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Natural variation in the promoter of OsTPS8 contributes to differences in grain chalkiness and seed vigor between indica and japonica rice subspecies by altering trehalose-6-phosphate biosynthesis and α-amylase levels.

Strong paramagnetism is generated in hydrogels rich in carbon–oxygen double bonds simply by coupling with diamagnetic Ca cations. These paramagnetic hydrogels are applied as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and magnetic drug carriers.

Efficient acidic CO₂ reduction to HCOOH at high current density faces challenges of high overpotential, low Faraday efficiency, and poor stability. This study optimizes these three key metrics by modulating soft acid strength through interstitial atoms.

Shoot branching is critical in determining soybean yield. Here, the authors report natural variation of Dt2 in controlling soybean branching number and the interaction of Dt2 with GmAgl22 and GmSoc1a to activate transcription of GmAp1a and GmAp1d.

A wearable capacitive temperature sensor that is based on exceptional-point-enhanced phase sensing can measure temperatures from 36 °C to 55.5 °C—a perturbation from 0% to 3.95%—with a maximum normalized sensitivity of 400, an estimated dynamic range of 53.52 dB and an estimated signal-to-noise ratio of 63.8 dB.

A model, trained to generate synthetic, patient-specific angiography images, reduced radiation exposure to patients and clinicians by two-thirds in a multicenter randomized controlled trial involving 1,068 patients.

KP.3.1.1 S S31del confers enhanced immune escape and increased infectivity, which is counterbalanced by NSP10 S33C. The opposing effects of these mutations highlight the complex interplay of viral genomic elements in shaping their overall fitness.

Direct observation of the Migdal effect in neutron–nucleus collisions is reported, which resolves a long-standing gap in experimental validation.

The extreme hot and dry conditions of 2023 reduced soil respiration and enhanced net forest carbon sequestration in Canada, offsetting wildfire emissions, according to satellite-based and in situ observations of CO₂ fluxes.

The alga Aureococcus anophagefferens can form dense brown-tide blooms partly because it adapts well to light changes. This study reveals two glutamate residues in its light-harvesting proteins as critical for dissipating excess light energy, supporting its survival and bloom formation.

Using ancient DNA, isotopes and proteomics, this work reveals social inequality and mobility in Eastern Zhou China, showing female sacrifices, dietary disparities across classes, kinship networks among elites, and rare evidence of social mobility.

Wang, Chu, Chen, Wei and colleagues discover a subset of tumour-associated macrophages expressing SLC2A1 whose spatial proximity to CD8⁺ T cells drives resistance to anti-PD-L1 treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Dysregulation in proteolysis contributes to brain tumorigenesis. Here the authors report that USP10 deubiquitinase is enriched in glioma stem cells (GSCs), which antagonizes DTX3L-mediated ubiquitination of SATB2, a major driver of GSC proliferation and self-renewal.

Palladium–olefin catalysis is utilized to overcome the ‘ortho constraint’ in the Catellani reaction of para-substituted iodoarenes. Using a methyl-modified thio-cycloolefin ligand, this method enables selective mono-alkylative vicinal difunctionalization of para-substituted iodoarenes, which is unattainable by conventional palladium–norbornene catalysis.

This study identifies ICA proteins in Arabidopsis roots as key mediators of Ca²⁺ uptake through non-selective cation channels. High-order ica mutants show reduced Ca²⁺ levels and heightened stress sensitivity, revealing ICAs’ role in Ca²⁺ homeostasis.

Alternative polyadenylation is involved in plant responses to various stresses. Here, the authors show how a cis-natural antisense RNA promotes proximal polyadenylation of its cognate SlSPX5 gene in response to phosphate starvation in tomato.

China’s crowded coasts must balance seafood demand with conserving migratory shorebirds that rely on tidal flats along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. This study suggests that well-managed mariculture feeds shorebirds and limits overharvest, benefiting seafood production and biodiversity.

Hong-Xuan Lin, Ji-Ping Gao, Jun-Xiang Shan and colleagues show that natural variation in a proteasome α2 subunit gene contributes to thermotolerance in African rice. Their follow-up studies suggest that the variant allele protects cells from heat stress by enhancing the elimination of cytotoxic denatured proteins and maintaining heat-response processes.

Jia Hu and colleagues propose a human-lead truck platooning method with lane-changing capability to improve logistics efficiency and reduce labor costs. It has been deployed in large-scale port operations in Shanghai.

All-solid-state batteries face significant performance challenges with conventional anodes under high currents. Here, the authors design an In₀.₃₈Sn₀.₃₃Bi₀.₂₉ alloy anode that forms a robust mixed ionic–electronic network, enabling high-rate capability and durable solid-state cells.

Environmental Li pollution and health problems have been becoming an important concern worldwide. Here, the authors show that Li exposure causes trophoblast cell ferroptosis and thus induces unexplained miscarriage through a non-canonical MBOAT1 pathway.

Resolution of G4s has been suggested to be required for efficient DNA replication. Here, the authors show that the nuclease DNA2 and the DNA repair complex MutSα (MSH2-MSH6) are required to remove G4 stabilized by environmental compounds to allow efficient telomere replication.

Achieving generality in asymmetric catalysis with highly reactive radicals is a challenge. Now it is shown that a sequential copper-catalysed approach enables the efficient, enantioselective cross-coupling of over 50 diverse radicals, providing unified access to C-, P- and S-chiral products and advancing the asymmetric synthesis of challenging molecular architectures.

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) within the tumour microenvironment are important for prognostic and immunotherapeutic indications in cancer. Here the authors use a spatial and single cell transcriptomics analysis of gastric cancer (GC) samples and show transcriptomic differences grouped by types of TLS and generate a prognostic transcriptomic signature to help predict outcome in GC patients.

Despite the global spread of the mpox virus, the long-term durability and breadth of infection-induced immunity are not fully understood. Here, the authors analyze MPXV-specific immune responses up to 18 months post-infection, revealing robust cellular immunity and cross-neutralization among orthopoxviruses, which inform reinfection risks and vaccine development strategies.

The powdery mildew resistance of the MLIW170/PM26 locus, which originated from wild emmer wheat, is determined by a genetically linked atypical NLR gene pair, TdCNL1 and TdCNL5, with TdCNL1 encoding an atypical nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat protein integrating a potassium-dependent sodium-calcium exchanger domain.

DEAD-box helicase 6 (DDX6), the regulator of P-body assembly, is essential for the survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Here the authors report that DDX6 undergoes phase separation to preserve mRNA subsets in P-bodies, promoting branched-chain amino acid metabolism and chemoresistance in AML.

Borgs are large extrachromosomal elements of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea. Here, via in silico protein structure prediction of ~10,000 Borg proteins, the authors reveal that Borgs share numerous features with giant eukaryotic viruses, suggesting that Borgs have a viral-like lifestyle and evolutionary convergence of large extrachromosomal elements across the Domains of Life.

The function and regulatory mechanism of mRNA acetylation modification in cancer progression remains largely unknown. Here the authors identify that targeting tumor N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) RNA acetyltransferase NAT10 improves anti-tumor response via MYC/CDK2/DNMT1/dsRNA/type I IFN pathway, and show the synergic anti-tumor effect of NAT10 inhibition with aPD-1.

Frequent recalibration poses a challenge to the reliability of cuffless blood pressure monitoring devices. Here, the authors introduce a conformal and stretchable piezoelectric microsystem combined with a demographic-adaptive model, enabling calibration-free, continuous BP tracking.

A combination of adenovirus-vectored and subunit protein intranasal vaccine enhances immune response against SARS-CoV-2 variants in animal models and humans.

A mechano-intelligent transmission mechanism based on the slipknot delivers precise force signals for clinical practice and robotic operations such as minimally invasive surgery and tendon-driven robotics.

Iron‒sulfur nanozymes catalyse the production of an indole derivative, 2-indolecarboxylic acid, in Lactobacillus vaginalis, leading to a synergistic antibacterial activity that protects mice and weaned pigs against Salmonella Typhimurium infection.

Whether and how gamma entrainment using sensory stimuli (GENUS) has a role in antiepileptogenesis is not fully understood. Here authors show that GENUS reduces seizure susceptibility in male mice. These effects are mediated via specific visual neural pathway.

Phenotypic screening of an endophyte-derived compound library led to identification of a potent anti-non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lead compound, the 3,4-diisobutyryl derivative of auxarthrol A, uncovering dynein light intermediate chain 1 as a druggable vulnerability and a key regulator of autophagy in NSCLC.

This study shows the role of hydrogen sulfide as a driver of plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes.

Two-electron oxygen reduction reaction for hydrogen peroxide electrosynthesis is hindered by slow proton-feeding kinetics. Here, authors report bio-inspired B coordinated Ni-based metal-organic frameworks to accelerate water dissociation, achieving industrial-level hydrogen peroxide production.

Toxicity of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) is often caused by off-target shedding of therapeutic payloads due to linker instability. Here, the authors demonstrate that site-specific ligase-dependent conjugation of therapeutic payloads to engineered trastuzumab via a ring-opening linker improves stability compared to conventional HER2- targeting ADCs.

Wheat powdery mildew resistance is typically controlled by single-gene-encoded resistance protein. Here, the authors report the cloning of powdery mildew resistance locus PmWR183 and show that it encodes two adjacent nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins originated from wild emmer wheat.

Stimulated Brillouin scattering is a non-linear interaction that allows light to be stored as coherent acoustic waves. Here, the authors report on Brillouin scattering-induced transparency in an optical microresonator whose high quality allows for long-lifetime non-reciprocal light storage.