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Encapsulation of large-size DNA molecules into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) remains challenging. Here, the authors engineer PEGylated LNPs with DNA and plasma proteins to improve the delivery of large DNA molecules, enhancing the gene therapy potential.

Chattering dust, or chemically reactive grains of sucrose containing pockets of pressurized carbon dioxide, are used in this experimental approach to study rock fractures. The chattering dust emits acoustic shocks that can be monitored and illuminates fracture geometry.

Minor variations in synthesis conditions can redirect crystallization pathways through different nonequilibrium intermediates. Here, the authors present a theoretical framework to predict which polymorphs appear during MnO₂ precipitation, which is validated by in situ X-ray scattering of reaction progression.

The SiO₂ contents of erupted volcanic melts are correlated with persistent seismic signals that accompany eruptions—volcanic tremor—and may represent an eruption monitoring tool, according to a study of volcanic ash glasses from Cumbre Vieja volcano.

Heavy pnictogen-based compounds are promising nontoxic and stable alternatives to lead-halide perovskites, but are limited by carrier localization. Here, by investigating CuSbSe₂, the authors identify how this limitation could be avoided.

This study presents a method to create nanoscale polarization transient gratings in the EUV range. Unlike intensity gratings, it reduces thermal effects, revealing hidden material dynamics. This enables new insights in chiral materials and ultrafast magnetism.

Tamminen et al. show that a commercial, tube-source µCT device combined with computational image analysis can be used to obtain quantitative 3D data for cellular structures in optically-challenging samples hard to image using other methods.

Ternary chalcogenides are gaining interest as nontoxic, stable solar absorbers. Here, the authors investigate NaBiS₂, finding cation disorder to be a critical parameter that enables its high absorption strength and unusual charge-carrier kinetics.

Dual catalysis is widely employed by natural metalloenzymes to functionalize challenging substrates. Now, this concept is applied to artificial metalloenzymes by designing a hydroaminase with two biotinylated gold cofactors enabling an unnatural σ,π-activation mechanism of terminal alkynes.

Controlling crystal growth alignment in wide bandgap low-dimensional perovskites has been a persistent challenge. Here, authors induce vertical crystal growth through the addition of chlorine to precursor solution, giving rise to a record power conversion efficiency of 9.4% for 2 eV bandgap devices.

Celiac disease is characterized by intolerance to gluten, a cereal protein. Here, the authors show that neprosin, a glutamate peptidase from the pitcher plant, efficiently cleaves gluten components under physiological conditions in vitro and in the gut of mice.

Achieving high conductivity in metal-organic solids can be challenging, due to the difficulty of obtaining a good overlap between the d-orbitals of the metal and the π-orbitals of the organic molecule. Here, the authors present two coordination solids, VCl₂(pyrazine)₂ and TiCl₂(pyrazine)₂, with remarkably different electrical conductivity. While the former is an insulator, the latter displays the highest conductivity of any octahedrally coordinated metal ions based metal-organic solid.

Activating CO₂ to form methane is a potential strategy for energy decarbonization, but to activate CO₂ typically requires high temperatures. Here a ruthenium oxycarbonate is presented that forms by carbon interstitial doping of RuO₂, and this catalyst enables CO₂ activation at 50 °C.

A cooperative insertion mechanism for CO₂ adsorption is shown to generate highly efficient adsorbents for carbon capture applications.

The physical properties of devices made of printed nanosheets and nanowires are determined by their intrinsic nanostructured network morphology. Here, the authors use FIB-SEM nanotomography to quantitatively analyze printed nanostructured networks via 3D reconstructions.

Nanomaterials provide a route to efficient solid-state conversion between thermal and electrical energy. Here, the authors demonstrate that a combination of metal and semiconductor colloidal nanocrystals can produce thermoelectric nanocomposites with high performance.

The growth plate cartilage supports long bone growth. Here the authors identify FoxA2+ long term stem cells in the growth plate that are stratified with short term PTHrP+ cells, participate in production of hyaline cartilage, expand in response to trauma, and whose ablation impairs cartilage regeneration.

Phosphorylated peptide antigens are present on cancer cells, but their role in cancer immunity is unknown. Here, the authors describe a molecular mechanism, by which a tumor-specific phosphopeptide found in acute myeloid leukemia is recognized by the human immune T cells.

Blooms of pigmented microalgae accelerate glacier and ice sheet melting by reducing the surface albedo. Here, Halbach et al. use single-cell measurements of elemental composition and nutrient assimilation rates of glacier ice algae, showing that the algae are well adapted to the ice’s oligotrophic conditions and exhibit no significant changes in productivity in response to nutrient additions.

This study shows how Escherichia coli ApaH hydrolyzes enigmatic Np₄N alarmones and decaps Np₄-capped RNAs, thereby impacting their lifetimes. Key features enable ApaH to bind RNA substrates in two orientations, depending on the cap and the first RNA nucleotide.

The authors use cryo-electron microscopy and biochemistry to reveal how 3-methylcytosine (m³C) methyltransferases bind tRNA. They also find that the human m³C methyltransferase METTL6 forms a tRNA-dependent complex with seryl-tRNA synthetase to methylate target tRNAs efficiently.

This study presents a chloroplast photosystem I structure identified by cryogenic electron microscopy from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In contrast to the cyanobacterial complex, the absence of PsaH and Lhca2 allows a head-to-head orientation of the photosystem I–light-harvesting complex I monomers.

The authors present novel observations providing insights into the formation of extraordinary gold-rich veins. We discovered metal nanoparticles associated with amorphous silica and carbon indicating their essential contribution to efficient gold deposition.

An analysis of single-cell transcriptomes from the retina and optic lobe of the bobtail squid characterizes the cellular basis of the complex visual system of this cephalopod and provides insights into the convergent evolution of the neurons in the vertebrate neuroretina and cephalopod optic lobe.

Magnetic metamaterials can be designed to provide models of frustrated systems that allow theoretical predictions to be experimentally tested. Here the authors realise a 2D XY model with dipolar interactions and find behaviour consistent with predictions of a low-temperature ordered state.

Although the TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion is the most common alteration in human prostate cancer, its involvement in disease progression remains unclear. Here, the authors demonstrate that ERG is methylated by Enhancer of zest homolog 2 leading to enhanced transcriptional and oncogenic activity.

Border and colleagues present FUSION, an open-source, web-based platform designed to integrate spatial omics with histological context. FUSION enables intuitive, interactive exploration of cellular and tissue-level features across diverse organs and assay types.

Protein corona formation is known to have significant effects upon nanomaterials application. Here, the authors investigate the creation of a protein coating on liposomes with the aim of improving liposome circulation time by avoiding leukocyte capture and demonstrated application in vitro and ex vivo.

Simultaneous optical and gamma-ray observations of nova V906 Carinae reveal correlated flares in both wavelength ranges that can be linked to shocks in the nova ejecta. Weak X-ray emission suggests that the shocks are deeply embedded, but they contribute substantially to the luminosity of the nova.

Preliminary modelling of airborne microplastics suggests that they may be exerting a minor cooling influence on the present-day atmosphere, and continued production could have increasing effects on the climate system in future.

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) enable the construction of bespoke functional materials, but designing dynamic 2D COFs is challenging. Now it has been shown that perylene-diimide-based COFs can open and close their pores upon uptake or removal of guests, while fully retaining their crystalline long-range order. Moreover, the variable COF geometry enables stimuli-responsive optoelectronic properties.

Lean body mass is a highly heritable trait and is associated with various health conditions. Here, Kiel and colleagues perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for whole body lean body mass and find five novel genetic loci to be significantly associated.

Pulsed laser deposition is used for the heteroepitaxial growth of methylammonium lead iodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) thin films on a KCl substrate at room temperature. Experimental and computational results confirm cubic phase stabilization by tensile epitaxial strain in the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ thin films.

Synthetic nanocages that can adapt the size and shape of their cavity in response to a given guest have potential applications in various areas, including chemical purification. Now a flexible, pseudo-cubic metal–organic cage has been developed that is able to dynamically expand its cavity from 46% to 154% of its initial volume by flipping its cage faces.

Oligonucleotides targeting mRNA are promising therapeutic agents but suffer from poor bioavailability. Here, the authors develop reduced-charge oligonucleotides with artificial LNA-amide linkages with improved cell uptake and minimal structural deviation to the DNA:RNA duplex.

Results from the randomized, noncomparative, phase 2 MATISSE trial show that ultra-short neoadjuvant therapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab can prevent surgery and radiotherapy in patients with resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, with an early decrease in total lesion glycolysis by [¹⁸F]FDG-PET/CT associated with response.

While water splitting offers a renewable means to produce H₂ fuel, most electrolyzers rely on scarce elements to function. Here, authors study low-content Iridium catalysts derived from mixed oxides for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis anodes without compromising activity and durability.

Serial crystallography was developed for protein crystal data collection with X-ray free-electron lasers. Here the authors present several examples which show that serial crystallography using high-viscosity injectors can also be routinely employed for room-temperature data collection at synchrotrons.

From 2003 to 2020, the efficiency of white light-emitting diodes rose from 6% to 39%, while costs fell by 96%. Weinold et al. explore the drivers of such rapid progress to formulate lessons for future clean energy innovation.

Sarcomeres, the building blocks of striated muscles, comprise ordered actomyosin arrays involved in force production. Here, the authors visualize sarcomere organization in neonatal cardiomyocytes with in situ cryo-electron tomography, revealing a reduced order of the thin filaments, their sliding and functional states enabling contraction.

Self-assembled perovskite nanoplatelets emit linearly polarized light, enabling the realization of red perovskite light-emitting diodes with a 74.4% degree of linear polarization.

A case–control study investigating the causes of recent cases of acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in 32 children identifies an association between adeno-associated virus infection and host genetics in disease susceptibility.

Peptide epimerization is a common but enigmatic post-translational modification found in antibiotics formed from ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides. Now, crystallographic snapshots, spectroscopy and biochemical investigations have provided insight into the mechanism of peptide epimerization catalyzed by radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine epimerases.

Thin graphene oxide windows can be used in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of environmental cells by virtue of their transparency to low-energy electrons.

Filamentous cable bacteria conduct electrical currents over centimeter distances through fibers embedded in their cell envelope. Here, Boschker et al. show that the fibers consist of a conductive core containing nickel proteins that is surrounded by an insulating protein shell.