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ATF6α activation in human and preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma is significantly associated with an aggressive tumour phenotype characterized by reduced survival, glycolytic reprogramming and local immunosuppression.

Pangenomic and epidemiological analyses reveal a genetic shift in U.S. Salmonella Hadar populations during 2019–20, driven by expansion of a lineage carrying a prophage-like element that likely arose in commercial poultry and spread to backyard flocks.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are potential substitutes for non-degradable polyolefin plastics. Now, it has been shown that structurally related methylated polyhydroxybutyrates, synthesized from carbon monoxide and 2-butenes, can provide a full suite of polyolefin-like polymers. These materials can be recycled or upcycled, and their properties can be easily tuned by varying the cis/trans ratio of the starting materials.

Large-effect variants in autism remain elusive. Here, the authors use long-read sequencing to assemble phased genomes for 189 individuals, identifying pathogenic variants in TBL1XR1, MECP2, and SYNGAP1, plus nine candidate structural variants missed by short-read methods.

A new platform comprising large-scale 2D arrays of quantum dots patterned with sub-nanometre precision, with each quantum dot defined by tens of phosphorus atoms doped into silicon, allows for analogue simulation of quantum materials on arbitrary lattices.

Gravitational lens modelling of a million-solar-mass dark object reveals that it cannot be a free-floating black hole or dark-matter halo as predicted by cold dark matter, instead indicating a peculiar and highly concentrated mass distribution.

Steatotic liver disease (SLD), which might lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, is on the rise worldwide. This Expert Recommendation draws on lessons learned to tackle viral hepatitis and proposes a framework for SLD screening and testing policies.

A group of extremely energetic electrons peaking at a few million electron volts is revealed in a large solar flare observed in microwaves. This megaelectronvolt-peaked population appears to originate near a coronal source where bulk electron acceleration occurs.

Global Burden of Disease estimates show that between 1990 and 2023, the prevalence and burden of drug use disorders, inclusive of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use, have been increasing in high-income countries, particularly in the USA.

Media representations depict cities in illuminating ways. This study finds that representations of cities in Soviet-era newsreels grow more than expected with city size and are further biased in favor of some specializations and geographical locations.

Juno radio occultations precisely redefine Jupiter’s shape, measuring a polar diameter of 66,842 km and an equatorial diameter of 71,488 km, both smaller than long-used values, bringing models of the planet’s interior into better agreement with observations.

Kinematic measurements of the Perseus galaxy cluster reveal two drivers of gas motions: a small-scale driver in the inner core associated with black-hole feedback and a large-scale driver in the outer core powered by mergers.

A spatial and single-cell transcriptomics study across multiple mammalian species identifies epidermal BMP signalling as a functional requirement for rete ridge formation, providing insight into mechanisms underlying hair density loss and wound healing.

In this study, the authors model the current mechanical properties of the seafloor of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, and find those rocks to be too strong to allow the kind of fracturing that, on Earth, enables rock–water chemical reactions on which chemosynthetic life relies.

Ocean salinity could change as the climate warms. Here the authors show that the South Indian Ocean has freshened most of the Southern Hemisphere oceans and highlight the mechanisms behind this freshening, as well as the implications for Indian Ocean stratification and structure.

The highest-quality JWST spectra reveal that little red dots are young supermassive black holes shrouded in dense cocoons of ionized gas, where electron scattering, not Doppler motions, broadens their spectral lines.

Repetitive DNA sequences shape genome evolution and instability. Here, the authors analyze repeat length distributions across over 300 mammals and show that long repeats arise and persist through a dynamic balance of mutation processes, without requiring natural selection.

The detection of forsterite and enstatite emissions in EC 53 during accretion bursts marks one of the first pieces of direct evidence of in situ silicate crystallization in young stars.

A wearable that continuously measures the concentration of a drug is demonstrated in humans.

Although our nearest neighbour, the Andromeda galaxy, is falling towards us, slightly more distant galaxies all move away with the cosmic expansion because they are being pulled by a giant dark matter sheet.

Application of multiancestry and ensemble-based approaches yields improved polygenic risk prediction models for breast cancer and its subtypes among women of African ancestry.

Symmetry breaking is key to tissue formation. Now it is shown that symmetry breaking of epithelial spheroids is controlled by an interplay of collective migration with curvature and matrix remodelling.

Spatiotemporal insight into photoactivation of the prototypical B₁₂ photoreceptor CarH is revealed across nine orders of magnitude in time, identifying a transient adduct that distinguishes it from thermally activated B₁₂ enzymes.

Bacteria use diverse defence systems against phages, including a 164-residue prophage-encoded protein, Rip1, which senses conserved phage assembly rings to form membrane pores that block virion maturation and trigger premature host cell death.

By combining satellite observations with ground-based data and expert validation, this analysis demonstrates considerable misestimation of grassland extent and thereby carbon stock estimates in previous global assessments based on remote sensing.

Approved antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) remain constrained by a limited repertoire of payloads with restricted modes of action. Here, the authors present phosphoramidate-based self-immolative linker units that facilitate stable attachment in serum and traceless drug release in the target cell from aliphatic and aromatic alcohols with various modes of action.

Centennial-scale variations in methane carbon isotope ratios are attributed to changes in pyrogenic and biogenic sources that can be correlated with anthropogenic activities, such as varying levels of biomass burning during the period of the Roman empire and the Han dynasty, and changes in natural climate variability.

Terahertz microspectroscopic imaging at subgap millielectronvolt energies of a two-dimensional superfluid plasmon in few-layer Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x is demonstrated, allowing the spatial resolution of its deeply subdiffractive terahertz electrodynamics.

Proxy records from Lake Baikal show that rapid cooling coincided with Northern Hemisphere ice sheet expansion 2.7 million years ago, a change accompanied by a transition to open steppe ecosystems.

The authors consider the changing sensitivity of the leaf-onset date to temperature (S_T) for boreal deciduous broadleaf forests. S_T increased between 1982–1996 and 1998–2012—potentially linked to enhanced chilling accumulation—but this increase is underestimated in phenology models.

Li et al. reveal projection neuron-type-specific dynamics that coordinate corticothalamic communication during reach-to-consume behavior in mice.

Nonreciprocal photonics often relies on the use of external magnetic fields. By combining atomistic simulations based on tight-binding with a mean-field approach, here, the authors demonstrate nonreciprocal plasmon propagation in electrically biased one-dimensional carbon nanostructures, including graphene nanoribbons and carbon nanotubes.

Pseudaminic acids (Pse) are a family of carbohydrates found within bacterial lipopolysaccharides, capsular polysaccharides and glycoproteins. Now, monoclonal antibodies have been developed that recognize diverse Pse across several bacterial species, enabling mapping of the Pse glycoproteome and demonstrating therapeutic potential against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii in in vitro and in vivo infection models.

Active galactic nuclei are surrounded by a dusty and molecular disk that fuels supermassive black holes and connects them to their host galaxies. Here, the authors show with JWST interferometric observations that most of the dust in the Circinus galaxies lies in a compact disk, while only a tiny fraction traces hot outflowing material.

Coherent spin waves—quantized into magnons—can be emitted as Cherenkov radiation, but their experimental realization is hindered by the lack of fast-moving magnetic perturbations. Now, a picosecond strain pulse is shown to induce this effect.

Symmetry breaking is key to numerous notable effects, for instance, the emergence of a Rashba interaction at interfaces between two materials. Here, Zhang, Ding, and coauthors succeed in breaking in-plane mirror symmetries via crystallographic engineering, and observe a giant non-linear Hall effect and current induced magnetization at room temperature.

Floquet engineering is often limited by weak light–matter coupling and heating. Now it is shown that exciton-driven fields in monolayer semiconductors produce stronger, longer-lived Floquet effects and reveal hybridization linked to excitonic phases.

Optogenetic manipulation of spindle dynamics reveals that microtubule shortening at kinetochores limits spindle elongation rather than moving chromosomes, revealing local chromosome–spindle interactions.

Short-circuiting during fast charging through lithium dendrite intrusion into electrolytes is a major challenge in solid-state batteries. Here, using thermally annealed 3-nm-thick Ag coatings, lithium penetration into brittle electrolyte Li_6.6La₃Zr_1.6Ta_0.4O₁₂ is inhibited at local current densities of 250 mA cm⁻² due to an increase in surface fracture toughness.

Optical spin orientation of itinerant ferromagnets in twisted MoTe₂ homobilayers is demonstrated, enabling control of topological Chern numbers with circularly polarized light.

Saturation genome editing of a cancer mutation hotspot in CTNNB1, the gene encoding β-catenin, reveals a gradient of effects of missense mutations on Wnt signaling.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

The authors use data on the entire Finnish population to develop a machine learning model for predicting COVID-19 vaccination uptake. Important predictors are proxies of socio-economic status, and those at high risk for COVID-19 consequences are less likely to get vaccinated.