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This study demonstrates the experimental realization of a complete protocol for quantum key distribution using entangled trapped strontium ions with device-independent quantum security guarantees.

A violation of Bell's inequality, which is a direct proof of entanglement, can be observed in the solid state using the electron and nuclear spins of a single phosphorus atom in silicon.

Developing reliable resource characterization while guaranteeing resource efficiency is essential in practical quantum information processing. In this work, the authors show that the data obtained from entanglement distillation protocols can be further processed to efficiently and robustly characterize the entangled resources.

Chronic stress disrupts the brain vasculature and contributes to mood disorders, but mechanisms of resilience remain unclear. Here, the authors show that enriched environments increase astrocytic Fgf2 to prevent stress-induced vascular alterations and depressive behavior with relevance to human depression.

Here, the authors present genome-wide aDNA from 138 Early Bronze Age individuals from Lower Austria. Their findings point to a patrilocal society with non-strict female exogamic practices and long-distance genetic connections across Central Europe.

Improving neuraminidase content of influenza vaccines is a major focus of vaccine development. Here the authors present safety and immunogenicity of seasonal influenza mRNA vaccine candidates simultaneously encoding hemagglutinin and neuraminidase antigens in a first in-human study.

Wastewater-based surveillance tends to focus on specific pathogens. Here, the authors mapped the wastewater virome from 62 cities worldwide to identify over 2,500 viruses, revealing city-specific virome fingerprints and showing that wastewater metagenomics enables early detection of emerging viruses.

In this study, authors employ fragment-based lead discovery to identify WRN inhibitors. The fragment hits reveal an additional allosteric pocket and uncover a previously uncharacterized structural conformation of the WRN helicase domain with unique orientations of the ATPase domains

A self-controlled case series analysis of nearly 32 million people in England shows an increased risk of rare neurological complications in those who received COVID-19 vaccines and following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results highlight 38 excess cases of Guillain–Barré syndrome per 10 million ChAdOx1nCoV-19 vaccinations.

Zuhra and Petrosino et al. report evidence that cyanide acts as a regulatory gasotransmitter in mammalian cells, where it is shown to affect cellular bioenergetics, most likely via protein S-cyanylation.

Metasurfaces and metamaterials (or meta-optics) and their optoelectronic hybrid integration are set to drive the next era of computing, sensing and communications. As electronic systems reach fundamental limits, optical-enabled artificial intelligence emerges as a way forward, with meta-optics enabling speed, efficiency and scalability. We argue the need for comprehensive national innovation strategies to exploit the value of meta-optics in the photonics industry.

Dissipative quantum state stabilization allows to protect entanglement against environmental noise, but requires complex Hamiltonian engineering which makes it hard to tune to different, arbitrary states. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate a scheme which allow to stabilize arbitrary quantum state from a continuous set, including maximally entangled states.

Some surveys of intelligence have suggested that the mean IQ is rising; others, that it is decreasing alarmingly. The explanation seems to be that the educational level of the populations has changed.

Surgical sterilization alone cannot control global stray and feral domestic cat populations. Here, Godin et al. show that a single-dose injectable female sterilant administered before puberty safely and completely prevents pregnancy after maturity.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

Although quantum alternatives of various classical tasks are considered advantageous, this is typically extremely difficult to concretely prove. Here, the authors show that a quantum approach to randomness processing provides a reduction in resources and a larger class of solvable problems.

High-fidelity deterministic quantum state transfer and multi-qubit entanglement are demonstrated in a quantum network comprising two superconducting quantum nodes one metre apart, with each node including three interconnected qubits.

Scaffold-guided bone regeneration is a promising treatment strategy for segmental defects, but clinical translation has been hindered, partially by mechanical function limitations. Here, Clark et al. describes a permanent printed polymer with a resorbable stem cell laden ceramic core for reconstructing segmental mandibular defects, which is tested in an ovine model.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Monoclonal antibodies and ligands targeting CD40 exhibit diverse agonistic and antitumor activities that are influenced by their design. Here, the authors identify mechanistic differences between clinically relevant anti-CD40 subclasses and CD40L, focusing on the dynamics and strengths of multi-bond formation at the single-molecule level.

The full-fledged development of qudits in superconducting circuits is hindered by limited interaction toolkit and stringent requirements on frequencies and anharmonicities. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate an alternative scheme to perform multi-qudit gates in transmon-based devices, which is based on Raman-assisted two-photon interactions.

Over 20 species of geographically and phylogenetically diverse bird species produce convergent whining vocalizations towards their respective brood parasites. Model presentation and playback experiments across multiple continents suggest that these learned calls provoke an innate response even among allopatric species.

Here, Brotherton and colleagues sequence 39 mitochondrial genomes from ancient human remains. They track population changes across Central Europe and find that the foundations of the European mitochondrial DNA pool were formed during the Neolithic rather than the post-glacial period.

The transmission of quantum information through channels is a fundamental step for future quantum communication technologies. Cubitt et al.now show that there exist channels whose potential for transmitting quantum information requires an unbounded number of usages to be detected.

Intrinsic molecular resources are used to implement a two-qubit iSWAP gate using individually trapped X¹Σ⁺ NaCs molecules.

This work reveals how the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein’s membrane-binding domain facilitates viral entry by bridging the viral and host cell membranes. It highlights the role of a specific peptide and cholesterol-rich membranes in enhancing infectivity.

Microbial decomposition of plant litter initially increases the molecular diversity of dissolved organic matter, but prolonged microbial recycling diminishes this diversity, highlighting how microbial metabolism influences soil carbon turnover.

A Bell-like experiment that discriminates between real-number and complex-number multipartite quantum systems could disprove real quantum theory.

Donors spins in silicon are coherent, high-performance qubits, but scale-up has been challenging. Here the authors present the first experimental demonstration of exchange-based, entangling two qubit gates between electrons bound to ³¹P donors in Si.

The history of human populations in the islands of the central and western Mediterranean is poorly understood. Here, the authors generate ancient-DNA data from the Balearic Islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and estimate the level and timing of steppe pastoralist, Iranian and North African ancestries in these populations.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Genome-wide data from 400 individuals indicate that the initial spread of the Beaker archaeological complex between Iberia and central Europe was propelled by cultural diffusion, but that its spread into Britain involved a large-scale migration that permanently replaced about ninety per cent of the ancestry in the previously resident population.

Targeted protein degradation using PROTACs doesn’t discriminate functional from disease-causing versions of the same protein. Here, we describe small molecule TRIMTACs that recruit the unique E3 ligase TRIM21 and allow state-selective protein degradation, including challenging substrates like tau.

A COVID vaccine developer, an Arctic voyager and a prime minister are some of the people behind the year’s big research stories.