDS proteins are core peptidoglycan polymerases involved in bacterial cell wall elongation and division.

The pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can invade and replicate within human cells. Here, Rodrigues Lopes et al. use an image-based screening approach to identify S. aureus factors important for invasion, intracellular replication, persistence, and host toxicity in non-professional phagocytic cells.

Genomic analyses applied to 14 childhood- and adult-onset psychiatric disorders identifies five underlying genomic factors that explain the majority of the genetic variance of the individual disorders.

The study combines bulk, single-cell, and spatial transcriptomics of human carotid plaques. It identifies immune– stromal cell diversity, spatial macrophage gradients, smooth muscle cell heterogeneity, and morphology-defined plaque subtypes.

Live-cell imaging and finite-element modelling shows how the plant's cytoskeleton gives shape to trichomes. The actin-related protein (ARP)2/3 complex generates an actin meshwork that directs growth through cell-wall anisotropy and organelle transport control.

Joanna Howson and colleagues perform a genome-wide association study and meta-analysis for coronary artery disease in large, trans-ancestry cohorts. They identify 15 new loci and correlate these regions with cell-type-specific gene expression and plasma protein levels to find novel pathways and potential mechanisms of disease.

Solid-state NMR reveals that lignin-carbohydrate contact patterns, rather than lignin amount, shape the structure and property of plant cell walls, highlighting distinct roles of lignin and carbohydrate units during wall formation.

L-form cells can derive from various bacterial species and do not possess a cell wall. It is shown that Bacillus subtilis can convert into L-form through a single point mutation, and that B. subtilus L-form cells are able to propagate independent of FtsZ, an essential component of the bacterial cell division machinery.

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a widespread herpesvirus linked to cancer and autoimmune disease. The authors in this work design and characterize a stabilized prefusion form of gB, an essential viral fusion protein, advancing EBV vaccine and therapeutic development.

Bacterial wall biosynthesis is a complex process that requires the coordination of multiple enzymes. Here, the authors structurally characterize the PBP2:MreC complex involved in peptidoglycan elongation and cross-linking, and demonstrate that its disruption leads to loss of H. pylori shape and inability to sustain growth.

This study reveals dissociating methane hydrate mounds on the seafloor at more than 3600 m deep in the Greenland Sea. This gas hydrate cold seep supports chemosynthetic fauna similar to Arctic hydrothermal vents at similar depth, consistent with an overlap between vent and seep fauna in the region.

Reconstitution experiments using substrates prepared by chemoenzymatic synthesis demonstrate that three LCP family proteins catalyze the ligation of wall teichoic acids to peptidoglycan in the biosynthesis of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall.

Respiration enhances cerebrospinal fluid flow through mechanical and autonomic pathways. Inhale length and diaphragm motion influence its displacement and net flow, identifying a modifiable, noninvasive mechanism relevant to brain homeostasis.

GpsB is a cytosolic protein that modulates bacterial cell wall synthesis by interacting with cytoplasmic domains of peptidoglycan synthases. Here, Cleverley et al. describe structural features that are important for these interactions, and identify new interacting partners of GpsB in three bacterial species.

In a randomized phase 2 trial in patients with acute coronary syndrome and high levels of the inflammation biomarker C-reactive protein, treatment with low-dose interleukin-2 increased the numbers of regulatory T cells and reduced arterial inflammation, compared to placebo.

Here, the authors report an exome-wide association study for multi-organ imaging traits by leveraging recent bioinformatic tools such as AlphaMissense. The identified signals elucidate the genetic effects from rare variants on human organs and their connections to complex diseases

Pavement cells in the epidermal layer of plant leaves are frequently used to study plant cell morphogenesis. Comprehensive mechanistic models are now developed to integrate the mechanisms underlying the process of symmetry breaking and lobe formation in pavement cells.