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Miniaturized optical spectrometers have widespread applications. In this work, the authors have developed a silicon-photonics-based, thermally-tuned Fourier transform spectrometer that overcomes technological challenges in silicon integration that may enable robust, broadband portable spectrometry.

After performing a focused CRISPR–Cas9 screen, Skafar et al. identify riboflavin (vitamin B₂) as a regulator of FSP1 stability that modulates phospholipid peroxidation and ferroptosis sensitivity in cancer cells.

Femtosecond X-ray Fourier holography imaging with record-high lateral resolution below 20 nm is demonstrated. Phase information is encoded into the interference of the diffraction patterns of a reference particle with a measurement sample.

Three endoplasmic reticulum luminal mannosyltransferases ALG3, ALG9 and ALG12 catalyze the synthesis of the branched mannose core in N-glycans in four distinct steps. Now, cryo-electron microscopy structures and characterization of ALG3, ALG9 and ALG12 reveal the molecular logic of oligomannose core assembly.

The authors demonstrate dual-probe multi-messenger imaging of high-energy-density plasmas based on laser-wakefield-accelerated electrons. This enables spatiotemporally resolved simultaneous probing of plasma hydrodynamics and electromagnetic field evolution with both x-ray and electron beams.

Optical nanoantennas can be used for spectroscopic investigations at previously unattainable dimensions. Schumacheret al.describe time-resolved antenna-enhanced ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy and determine the transient absorption signal of a single gold nanoparticle.

Applications of optical laser-based techniques are limited by the long wavelengths of the lasers. Now, observations of phonons and thermal transport at nanometre length scales are reported with an all-hard X-ray transient-grating spectroscopy technique.

Disulfide bonds act as dynamic redox switches that modulate protein function. Here, the authors reveal a glycoside hydrolase in which reversible disulfide formation remodels the active site to control catalysis.

Terahertz-frequency vibrational modes are thought to play a key role for DNA biological functions, yet observation of these fluctuations in solution has proven difficult so far. Here, the authors use femtosecond optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy to demonstrate their existence in physiologically relevant conditions.

The combined technique of dual-comb multi-heterodyne detection and Fourier-transform analysis allows simultaneous acquisition and monitoring of the phase pattern of a generic frequency comb demonstrating the high degree of coherence of the emission of two quantum cascade laser frequency combs.

Polariton probing of high-frequency acoustic pulses enables the detection of coherent acoustic phonons, allowing the authors to monitor atomic motions in the 100 attometre range relative to their lattice position.

Here, the authors quantify the effect of cryo-EM data acquisition with stage-tilt on the global resolution of reconstructions and present a tool for predicting an optimal stage-tilt angle to ameliorate the effects of preferred specimen orientation.

While quantum computers have strong potential for quantum-many-body simulations, demonstrating an advantage for systems of practical relevance is still a challenge. Here, the authors show that quantum computers can efficiently sample thermal states of weakly and strongly interacting fermions – which is notoriously hard for classical Monte Carlo methods due to the fermionic sign problem.

Pressure-driven polymerisation reactions in confined environments, such as zeolites, can generate unique composite materials and increase our understanding of confined reactions. Here, a polyethylene–silicate composite is synthesised, and the mechanical properties can be tuned by varying the ethylene content.

We introduce strong tailored light-wave-driven time-reversal symmetry breaking in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride, realizing a sub-laser-cycle controllable analogue of the topological model of Haldane and inducing non-resonant valley polarization.

This research investigates aperiodic neural activity in depressed individuals versus healthy controls using resting state electroencephalography recordings. Findings reveal significant differences in aperiodic exponent and offset, influenced by lifetime depressive episodes, highlighting the relationship between depression heterogeneity and neural mechanisms.

The large-scale synthesis of insulating hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) plays an important role for the development of 2D electronics. Here, the authors report the oxygen-assisted chemical vapor deposition of wafer-scale single-crystal monolayer hBN films by merging aligned hexagonal hBN islands.

Efficient lead optimization in drug discovery requires improving potency, synthetic accessibility, and physicochemical properties. Here, the authors utilize machine learning to screen large chemical spaces, demonstrating automated selection of optimized molecules to improve cycle times.

Laser-liquid interactions trigger various thermal and optical responses the characteristics of which are unique to a given liquid. Here, the authors employ femtosecond laser pulses to investigate the formation of diffraction patterns in hydrogen-bonded liquids that can be used to identify the target liquid.

Single-particle cryo-EM is a powerful method for macromolecular structure determination. Here the authors demonstrate that Ewald sphere curvature correction, sub-Angstrom pixilation and per-particle CTF refinement can improve map quality and resolution and present the 1.86 Å cryo-EM structure of an adeno-associated virus serotype 2 variant.

Structural, functional and computational studies uncover the molecular details of antiviral drug recognition and membrane translocation by a concentrative nucleoside transporter.

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.

AIRES (algorithmic iterative reticular synthesis) is an integrated cycle combining automated synthesis, image recognition, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and algorithmic decision-making to maximize the discovery of distinct crystal structures. Demonstrated on zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, AIRES offers a systematic and efficient blueprint for reticular synthesis, with broad implications for accelerating materials discovery.

Plasmonics enables the medication of light on length-scales smaller than the wavelength of the light. Here, the authors present a theoretical investigation of optical meta-atoms based on core-shell plasmonic nanostructures, where light is confined into a small region of space.

Mutations in the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) cause congenital hypothyroidism, and our results yield insights into how NIS selects, couples and translocates anions, thereby establishing a framework for understanding NIS function.

A high-bandwidth neuromotor interface offers performant out-of-the-box generalization across people.

URAT1 is the target for gout drugs that block urate reuptake in the kidneys, however current treatments have limitations. Here, authors show how urate-lowering drugs inhibit URAT1, facilitating antigout drug development.

Sequential acquisition and image reconstruction in super-resolved structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) is time-consuming. Here the authors optimise both acquisition and reconstruction software to achieve multicolour SR-SIM at video frame-rates with reconstructed images displaying with only milliseconds delay during the experiment.

Here, the authors have mapped the antibody response of the adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) gene therapy vector Zolgensma. AAV9 capsid variants were designed to escape this response while preserving manufacturing and biodistribution properties.

The occurrence of thermodynamically metastable nanoparticles determines the particle growth in nature, but capturing them is experimentally challenging. Barke et al. identify the three-dimensional shape of metastable silver nanoparticles in gas phase, characterized by X-ray free-electron laser.

Providing detailed structural descriptions of the ultrafast photochemical events that occur in light-sensitive proteins is key to their understanding. Now, excited-state structures in the reversibly switchable fluorescent protein rsEGFP2 have been solved by time-resolved crystallography using an X-ray laser. These structures enabled the design of a mutant with improved photoswitching quantum yields.

The ‘boson peak’ refers to an extra peak in the terahertz vibrational spectrum of glasses. It is now shown that for liquids of highly symmetric molecules the boson peak can be singled out by means of depolarized Raman scattering; the peak is linked to the formation of clusters of about 20 molecules.

Memristor arrays based on molecular crystal with van der Waals-linked cages are fabricated, enabling ultralow energy switching, high endurance and seamless integration into neuromorphic computing hardware.

Analysis of soundscape data from 139 globally distributed sites reveals that sounds of biological origin exhibit predictable rhythms depending on location and season, whereas sounds of anthropogenic origin are less predictable. Comparisons between paired urban–rural sites show that urban green spaces are noisier and dominated by sounds of technological origin.

The crystal structures and cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions of eEF3 on its own and attached to the ribosome are resolved, providing an insight into how eEF3 functions as a translation factor on the A and E sites on a ribosome.

Previous studies argued that nascent polypeptide chains can form secondary structure in the ribosome exit tunnel despite spatial constraints. Using single-particle cryo-EM reconstructions of eukaryotic ribosomes carrying nascent chains with high helical propensity, density consistent with helix formation is now observed in the exit tunnel as are interactions with tunnel proteins.

Decision-making in multi-agent systems often involves control goals that break reciprocity. Here, authors derive a field theory for such interactions, revealing nonreciprocal couplings that generate diverse collective behaviors through simple manipulations.

Structures of mouse Bcs, a mitochondrial membrane-bound AAA protein, in two different conformations reveal a potential mechanism of translocating folded proteins across a membrane and allow mapping of human disease-associated mutations.

Here, Chemnitz et al. report experimental evidence for hybrid solitons – a type of solitary wave, which emerges as a result of a strong non-instantaneous nonlinear response in CS₂-filled liquid-core optical fibres, demonstrating efficient soliton-driven supercontinuum generation.

There is growing interest in designing platforms for coherent electron-driven photon sources for hybrid light and electron spectroscopy. Here the authors demonstrate generation of coherent broadband ultrashort light pulses upon electron irradiation to nanostructured gold plated film.