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High yield and wide adaptation rice are crucial for grain supply and food security. Here the authors report OsPI4Kγ7 which contributes to different “adaptability-yield” trade-offs in japonica and indica, and provides an alternative breeding strategy for raising grain yield in different latitudes.

Schizophrenia risk at 1p36.23 lacked functional insight. Here, the authors identify two enhancer variants that upregulate RERE, which disrupts neurogenesis and synaptic function by regulating Grin2a, linking genetic risk to neuronal development and excitatory signaling.

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.

Conventional organic polymeric resists and chemical solutions used in microlithographic techniques can damage sensitive materials. Here, the authors report the application of inorganic selenium molecules as a lithographic mediator and encapsulation layer during the processing of various sensitive materials, such as perovskites and black phosphorus.

B7H3 is an immune checkpoint overexpressed in many cancers and associated with tumor immune evasion. Here, the authors discover that in colorectal cancer, particularly microsatellite-stable tumors, palmitic acid promotes ZDHHC24- mediated B7H3 palmitoylation, regulating CD8⁺ T cell antitumor activity.

Purinergic signalling dysregulation can drive inflammatory disorders, but effective targeted therapy is still lacking. Here, authors develop a smart DNA origami nanodevice that can precisely sense and metabolize high levels of extracellular ATP, thereby fine-tuning purinergic signalling and immune homeostasis.

Most kiwifruit species are vulnerable to high levels of heat stress. Here, the authors report natural variation at the GATA transcription factor binding site of EGY3 gene mediates chloroplastic ROS homeostasis to confer kiwifruit thermotolerance.

In maize, ZmDapF1 suppresses the activity of ZmMDH6 in chloroplasts, exacerbating oxidative damage under drought. Knocking out ZmDapF1 or using its favourable allele with lower gene expression enhances drought resilience without yield penalty.

Highly ionically conductive and flexible solid-state composite battery electrolytes are engineered by alternately stacking inorganic Li_xM_yPS₃ (M = Cd or Mn) nanosheets with lithium-containing organic polymers in a perpendicular orientation to the surface of the electrodes.

Granzyme B is an important factor in cytotoxic T lymphocytes anti-tumour immunity. Here, the authors report on a Pd-FTn granzyme B-mimicking nanozyme with a binuclear catalytic centre, delivered by functionalised nanovesicles to selectively trigger caspase-dependent apoptosis for a T cell-inspired cancer therapy.

This work develops an atomic-level coordination engineering strategy that strengthens key intermediate adsorption to promote C–C coupling, enabling highly selective photocatalytic CO₂ conversion to ethylene.

RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is typically considered as an essential enzyme. Here the authors show that natural degradation of RNAPII drives chromatin reorganization in growing oocytes, preparing the chromatin for genome activation after fertilization.

Intermittent fasting (IF) has been recognized as a potential cancer therapeutic approach but its effect on tumor growth is limited. This study demonstrates that response to IF varies between glioblastoma subtypes, with IF specifically inhibiting Tp53-driven glioblastoma due to a reshaping of the gut microbiota and subsequent altered methionine metabolism suppressing TGF- β signaling.

Chemical imaging probes enable visualization of dynamic biological processes, but engineering high sensitivity probes remains challenging. Here, the authors present Sensight, a quantitative multivariate framework that integrates key photophysical and physicochemical descriptors to predict and optimize probe performance, and design G₃, a superoxide probe with high sensitivity for detecting early oxidative events.

Eukaryotic Fanzor proteins are compact and advantageous for delivery, but their activity remains limited. Here, the authors engineer an improved Fanzor2 system (evoMmeFz2) using structure-guided and AI-assisted strategies to enable efficient exon skipping in a Duchenne muscular dystrophy model.

In patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC), resistance to the standard-of-care induction chemotherapy often occurs. Here, using longitudinal single-cell transcriptomic profiling of HPSCC samples from patients receiving induction chemotherapy, the authors identify a ZNF683-high natural killer (NK) cell population as a predictor of chemotherapy response.

The authors introduce a non-invasive, ultrafast imaging method that combines femtosecond transient absorption microscopy with a WSe₂ exciton sensor to visualize multilevel exciton transport driven by correlated electronic states in twisted WS₂ moiré superlattices.

This study shows that WDR5 remodels NANOG condensates to control transcriptional programs. Disrupting their interaction compromises stem cell identity and suppresses leukemia stem cell expansion.

Electrochemical CO reduction to multi-carbon products offers a carbon-negative approach to produce chemicals, but the intricate reaction pathways lead to a broad spectrum of products. Now it has been shown that alkali cations alter the mechanistic pathways that govern the reaction selectivity involved in the formation of hydrocarbons versus oxygenates.

Alternative splicing greatly expands the transcriptomic and proteomic diversity in vertebrates. Here, the authors develop a machine-learning tool to identify functional splicing events during hematopoietic cell differentiation, revealing new regulators of hematopoiesis.

The mechanical properties of inorganic solid electrolytes for Li batteries are typically characterised by a high Young’s modulus above 15 GPa and hardness above 1 GPa. Here, authors develop a cost-effective and mechanically compliant inorganic solid electrolyte, with reduced Young’s modulus and hardness of 1.41 and 0.22 GPa, respectively, for practical all-solid-state Li batteries.

Polarons play a crucial role in determining the (photo)electrocatalytic activity of semiconductors. Here, the authors report a reversible, potential-driven method to generate Ti³⁺ polarons on TiO₂, creating dynamic active sites that break the adsorption-potential linearity and boost hydrogen evolution.

The molecular heterogeneity of brain metastases (BrMs) poses challenges for their treatment. Here, the authors generate a multi-omic, single cell, and spatially resolved atlas of 1,032 pan-cancer BrMs and identify four molecular subtypes with distinct biological and clinical features.

Chen et al. report a tailored self-assembled monolayer to create a localized 2D/3D perovskite heterojunction. This strategy reduces interfacial loss, achieving photovoltages >90% of thermodynamic limit for wide-bandgap cells, and enables perovskite-organic tandem solar cells with efficiency of 27.11%.

Bacteria can infect tumour cells which may affect the biological characteristics of the tumour or even the therapeutic outcome. Here authors show that Stenotrophomonas, upon entering tumour cells, trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress, leading to STING degradation and inhibition of MHC-II⁺ macrophages, which ultimately cause tumour progression and immunotherapy resistance.

Behçet’s syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disease with oral ulcers being the most common symptom. Here authors present results from a phase 2 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial that shows that systemic low dose interleukin-2 could be safely administered to these patients, and the therapy may improve their quality of life.

Intrauterine adhesions (IUA) are a leading cause of female infertility. Here, authors engineer a Tβ4-releasing ECM hydrogel that mimics decidualization to promote endometrial regeneration as a therapeutic strategy for treatment of IUA.

The longevity of leaves determines the overall duration of photosynthesis for plants. This study suggests that climate change drives leaf longevity convergence toward intermediate ranges, which, by altering leaf traits and enhancing photosynthetic capacity, strengthens ecosystem stability and is closely linked to vegetation diversity.

Single-crystal alloy thin films (SATFs) are appealing for applications in crystal epitaxy, surface catalysis, and energy conversion. Here, the authors report a method to synthesize wafer-scale binary and ternary SATFs with sub-nanometer roughness, which can be used as substrates for the growth of high-quality graphene single crystals.

The catalytic enantioconvergent N-alkylation of hydrazine derivatives with alkyl halides offers an attractive route to chiral hydrazines, but remains challenging due to the lack of efficient asymmetric catalytic systems and the difficulty in achieving regioselectivity. Herein, the authors report the copper-catalyzed enantioconvergent N-alkylation of hydrazine derivatives with racemic α-haloamides.

Genome evolutionary history of wild Arachis species remains unclear. Here, the authors report the origin of small chromosome A08 and genome evolution of Arachis species via comparative oligopainting and genomic analysis of A. hoehnei.

In osteoporotic fracture-related infection (FRI), coordinated bone healing is compromised by cortical bone lysis and persistent bacterial colonization. Here, Li et al. report a dual-action nanocomposite bisphosphonates hydrogel for treatment of osteoporotic FRI that preserves cortical bone integrity and restores fracture healing.

Liu et al. report Chinese normative lifespan brain charts showing later neurodevelopmental milestones than those detected in Western cohorts. Individual deviations from these norms are valuable in assessing clinical risk and outcomes.

A boryl-isodiazomethyl anion featuring a bent eneyne-type B=N–N≡C scaffold is isolated and structurally characterized. The highly nucleophilic boron-bound nitrogen centre makes this species an effective synthon of boryl-nitrene for concerted CN⁻/CO exchange and metathesis reactions with C=O, C=S and C=N bonds via cleavage of the N–N bond.

Metal–ligand synergistic catalysis remains underexplored in single-atom systems. Here, inspired by homogeneous pincer complexes, the authors construct Pd(II)–N₄ sites on carbon nitride, enabling highly selective photocatalytic semi-hydrogenation of alkynes.

The efficient mass transport is the key factor to advancing the flow-electrocatalytic chemosynthesis. Here, the authors design a flow-through architecture in flow electrolyzer, reinforcing mass transport in the electrolyte to achieve the high efficiency of continuous oxime electrosynthesis.

Papaya is a trioecious species with XX females, XY males, and XY^h hermaphrodites, and the combination of Y and Y^h chromosomes is lethal. Here, the authors identify the degeneration of the YY lethality gene on the Y chromosome as the causal balancing lethal factor that reenforces dioecy and stabilizes balanced sex ratios.

Smc5/6 association with DNA junctions can support genomic functions. Here, the authors show that Smc5/6 junction polarity preferences, targeting, and dwell times are determined by its structural modules as well as the RPA and PCNA genomic factors.

Seed traits are critical for soybean yield and quality. Here, the authors report a NF-YA transcription factor gene SW14 regulates soybean seed traits without affecting other agronomic traits by inhibiting GmLEC1-mediated transcriptional activation.

Spin-crossover complexes are promising candidates for molecular bits owing to their magnetic bistability but engineering high-density bits is challenging due to cooperative switching dynamics. Here the authors modulate the cooperative dynamics of surface-confined spin-crossover complex chains.

Chromatin profiling methods are often limited by a lack of suitable antibodies. Here, authors present Af-CUT&Tag, a chromatin profiling strategy based on CRISPR-integrated peptide tags which enables sensitive bulk and single-cell mapping of transcriptional regulators.

The efficiency of large-scale hydrogen production is limited by slow oxygen evolution kinetics. Here, the authors report a heterostructure catalyst that activates lattice oxygen to achieve efficient and durable oxygen evolution at high current densities.

The mechanism of transitions in sex determination systems are often poorly understood. This study looks at the amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri, and finds repeated transpositions of the gene tesD have created new sex-determining regions, driving turnover of the sex determination system.

Traditional urea production is energy-intensive and emits large amounts of CO₂. Here, the authors report an Ag/CdO catalyst with tandem dual sites that electrosynthesizes urea efficiently from nitrate and CO₂ by steering reaction pathways and suppressing by-products.

The authors identify AMsh glia, expressing both cold and heat receptors, function as a dual-mode thermosensory hub, bidirectionally modulating neural circuits to regulate various thermal behaviors in C. elegans.

A microwave-assisted process is developed for the rapid and scalable manufacture of pure-phase metallic MoS₂ nanosheets, enabling practical electrochemical devices for energy applications.

The low mechanical strength and insufficient lithium-ion conductivity of the solid-electrolyte interphase result in inhomogeneous lithium deposition. Here, the authors propose a new middle peak current charging protocol, guiding the nucleation and growth of densified lithium deposition and a solid-electrolyte interphase with improved mechanical strength and Li⁺ ion conductivity.

The mechanism of how different anion dopants influence the catalytic performance for sulfur species is currently lacking systematic theoretical studies. Here, an accurate p-p-s electronic coupling descriptor was proposed as a criterion to guide the design of anion-doped Li-S catalysts.

The integration of high-κ dielectrics with low equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) is crucial for the development of 2D transistors. Here, the authors report the low-temperature fabrication of wafer-scale HfO₂ dielectric films with sub-5-Å EOT and their application for the realization of high-performance 2D MoS₂ transistors and circuits.

We introduce meta-amplified dark-field interferometric scattering microscopy, which uses a plasmonic metasurface to enhance sensitivity and contrast by converting nanoparticle-induced phase perturbations into strong far-field scattering signals.