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Geospatial estimates of the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age across 82 low-income and middle-income countries reveals considerable heterogeneity and inequality at national and subnational levels, with few countries on track to meet the WHO Global Nutrition Targets by 2030.

Cyclisation of R27 plasmid TrhA pilin occurs via a Gly1–Asp69 bond. Here, authors show Gly1/Lys and Asp69/Lys substitutions impose positive pilus charge, abolishing conjugation into wild-type recipients, rescued in phosphatidylethanolamine-deficient recipients, highlighting phospholipid importance in both donors and recipients.

In this work, authors develop a “mini-bladder” model with a perfusable lumen that reveals how urine and its solute composition impact tissue resilience and enables cell-wall-deficient uropathogenic Escherichia coli to persist in tissues and drive recurrence in urinary tract infections.

Synaptic vesicle fusion is essential for neuronal communication, yet its nanoscale sequence has not been directly confirmed. Here, the authors use timed in situ cryo-electron tomography to visualize the full fusion process and its link to vesicle resupply.

Monoclinic HfO₂ stabilizes hydroxylated indium atoms that drive efficient CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, offering a general strategy for coupling single-atom catalysis with reducible metal oxides and wide-bandgap dielectric supports.

Huang, Rigau and colleagues observe major changes in how DNA is organized in early germ cells before they start developing into sperm or eggs. These results show that germline removes structural ‘memory’ of DNA folding to start fresh for the next generation.

GRX-810, an oxide dispersion strengthened alloy, shows excellent structural performance above 1100°C and stability up to 1300 °C. Grain-size effects, additive manufacturing–induced anisotropy, and fine trigonal Y₂O₃ particles enhance creep resistance.

Exploiting resonant quantum electron tunnelling empowered by an optically resonant, doubly periodic plasmonic nanowire metasurface, a biosensor with no external light source is demonstrated, boosting the integrability of the biosensor.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

Proteins in the fungal plasma membrane are key antifungal targets but their native structure and spatial distribution are poorly understood. Here, Jiang et al. use proteomics and cryo-electron tomography to investigate the organisation of membrane proteins in the fungal plasma membrane and how this is affected by antifungal drugs.

Particle picking is a key bottleneck in bridging structural and cell biology with cryo-electron tomography. Here, authors develop Template Learning, using domain-randomized simulations to train deep learning models for efficient in situ particle picking.

The emergence of magnetically confined surface excitons enabled by antiferromagnetic spin correlations is reported, which leads to the confinement of excitons to the surface of layered antiferromagnet CrSBr.

The development of terahertz applications, such as sensing and spectroscopy, is limited by the lack of mass-producible tunable radiation sources. Jung et al. report a monolithic electrically pumped room-temperature terahertz source that can be tuned over the widest frequency range yet demonstrated.

Oxidative catalytic depolymerization of polystyrene (PS) can produce benzoic acid, but the annual consumption of benzoic acid is ~40 times lower than PS, so benzoic acid should be converted to higher-volume chemicals for the process to be viable. Here, the authors report a hybrid chemical and biological process that uses PS as feedstock for production of adipic acid, a high-volume co-monomer for nylon 6,6, via benzoic acid.

Theoretical estimations of solvation free energy by continuum solvation models are generally not accurate. Here the authors report a polarizable force field fitted entirely to first-principles calculations for the estimation of free energy of solvation of arbitrary molecules.

l-lactate is a key metabolite supporting neuronal activity, but methods to monitor l-lactate dynamics alongside neuronal activity in vivo have been limited. Here, authors report R-eLACCO2.1, a red fluorescent extracellular l-lactate biosensor enabling simultaneous, multiplexed imaging in awake mice.

BrxX methylase in complex with SAM cofactor mediates foreign DNA recognition by the BREX system. BrxX can be engineered to modify BREX specificity and enhance defense. BREX defense and methylation require assembly of supramolecular BrxBCXZ complex.

Gene expression is imaged in deep tissues in mice using ultrasound.

LEAP is a deep-learning-based approach for the analysis of animal pose. LEAP’s graphical user interface facilitates training of the deep network. The authors illustrate the method by analyzing Drosophila and mouse behavior.

The human ATP-hydrolysing enzyme p97 populates a metastable reaction intermediate, the ADP·P_i state, which is poised between hydrolysis and product release. Now, molecular motions at the active site in the temporal window immediately before and after ATP hydrolysis have been elucidated by merging cryo-EM, NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.

Strongly correlated transition metal insulators are often coloured. Understanding the underlying optical response from first-principles calculations is challenging. Now, ab initio many body Green’s function theories are shown to reproduce the colours of NiO and MnF2.

Traditional scintillators face challenges in achieving fast response and avoiding afterglow. Guzelturk et al. report colloidal quantum shell heterostructures with bright multiexciton emission, enabling efficient, fast, and robust scintillation for high-resolution and high-speed X-ray imaging.

Crumpled graphene oxide (GO) membranes achieve much higher H₂ permeability than flat lamellar GO membranes, and their H₂/CO₂ selectivity of 91 outperforms those of most existing membranes.

Identification of the antibiotic peptide KLB, from Klebsiella pneumoniae, which inhibits the growth of various Gram-negative bacteria by binding the nascent peptide exit tunnel on the large ribosomal subunit in a compact curled conformation, thereby stalling translation.

The restructuring of carbon-based supports under reaction conditions limits catalyst stability for vinyl chloride synthesis. Here, the authors report that hydrogen chloride generates defect sites on carbon nitride supports, promoting acetylene polymerization and accelerating catalyst deactivation.

Acoustic reporter genes can be imaged with high sensitivity using the BURST imaging sequence, allowing the detection of single cells under optimal conditions.

The authors report the identification of phazolicin (PHZ) - a prokaryotic translation inhibitory peptide - and its structure in complex with the E. coli ribosome, delineating PHZ’s mode of action and suggesting a basis for its bacterial species-specific activity.

Deflection is one of the options discussed for preventing catastrophic collisions of asteroids with Earth. Now, a megajoule-class X-ray pulse is used to simulate such scenarios, demonstrating that it is a viable strategy at higher interceptor energies.

Bacterial type III secretion systems (T3SSs) inject virulence effector proteins into eukaryotic cells and are activated by host membrane contact. Here the authors report the in situ structure of the Chlamydia trachomatisT3SS in the presence or absence of host membrane, and observe compaction of the basal body embedded in the bacterial envelope.

Magnetic resonance imaging derives its contrast from local magnetic fields, however the connection between these fields and macroscale contrast has not been established through direct experiments. Here, Davis et al. use diamond magnetometry to map local magnetic fields within mammalian cells with sub-micron resolution and predict macroscale contrast.

Heterologous expression of engineered gas vesicles allows noninvasive, deep-tissue ultrasound visualization of engineered bacteria in vivo in mouse tumour models and in the gastrointestinal tract.

2D metals are desired for their potential photonic and catalytic properties, but their synthesis is challenging due to the isotropic nature of metallic bonding. Here, the authors report a bottom-up method to fabricate nearly-freestanding 2D Au monolayers on Ir(111) substrates via boron intercalation.

Hard X-ray free electron lasers allow new insights into dense matter dynamics. Here, the authors show that a single-beam, short-pulse laser can generate a converging cylindrical shock in a thin wire, providing a new method for high energy density research with improved repetition rates.

Lokareddy et al. determine the complete structure of DEV, a lytic virus that infects Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using a combination of cryo-electron microscopy, biochemical methods, and genetic knockouts. They propose that the virion-associated RNA polymerase may be part of a genome ejection motor.

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are key players in neurotransmission and have been shown to be modulated by the lipid environment, however the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Here, the authors report structures of the pLGIC 5-HT_3A serotonin receptor reconstituted into lipid bilayer discs and reveal lipid–protein interactions as well as asymmetric activation of the homopentameric receptor.

The authors report near-atomic resolution structures of the R-type bacteriocin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the pre-contraction and post-contraction states, and these structures provide insight into the mechanism of action of molecular syringes.

It is commonly accepted that electrolyte alkali metal cations modify the catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction. Here the authors challenge this assumption, showing that the activity is actually affected by a change in the electrolyte pH rather than a specific alkali cation.

Engineering cleavage sites into gas vesicle proteins enables protease-responsive regulation of gas vesicle mechanics and activates them as ultrasound contrast agents for imaging applications in cells and living mice.

During emergency myelopoiesis in mice, clusters of self-renewing granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (GMP) are transiently formed in the bone marrow cavity to produce a burst of myeloid cells; in leukaemia, GMP clusters persist and constantly generate myeloid leukaemia cells.

Adipose stromal cells (ASC) have been shown to migrate to tumours and promote tumour growth. Using animal models and human tissue samples, the authors show here that ASC recruitment to prostate cancers is mediated by the chemokine CXCL1, which is secreted from tumour cells, and acts on CXCR1 on ASCs.

Ultrasound neuromodulation overcomes limitations of electrode-based stimulation through improved

targeting and long-term stability for treating neurological disorders. Here, authors present a hair-thin, implantable piezoelectric stimulator that selectively modulates neurons in the deep brain.

CrSBr is a van der Waals layered antiferromagnet. Unlike many other van der Waals magnetic materials it is air stable, and in addition hosts a rich array of magneto-optical responses. Here, Tabataba-Vakili et al demonstrate that the magnetic and optical response of CrSBr is sensitive to gating, allowing electrical control of the magneto-optical properties.

The gut-derived molecule 4-ethylphenol influences complex behaviours in mice through effects on oligodendrocyte function and myelin patterning in the brain.

Hyperbolic exciton polaritons (HEPs) are anisotropic light-matter excitations with promising applications, but their steady-state observation is challenging. Here, the authors report experimental evidence of HEPs in a van der Waals magnet, CrSBr, via cryogenic infrared near-field microscopy.

Researchers determined the three-dimensional structure of the small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (smURFP) to understand its properties and the previous directed evolution process. In addition, they show smURFP fluoresces longer than small molecules.