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Freezing temperatures often persist over consecutive days in natural environments, yet the duration of frost events has been largely neglected. This study shows that prolonged frost events cause greater declines in forest growth than isolated frost episodes across the Northern Hemisphere.

Petroleum-based plastics pose environmental challenges, necessitating sustainable alternatives with robust properties. Here, the authors develop a cascade strategy combining pre-hydroplastic processing and post-noncovalent crosslinking, enhancing the water-resistance and mechanical strength of alginate supramolecular plastics, offering a viable, eco-friendly substitute for conventional plastics in humid conditions.

This study introduces ChemAHNet, a deep learning model that predicts stereoselectivity and absolute configurations in the asymmetric hydrogenation of olefins with two prochiral centers, providing a broadly applicable tool for catalyst and substrate design.

Sepsis’s profound heterogeneity complicates prognosis and stratification. Here, the authors show that SepsisFormer and SMART, explainable AI models integrating coagulation–inflammation markers, enable outcome prediction, real-time risk assessment, and subgroup identification to guide sepsis therapy.

Sustained epigenetic silencing in monkeys is made more efficient with optimized regulators.

Ion exchange membranes play an essential role in a range of technologies critical to sustainability. Here the authors show a membrane design that features a favourable combination of good stability, high ionic conductivity and processability with demonstrated application in flow batteries.

Many thrombolytic agents depend on plasminogen, leading to D-dimer accumulation. Here, Tang et al. report a plasminogen-independent thrombolytic enzyme that degrades blood clots and D-dimer without plasminogen.

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides have many of the properties required for applications in spintronics and valleytronics. Here, the authors experimentally observe intervalley quantum interference involving conduction band Q-valleys in tungsten diselenide.

A hybrid laser that combines silicon photonic-crystal reflectors with transfer-printed InGaAsP quantum wells offers a convenient means of realizing surface-emitting lasers on silicon.

Lipid nanoparticles are the gold standard for mRNA delivery but suffer from low loading capacity. Here, the authors report on the use of manganese ions to form mRNA rich cores within lipid nanoparticles which increased mRNA loading, reducing the lipid needed and increasing transfection and immune response in vivo.

The role of phosphorylated CTD interacting factor-1 (PCIF1) in neuropathic pain-anxiety comorbidity remains elusive. Here, authors identify the SERBP1–PCIF1 complex, which targets m6Am modification in glutamatergic neurons of the S1HL, as a potential therapeutic target.

Methanol dehydrogenases (MDHs) are crucial biocatalysts for methanol bioutilization, yet their biogenesis has long remained elusive. Here, the authors identify a key chaperone required for cofactor incorporation and elucidate the mechanism of MDH assembly.

Machine-learning-augmented single-nucleus transcriptomic analysis compared molecular landscapes of immature neurons in the mammalian hippocampus across species, highlighting human-specific gene expression but convergent biological processes.

Atherosclerosis is associated with the dysregulation of lipid metabolism in vascular endothelial cells. Here, the authors show that the accumulation of lipid droplets in vascular endothelial cells disrupts endothelial ciliation and contributes to atherosclerosis by reducing cytosolic palmitic acid.

Rooftop photovoltaic systems are often seen as a niche solution for mitigation but could offer large-scale opportunities. Using multi-source geospatial data and artificial intelligence techniques, the authors map their potential for reducing global temperatures and analyse regional differences.

Intricate regulation of gene expression is important for execution of biology processes. Here, the authors generate a comprehensive map of accessible chromatin by integrating the ATAC-seq data of 12 major maize tissues and explore their interspecific and intraspecific constraints in multiple Poaceae and maize genomes.

The authors systematically investigate the polarization switching kinetics of sliding ferroelectric WTe₂, demonstrating their ultrafast response (0.6 ns).

A portable multiplexed assay allows for the rapid detection, via plasmonic-gold-enhanced near-infrared fluorescence, of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at single-copy sensitivity and single-nucleotide specificity for the discrimination of variants of the virus.

Accurate nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) is crucial for studying excited-state dynamics in solids but is computationally expensive. Here, authors use machine learning to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of NAMD simulations in solids.

Kagome superconductors host a panoply of condensed matter phenomena, some of which are mediated by band topology. Here, authors use ARPES and DFT to identify type-II and type-III Dirac nodal lines, flat bands and topological surface states in the kagome metal CsTi₃Bi₅.

A machine learning framework is proposed to accurately predict electron–phonon coupling (EPC) strengths while reducing computational costs compared with first-principles methods. This approach facilitates EPC calculations with advanced functionals, allowing the accurate determination of real-world material properties such as carrier mobility and superconductivity.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, the molecular architecture and catalytic mechanism of action of the fungal β-1,3-glucan synthase FKS1 are determined.

A hydrogel implanted into the cavity of a resected tumour and releasing CAR-T cells and platelets conjugated with a checkpoint inhibitor inhibits local tumour recurrence and the growth of distant tumours in mice.

Criegee intermediates are pivotal in atmospheric chemistry, yet their cationic forms remain poorly understood. Here, the authors present infrared spectra of cationic Criegee intermediates, specifically syn- and anti-CH₃CHOO⁺, using vacuum ultraviolet photoionization coupled with IR photon dissociation spectroscopy.

Enhanced expression of chloroplast elongation factors StTuA/B increases potato disease resistance and photosynthesis, while oomycete effector Pi22926 inhibits their entry into the chloroplasts by disrupting their phosphorylation by StMAP3Kβ2.

Growth of large area and defect-free two-dimensional semiconductor layers for high-performance p–n junction applications has been a great challenge. Yang et al. prepare millimeter-scaled WSe₂/SnS₂ vertical heterojunctions by two-step van der Waals epitaxy, which show excellent optoelectronic properties.

Despite promising for anti-icing applications, structured superhydrophobic surfaces usually lose their hydrophobicity after a few icing/melting cycles. Here, authors investigate specific structured surfaces and air bubbles on frozen ice droplets to propose three criteria to enable dewetting transitions.

A study leveraging transsynaptic tracing demonstrates rapid and extensive integration of human glioblastoma organoids into the mouse brain.

An apparent redundant role with EZH2 has rendered EZH1 as a secondary player in PRC2-mediated homeostasis regulation. Here, the authors report that gain- and loss-of-function variants in EZH1 cause neurodevelopmental disorders, highlighting its functional relevance.

The origin of the charge density wave in vanadium antimonides has been widely debated. Here, the authors report the cooperation of electron-phonon and phonon-phonon coupling for the formation of the charge density wave in CsV₃Sb₅.

Researchers demonstrate a germanium/silicon avalanche photodiode gain–bandwidth product over 1 THz operating at 1,550 nm wavelength. The findings have implications for future high-speed optoelectronic devices in next-generation optical interconnects.

Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis supports the presence of immature dentate granule cells throughout the human lifespan and shows that these cells are reduced in number and dysregulated in Alzheimer's disease.

Achieving highly selective separation of olefin/paraffin is a significant challenge in the chemical industry. Here the authors present polydopamine-derived carbons with tailorable sub-5 Å micropores probed by a series of gas molecules that can realize precise size-sieving of olefin from paraffin.

Connecting the different layers in thermoelectric modules is challenging. Yin et al. develop a low-temperature-sintered silver nanoparticle interlayer for high-temperature operation of devices based on a variety of thermoelectric materials.