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An environmentally safe means of mosquito control is the application of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, which produces a cocktail of four naturally crystalline proteins exclusively toxic to mosquito. Here the authors report the atomic-resolution structures of Bti Cry11Aa and related Btj Cry11Ba solved de novo through Serial Femtosecond Crystallography on naturally-occurring nanocrystals.

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I molecules present tightly binding peptides on the cell surface for recognition by cytotoxic T cells. Here, the authors present the crystal structures of a disulfide-stabilized human MHC class I molecule in the peptide-free state and bound with dipeptides, and find that peptide binding is accompanied by concerted conformational switches of the amino acid side chains in the binding pockets.

Furanose species have a key role in the chemistry of life despite their instability over pyranose ones. The authors, through NMR characterization of the anomeric ratios at equilibrium and a non-equilibrium theoretical treatment, show that a steady temperature gradient, at temperatures relevant to the early Earth, favors furanose over pyranose isomers.

Coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks are appealing synthetic hosts for mediating reactions. Here, the authors report a mesoscopic metal-organic structure that is shown to accelerate condensation reactions in water in the absence of acid or base, owing to the hydrophobic environment of the host.

Low temperature chemical transformations of solids using high-energy intermediates have enabled the synthesis of a new series of layered oxide chalcogenide containing oxidised chalcogenide dimers promising a new range of solids.

Analysis of samples from the asteroid Ryugu provide evidence of late fluid flow in a carbonaceous asteroid, indicating that such bodies may have retained two to three times more water than previously thought.

Signal recording from hundreds of microelectrodes on ultra-thin and flexible arrays is a challenge in neurotech. Here, the authors show that these recordings are compromised by crosstalk. An algorithm was developed to eliminate crosstalk offline, helping to come closer to ground truth data.

In this largest whole-exome sequencing study of epilepsies to date, the Epi25 Collaborative identified extremely rare variants that confer risk for diverse epilepsy subtypes, highlighting roles in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability.

Microbial rhodopsins are photoreceptive and widely used in optogenetics for which they should preferable function with longer-wavelength light. Here, authors achieve a 40-nm red-shift in the absorption wavelength of a sodium-pump rhodopsin (KR2) by altering the distribution of the retinal chromophore.

Although the Sonogashira coupling of acetylenes and vinyl/aryl halides has been applied for decades, many mechanistic questions have remained unanswered. Here, the authors provide experimental and theoretical support for two interlinked palladium cycles operating in the debated Sonogashira coupling mechanism.

A nematode-trapping fungus uses a dual-function G-protein-coupled receptor for perception of nematode-derived ascarosides for hunting Caenorhabditis elegans.

Here the authors show how metabolic alteration of acyl chain composition affects phosphoinositide-driven signaling to initiate and sustain CD8⁺ T cell effector function during cell differentiation.

Green hydrogen production via water electrolysis requires a low-cost solution to provide efficient catalysts. Here, the authors report an industrially scalable method for synthesizing NiFe layered double hydroxide at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, enhancing alkaline electrolysis.

The development of scalable chiral photonic structures is a challenging task. Here, the authors use soft lithography with colloidal plasmonic inks to create chiral plasmonic arrays that enable nanophotonic films with strong chiroptical response.

This study uncovers a distinct mechanistic pathway for bio-olefin production from industrial feedstocks by fatty acid peroxygenases through unconventional decarboxylation, paving the way for sustainable bio-based hydrocarbon production.

Few biomaterials are suitable for long-term tissue engineering applications and these examples usually possess limited property scope, can be difficult to process, and are non-responsive to external stimuli. Here, the authors overcome these issues by developing a class of easily processable polyamides with stereo-controlled mechanical properties and high-fidelity shape memory behaviour.

Molecular electronics represents an avenue to enrich conventional electronics, but its reproducibility and scalability are still challenging. Here, the authors report the realization of multifunctional hybrid molecular graphene field effect transistors enabling operando spectroscopy and the implementation of optoelectronic logic gates.

While water electrolysis offers a renewable way to produce hydrogen, there are few Earth-abundant, acid-stable water oxidation catalysts. Here, authors show Co₃O₄, when protected by a partially hydrophobic environment, to sustain 40 h activity without structural or chemical transformations.

Group 15 elements in zero oxidation state, also called pnictogens, are rarely used in catalysis due to the difficulties in preparation. Here, the authors report on the synthesis of highly exfoliated, few layer 2D phosphorene and antimonene in zero oxidation state, and their use as efficient catalysts for the alkylation of nucleophiles with esters.

17β-oestradiol establishes an anti-ferroptotic state in female kidney tubules.

The composition of oxide compounds controls many of their properties and electronic phases. Here, the authors show that entropy and configurational disorder can stabilize new phases of oxides, potentially enabling a better engineering of their properties.

FeFe hydrogenases are highly efficient H₂ producing enzymes; however, they can be inactivated by O₂. Now, a mechanism for O₂ diffusion within FeFe hydrogenases and its reactions at the active site of the enzyme has been proposed. These findings could help with the design of hydrogenase mutants with increased resistance to oxidative damage.

There are a lack of tools to study the dynamics of (pseudo)hypohalous acids in live cells. Here the authors report a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor, Hypocrates, for (pseudo)hypohalous acids and their derivatives which they use in cells and in a zebrafish tail fin injury model.

The phosphoric acid fuel cell is limited by its slow rate of oxygen reduction at the cathode, but now an approach to the rational design of improved catalysts for this process has been developed. Molecular patterning of platinum surfaces with cyanide adsorbates is used to block the adsorption of spectator anions without hindering oxygen reduction, thus improving catalytic activity.

Shape memory scaffolds are needed for minimally invasive tissue repair and void filling. Here the authors report on the development of 4D printed polycarbonate-based scaffolds with surface degradation properties which fill voids without deforming tissue and allow for tissue ingrowth with reduced immune response.

2D π-conjugated systems incorporated with heteroatoms can suffer from stability issues and aggregation-induced quenching effects. Here, the authors develop a methodology for the synthesis of cluster-ring-fused 3D aromatic heterocycles, which could find use in functional materials, via the palladium-catalyzed B–H activation of boron clusters.

Fluorophores typically emit either in solution or in solid state due to several distinct effects. Here, the authors design a single-benzene fluorophore with efficient emission in both phases, enabling applications in photocatalysis and optical waveguiding.

FK506 is a potential antifungal compound that inhibits calcineurin, but it also has immunosuppressive activity. Here, Juvvadi et al. report the structure of FK506 in complex with the FK506-binding protein FKPB12 and calcineurin, and design a less immunosuppresive FK506 analog with antifungal activity in mice.

Barley β-d-glucan glucohydrolase is a glycoside hydrolase family 3 (GH3) enzyme critical for growth and development. Here the authors carryout mutagenesis, structural analyses and multi-scale molecular dynamics to examine the binding and conformational behaviour of several β-d-glucosides during the substrate-product assisted catalysis that operates in GH3 hydrolases.

ASCT2 is a Na⁺-dependent obligatory amino acid exchanger. Here, the authors untangle the structural basis of the exchange mechanism in ASCT2, revealing that structural rigidity and a high-affinity Na⁺ binding site effectively confine ASCT2 to an exchange mode.

Studying how the ligand design influences the bonding of f-block complexes is crucial to control their properties. Here, the authors report the preparation of Bk(III) and Ce(III) complexes featuring a terpyridyl ligand; structural, spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical analysis reveal that the ligand induces unusual bonding by creating a plane of enhanced bond covalency.

Non-flammable electrolytes such as phosphates offer safety advantages for batteries, but they are prone to decomposition when coupled with graphite anodes. Here, the authors report a phosphate with a high salt-to-solvent ratio that displays high stability as well as compatibility with graphite in a commercial 18650-type cell.