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Decreased brain volumes and increased NfL levels can be observed earlier than disease diagnosis in short-tandem-repeat-associated neurological diseases.

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.

Condensation in the regime of weakly interactions is of fundamental importance. Here, the authors study the condensation process one atom at a time, showing the forces driving the behaviour of xenon atoms as they condense into aggregate structures in nanoscale pores.

Femtosecond laser spectroscopy has contributed to our understanding of structure and function of matter. Here, the authors explore the applicability of superfluid helium nanodroplets as a sample preparation method that allows investigation of previously inaccessible classes of tailor-made or fragile molecular systems.

Arrays of quantum dots can exhibit a variety of quantum properties, being sensitive to their spacing. Here, the authors fine tune interdot coupling using hexagonal molecular networks in which the dots are separated by single or double haloaromatic compounds, structurally identical but for a single atom.

This work demonstrates non-Amontons frictional behavior and negative differential friction coefficients at graphene/Pt(111) surface grain boundaries due to dynamic buckling of dislocations, providing vital insights for the design of macroscopic dry superlubric contacts.

Electron-vibration coupling is driving advances in molecular electronics, spintronics, and quantum technology. Here, the authors succeeded in directly controlling vibronic excitations in tetrabromotetraazapyrene (TBTAP) molecules on the surface of Ag(111).

Although unstable in nature, phosphorus pentamers (cyclo-P₅) can be synthesized on a silver surface. Here, the authors use scanning probe microscopy to probe charge redistribution at the P5/Ag interface offering potential applications in transistors or solar cells.

The measurement of the total cross-section of proton–proton collisions is of fundamental importance for particle physics. Here, the first measurement of the inelastic cross-section is presented for proton–proton collisions at an energy of 7 teraelectronvolts using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

Mast cells within the tumor microenvironment have controversial roles. Here, the authors show, using genetic mouse models, that in gastric cancer, mast cells at the periphery of the tumors are activated via cancer cell produced-IL33 and promote tumorigenesis by recruiting macrophages within the tumors.

A genetic study identifies hundreds of loci associated with risk tolerance and risky behaviors, finds evidence of substantial shared genetic influences across these phenotypes, and implicates genes involved in neurotransmission.

Passivating contacts hold promise for silicon solar cells yet the simultaneous optimization of conductivity, defect passivation and optical transparency remains challenging. Now Köhler et al. devise a passivating contact based on a double layer of nanocrystalline silicon carbide that overcomes these trade-offs.

Cryo-electron microscopy can determine the structure but not the nanomechanics of biological matter. Here the authors combine force spectroscopy in cryogenic conditions with computer simulations to characterize the properties of DNA simultaneously down to the sub-nm level.

Non-contact atomic force microscope (AFM) dissipation contains rich information on the electron, phonon and spin states, but has been poorly understood. Here the authors demonstrated that tip-induced charge and spin state transitions in oxygen vacancies at SrTiO₃ surface are revealed by AFM dissipation measurements.

Thyroid dysfunction is a common public health problem and associated with cardiovascular co-morbidities. Here, the authors carry out genome-wide meta-analysis for thyroid hormone (TH) levels, hyper- and hypothyroidism and identify SLC17A4 as a TH transporter and AADAT as a TH metabolizing enzyme.

Quantum electrodynamics predicts a rare process in which light is scattered by light. The ATLAS Collaboration reports signs of this elusive effect in the collisions of ultra-relativistic lead ions.

Glucuronoyl esterases have the potential to be used in the biocatalytic conversion of lignin-carbohydrate complexes to obtain pure lignin for downstream biofuel conversion. Here the authors present a detailed structural analysis of the glucuronoyl esterase from Cerrena unicolor, providing the basis for its activity on natural substrate and for how lignin can be selectively separated from lignocellulosic materials.

Identifying the transcripts and proteins that fluctuate in response to stimuli provides important information for understanding cell physiology. In this study, 52% of theBacillus subtilispredicted proteome is identified following glucose starvation, revealing further insight into protein dynamics at a global scale.

This overview of the ENCODE project outlines the data accumulated so far, revealing that 80% of the human genome now has at least one biochemical function assigned to it; the newly identified functional elements should aid the interpretation of results of genome-wide association studies, as many correspond to sites of association with human disease.

On-surface chemical reactions provide an attractive route for making tailored nanostructures. Here the authors present a thermally-controlled sequential on-surface transformation of a hydrocarbon molecule, characterized via high-resolution atomic force microscopy and density functional theory calculations.

Atomic manipulation can be used to fabricate unique structures at the atomic level but has previously been limited to conductive surfaces, mainly at low temperatures. Here, the authors present a systematic manipulation on an insulating surface using atomic force microscopy to construct complex patterns.

Incorporation of boron atoms into an aromatic carbon framework offers a wide variety of functionality. Here, the authors present boron-doped graphene nanoribbons by on-surface chemical reaction and characterize the structures and properties using scanning probe microscopy at the atomic-scale.

Analysis of 82 indictors of ecosystem functioning at the Jena grassland biodiversity experiment shows that multifunctionality increases strongly with diversity, but depends on the number and identity of the functions considered.

Van der Waals forces are individually weak, but on scale can drive many nano- and macroscopic processes. Here, Kawai et al. directly measure the van der Waals interactions between noble gas atom pairs and show how this changes with atom size and surface adsorption.

JNJ-1802—a highly potent dengue virus inhibitor—blocks the NS3–NS4B interaction within the viral replication complex, and is highly effective against viral infection with DENV-1 or DENV-2 in non-human primates.

A technique to detect the release of N-terminal fragments of Drosophila adhesion G-protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs) provides insight into the dissociation of aGPCRs, and shows that receptor autoproteolysis enables non-cell-autonomous activity of aGPCRs in the brain.

The authors report on a determination of the momentum transferred to an asteroid by kinetic impact, showing that the DART kinetic impact was highly effective in deflecting the asteroid Dimorphos.

The friction of surfaces in relative motion and separated by a few nanometres is thought to be dominated by electronic effects. It is now found that the friction sensed by an AFM tip oscillating above a NbSe₂ surface takes the form of giant dissipation peaks, and that the peaks are related to a hysteresis cycle where the oscillating tip locally pumps 2π slips in the phase of a charge-density wave.

Carbenes have been postulated to take part in the catalytic cycle of several enzymes, but direct detection of these unstable compounds has been elusive. Spectroscopic and structural studies of pyruvate oxidase now identify a carbene-containing cofactor, calling for reinspection of existing enzyme mechanisms.

Is friction dominated by electrons or by lattice vibrations? A nano-contact experiment shows that on a Nb surface friction drops by a factor of three when crossing the superconductivity transition, showing that it has essentially an electronic nature in the metallic state, whereas the phononic contribution dominates in the superconducting state.

Simulations of nanoscale sharp tips sliding on a salt surface predict vanishing friction at temperatures close to the melting temperature, as the tip skates on a layer of liquefied salt. This insight opens the way to applications in MEMS, NEMS and auto/aerospace engines.

A new approach to magnetic resonance force microscopy has demonstrated a resolution of 90 nm, and with further improvements it may be possible to determine the chemical compositions of single molecules.

A dataset of coding variation, derived from exome sequencing of nearly one million individuals from a range of ancestries, provides insight into rare variants and could accelerate the discovery of disease-associated genes and advance precision medicine efforts.

Analysing >40 plant traits and ecosystem properties over 10 years, the authors find moderate evidence for traits being predictors of ecosystem-level properties within years, but limited evidence for any effect across years.

Analyses of a dataset of arthropod biomass, abundance and diversity in grassland and forest habitats in Germany for the period 2008–2017 reveal that drivers of arthropod declines act at the landscape level.

500 years after the first studies on friction, the concepts of superlubricity, wearless sliding and friction control are being realized in laboratories and have become predictable by adequate modelling. The challenge now is to bridge the gap between what is known about these processes on the microscopic and macroscopic scales.

Christopher Newton-Cheh and colleagues report genome-wide association analyses for QT interval, an electrocardiographic measure reflecting myocardial repolarization, in 100,000 individuals. They identify 35 loci associated with QT interval and highlight a role for calcium regulation in myocardial repolarization.