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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.

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.

Ubiquitin chains direct post-ER membrane proteins toward different degradation routes. Here, the authors show that K63 chains promote lysosomal sorting, whereas K48 chains trigger “CUTUP”, a protein shearing pathway mediated by two ubiquitin-dependent proteases, Ddi1 and Rbd2, and the proteasome.

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.

Addressing how the nitrogen-induced changes in plant diversity differ from those in soil organisms is critical. This global meta-analysis suggests that nitrogen enrichment has stronger negative effects on plant diversity but modest to negligible effects on soil bacterial and fungal diversity.

Zinc isotope data from Chang’e-5 lunar basalt samples records early impact driven volatile depletion, whereas soil samples primarily record late-stage volcanic degassing, with only limited space-weathering modification.

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.

Here, in a large-scale clinical trial, the authors associate gut microbiota composition and metabolic status with effectiveness of dietary fiber intervention in prediabetes, and provide a clinically applicable model to guide microbiome-targeted personalized medicine.

The mechanisms underlying the limited response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in most patients remain elusive. This study identifies GBP2 as a key enhancer of T cell-mediated ferroptosis and ICB efficacy through phase separation and STAT1 activation.

How the brain represents and allocates limited working memory resources remains unclear. Here the authors show that the geometry of compositionality in macaque prefrontal neurons underlies the flexible and rational use of limited resources in sequence working memory.

This work reveals critical role of R-Ras2 in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression. R-Ras2 maintains VSMCs function via c-MET-TFII-I axis, with MEG3 stabilizing its mRNA stability. Findings identify R-Ras2 a potential AAA therapeutic target.

Boccella, Yu and colleagues reveal that the transmembrane protein ANTXR1 regulates post-infarction fibrotic remodeling, and its inhibition blocks collagen turnover and improves heart function.

High-power, tunable accelerator-based terahertz radiation is demonstrated. By electron-beam manipulation through laser heater beating, tunable capability from 7.8 to 30.8 THz, narrow spectral bandwidths (ranging from 7.7% to 14.7%) and pulse energies up to 385 μJ are obtained.

Modules of foldable crystalline silicon solar cells retain their power-conversion efficiency after being subjected to bending stress or exposure to air-flow simulations of a violent storm.

Evidence for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate COPD is limited. Here, the authors show that long-term treatment with high-dose N-acetylcysteine neither significantly reduced the annual rate of total exacerbations nor improve lung function in patients with mild-tomoderate COPD.

A reinforcement learning-based virtual reality system, implementing a series of sport sessions with coaching, was as effective as standard physical activity in reducing fat mass in adolescents, with positive effects on cognition.

The mechanisms linking neuropsychiatric and metabolic disorders remain unclear. The authors show a pancreas–hippocampus feedback loop whereby metabolic and circadian factors drive behavioral fluctuations, with potential relevance for bipolar disorder.

Low effective doping of boron limits the performance of solar cells based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Liu et al. show that light induces the diffusion of hydrogen atoms, which activates boron doping, enabling a power conversion efficiency of over 25%.

Caloric restriction promotes healthy aging, but dietary alternatives are needed. Here, the authors show that a high-fiber diet mimics caloric restriction’s benefits in mice, improving metabolism, cognition, and aging markers without reducing food intake.

The authors establish a scalable pipeline for systematic peptide–receptor discovery. Applying this approach in soybean, researchers identified a PEP914/890-P98R module that plays a pivotal role in conferring disease resistance.

Chang’E-5 and Chang’E-6 lunar soils show higher δ30Si than lunar basalts, with CE-6 having the highest value, suggesting space weathering produced by micrometeorite impacts alters Si isotopes of lunar soils, with stronger effects on the farside.

Alternative splicing crucially affects various biological processes, however, its function in heart development is largely unknown. Here, the authors show an essential role of alternative splicing factor PTBP1 in ventricular chamber development.

In the prevention and treatment of acute ventricular arrhythmia, rapid and accurate photothermal autonomic neuromodulation is crucial but challenging. Here, the authors report Pt nanoparticle shells with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 73.7% at 1064 nm that contributes to efficient and precise autonomic nerve modulation.

Intratumourally administered bacteria coated with manganese dioxide modulate the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and potently activate antitumour immune responses, as shown in multiple solid tumours in small animals.

Photothermal catalysis, which converts photons into heat to drive catalytic reactions, is a highly promising approach. Here, the authors demonstrate an optically selective catalyst based on a Ti₃C₂T_x Janus design which minimizes thermal emission, maximizes solar absorption, and maintains good catalytic activity, resulting in excellent photothermal catalytic performance.

The formation of directional fibrous tissue bands, typical of liver fibrosis progression, might be induced by the tension of the hepatic stellate cells, as studied with an in vitro microfabricated model.

NH₄⁺-derived pathways, rather than NO₃^--derived pathway, are the dominant hyporheic N₂O sources in lower-order streams. These findings provide insights into better estimation of N₂O emissions in global models of riverine ecosystems and emphasize the importance of managing ammonium.

Helicobacter pylori FabX, a dehydrogenase/isomerase flavoprotein, is required for unsaturated fatty acid synthesis. Here, the authors characterize FabX substrate recognition and catalytic mechanism, and reveal that it contains an atypical [4Fe-4S] cluster, which is essential and participates in the catalytic cycle.

The authors collate literature on the responses of bird assemblages to forest loss and show that locations with a more variable natural environment and a longer history of agricultural land use have bird assemblages that are more tolerant to forest loss.

Obesity, a surging global health challenge, needs effective and innovative therapeutic models. Here, the authors show in mice a microneedle drug delivery platform loaded with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and CRISPRa-UCP1 system to enable sono-gene therapy for obesity.

Whether microRNA processing mediated by Dicer is regulated in a cell-cycle-dependent manner is unknown. Here, Chen et al.show that Cyclin D1, which is important in the control of the cell cycle, regulates the expression of Dicer, and that Cyclin D1 and Dicer expression levels correlate in breast cancer.

The authors observe the emergence of ferroelectricity in Sn-based perovskite [93.3 mol% (FA0.86Cs0.14)SnI3 and 6.7 mol% PEA2SnI4] semiconductor films doped with 2-methylbenzimidazole, ascribing to the hydrogen bond enhancement after imidazole molecular doping.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) stabilization with molecular glues plays a crucial role in drug discovery. Here, the authors propose a dual-site approach for the design of clyclin K molecular glues, targeting the PPI region and its dynamic surroundings, and report a dual-site molecular glue for the cyclin-dependent kinase 12 - DNA damage-binding protein 1 complex, resulting in further cyclin K degradation.

Base editors can induce transcriptome-wide RNA off-target editing independent of gRNA. Here, the authors engineer ABEmax variants with minimized RNA off-target activities.

The interface between LaAlO₃ and SrTiO₃shows unusual phenomena such as a two-dimensional electron gas as well as magnetism. Here, Yu and Zunger show how the formation of defects contributes to the properties of this system.