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2023 CX1 is the only L-chondrite-like asteroid analysed from space to ground. It catastrophically fragmented in the atmosphere, depositing 98% of its energy in one burst—an unusual, high-risk fragmentation mode with implications for planetary defence.

Eosinophils exist as a functionally heterogeneous population. Whether the heterogeneity is driven by cell-intrinsic or extrinsic factors is underexplored. Here, by leveraging single-cell transcriptomic data and epigenomic analysis, the authors propose that local environmental cues define the gene expression program of murine esophageal eosinophils and identify AP-1 family members, including ATF3, as key regulators of gene expression.

The use of a metamaterial mirror in a thin-film solar cell enhances light absorption and photocurrent generation by about 20%.

Fragmentation patterns of cell-free DNA are a promising biomarker source, however, correlations with different cancer types are heterogenous. Here, the authors develop LIONHEART to enable detection of 14+ cancer types from whole genome sequenced cell-free DNA.

The authors identify pathogenic variants in the SMARCA1 gene as the cause of a variable neurodevelopmental disorder. Mouse studies suggest diverse genetic mechanisms related to NURF complex composition mediate the phenotype.

A re-assessment of the global carbon budget shows the natural land sink is substantially smaller than previously estimated, indicating emerging impacts of climate change on the evolution of the carbon sinks.

As presented at the ESMO Congress 2025: In patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumours, including mesothelioma, treatment with a first-in-class inhibitor of the Hippo−YAP−TEAD pathway was safe and led to encouraging clinical response rates in patients with mesothelioma.

This pioneer in programmable biology creates new methods for the computer science and bioengineering communities and translates those advances to try to solve some of the most fundamental problems facing our world.

The spectrally narrow photoluminescence lines occurring in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) heterostructures at low temperature have been attributed to interlayer excitons (IXs) localized by the moiré potential between the TMD layers. Here, the authors show that these lines are present even when the moiré potential is suppressed by inserting an hBN spacer between the TMD layers.

The mechanisms generating the head direction cell signal in rats are not fully understood. Here, two distinct types of head direction cells in the lateral mammillary and dorsal tegmental nuclei were identified: one type is angular head velocity independent, while the second type depends on the animal’s angular head velocity.

Sydnor et al. developed a new tractography atlas of thalamocortical structural connections and applied it to three youth samples. They uncovered coordinated development between thalamic connectivity and hierarchical cortical plasticity in humans.

Superconducting flux qubits operating as two-level systems can act as artificial atoms, and so represent a potential metamaterial building block. Macha et al.assemble 20 such qubits into a metamaterial in which the ‘atoms’ are collectively coupled to the quantized mode of a microwave photon field.

Cooling of the iron core in the early Earth may have been too slow to allow for the generation of a magnetic field. Based on quantum mechanical and geodynamical modelling approaches, the authors find that the electrical conductivity of silicate liquid at high pressure and temperature conditions could have been sufficient to generate a silicate dynamo and a magnetic field in the early Earth.

Conducting ferroelectric domain walls constitute a new class of functional material, but to achieve site-specific injection and annihilation of such walls is challenging. Here, McQuaidet al. report site-specific injection of such walls in Cu₃B₇O₁₃Cl created by local point-stress and controlled by electric field.

Polygenic risk scores can help identify individuals at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Here, the authors characterise a multi-ancestry score across nearly 900,000 people, showing that its predictive value depends on demographic and clinical context and extends to related traits and complications.

Phonons—quantized lattice vibrations in solids—carry energy and momentum through solids just like electrons, yet their control for technological means remains elusive. Towards this end, Kerfoot et al.show phonon-induced optical transparency in a quantum dot pair via electrically gated phonon dissipation.

Time-resolved probing of electronic dynamics such as exciton formation and annihilation requires attosecond pulses at photon energies covering the absorption edges of materials. Here, Silva et al. experimentally demonstrate spatio-temporal isolation of single-attosecond soft X-ray pulses in the water window.

Since the 1970s space missions have observed `equatorial noise' — noise-like plasma waves closely confined to the magnetic equatorial region of Earth s magnetosphere. Here, the authors uncover their structured and periodic frequency pattern, revealing that they are generated by proton distributions.

Plasma wakefield accelerators produce gradients that are orders of magnitude larger than in conventional particle accelerator, but beams tend to be disrupted by transverse forces. Here the authors create an extended hollow plasma channel, which accelerates positrons without generating transverse forces.

With the generation of large pan-cancer whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing projects, a question remains about how comparable these datasets are. Here, using The Cancer Genome Atlas samples analysed as part of the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes project, the authors explore the concordance of mutations called by whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing techniques.

The characterization of 4,645 whole-genome and 19,184 exome sequences, covering most types of cancer, identifies 81 single-base substitution, doublet-base substitution and small-insertion-and-deletion mutational signatures, providing a systematic overview of the mutational processes that contribute to cancer development.

Following testing of magnetic field effects on 97,658 flies moving in a two-arm maze and on 10,960 flies performing spontaneous escape behaviour (negative geotaxis), no evidence was found for magnetically sensitive behaviour in Drosophila.

Federated learning (FL) algorithms have emerged as a promising solution to train models for healthcare imaging across institutions while preserving privacy. Here, the authors describe the Federated Tumor Segmentation (FeTS) challenge for the decentralised benchmarking of FL algorithms and evaluation of Healthcare AI algorithm generalizability in real-world cancer imaging datasets.

CURT1/CurT proteins, known for shaping thylakoid membranes in photosynthetic organisms, play a newly found role in coordinating cell division and symmetry. Being shared in cyanobacteria and green algae this role is likely phylogenetically ancient.

Ferromagnetic systems rarely display a large or non-saturating magnetoresistance, due to the low Fermi velocity of the predominant charge carrier. Here, the authors show that MnBi, a ferromagnet, bucks this trend, showing both large and non-saturating magnetoresistance, and high charge carrier motilities.

Learning shifts multi-task representations from compositional to conjunctive formats. Cortical conjunctions uniquely associate with effects of practice, and index switch costs. Subcortex is critical for cross-region binding of task rule information.

Findings from a tectonically active mountain range show that soil production is driven by bottom-up rock weakening rather than by soil thickness, challenging long-held top-down models.

XRISM observations show the presence of odd-numbered elements chlorine and potassium in Cas A. These findings suggest that stellar activity plays an important role in cosmic chemical evolution, enriching space with elements vital for planets and life.

cfDNA fragmentomics is a potential clinically applicable method for identifying cancer. Here, the authors assess fragmentomics analysis methods and their application to commercial targeted sequencing panels.

Observed 730 Myr after the Big Bang, a little red dot is found to anchor an overdensity of eight galaxies and seems to be embedded in a massive host dark matter halo.

In this Perspective, the international PAINDIFF Network makes 13 recommendations for studying sex and gender as variables in preclinical, clinical and translational pain research that are applicable across the spectrum of biomedical and psychosocial research.

Superparamagnetism (preferential alignment of spins along an easy axis) is a useful effect for spintronic applications as it prevents spin reversal. It is now shown that high-spin quantum dots can become magnetically anisotropic when coupled to nearby ferromagnets—‘artificial’ superparamagnets.

X-ray study of compressed water shows that superionic ice adopts mixed close-packed structures rather than a single phase - a far more complex behaviour than expected, mirroring solid ice’s rich phases and informing planetary interior models.

WGS data were used from 347,630 individuals with European ancestry in the UK Biobank to obtain high-precision estimates of coding and non-coding rare variant heritability for 34 complex traits and diseases.

JWST observed helium and water in the atmosphere of the giant planet WASP-107 b, revealing a vast outflow of gas and evidence for recent inward migration. The findings shed light on how giant planets lose mass and evolve over time.

Chronic stress is a risk factor for depression, yet the mechanisms are unclear. Here, the authors show in mice that stress drives interferon-mediated neutrophil recruitment from the skull to the brain’s outer membranes, contributing to depressive behaviors.

Femtosecond photoexcitation drives a coherent twist–untwist motion of the moiré superlattice in 2° and 57° twisted WSe₂/MoSe₂ heterobilayers.

The balance between cell proliferation and cell cycle arrest is essential for liver regeneration. Here the authors report the emergence of partially reprogrammed hepatocytes persisting in plastic states during liver tissue injury, which are resistant to proliferation thereby limiting overgrowth and tumorigenesis.

By measuring terahertz photon echoes, multidimensional spectroscopy demonstrates that interlayer tunnelling in a cuprate superconductor remains largely unaffected by electronic disorder, even near the phase transition.

Laser-induced electron diffraction can provide structural information on gas-phase molecules with high spatial and temporal resolution. Going beyond previous diatomic cases, Pullen et al.apply this approach to acetylene and show that it can be used to measure bond lengths for polyatomic molecules.