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Two river systems that drained into the partially desiccated Late Miocene Mediterranean later coalesced into the modern Euphrates River as regional uplift redirected drainage to the Persian Gulf, according to geomorphic mapping and sediment modelling.

Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

Determining the consequences of acetylation for a protein of interest in cells is a considerable challenge. Using genetic code expansion and p53, this study shows that site-specific incorporation of non-hydrolysable acetyllysine analogues enables functional analysis.

Studying individuals with autism only, this study investigated the genomic architecture of autism-related phenotypes using a multivariate modelling framework. This work identified distinct genomic factors linked to language performance, behaviour and developmental motor delay.

From 2014–2017, marine heatwaves caused global mass coral bleaching, where the corals lose their symbiotic algae. The authors find, this event exceeded the severity of all prior global bleaching events in recorded history, with approximately half the world’s reefs bleaching and 15% experiencing substantial mortality.

Stable and cell-specific transgene expression can be achieved through in vivo site-specific integration of large DNA payloads using a two-vector system of enveloped delivery vehicles and adeno-associated viruses.

Targeting two distinct steps of the transcription process yields synergistic antibiotics that kill non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis and reduce drug resistance.

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.

The perceived toxicity of organometallic reagents has limited their use in living systems. Now it has been shown that balancing flexible chelation with biocompatible ligands without precluding chemical reactivity enables organonickel-mediated S-arylation inside cells. This reaction enables deep chemical surveys of reactive proteins and covalent tracking of intracellular viral and bacterial pathogens.

The neural basis of how the visual cortex processes complex features remains under active investigation. Here, the authors show that broadband stimuli increase neural responses and visual perception due to a reduction in center-surround suppression.

Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. Here, the authors find that dominant tree species are taller and have softer wood compared to rare species and that these trait differences are more strongly associated with temperature than water availability.

Identifying jets originating from heavy quarks plays a fundamental role in hadronic collider experiments. In this work, the ATLAS Collaboration describes and tests a transformer-based neural network architecture for jet flavour tagging based on low-level input and physics-inspired constraints.

Simon J. James looks back at the richly varied contribution of the science-fiction writer and science popularizer.

Understanding the infection parameters and host responses against SARS-CoV-2 require data from large cohorts using standardized methods. Here, the authors optimize a serum ELISA protocol that has minimal cross-reactivity and flexible sample collection workflow in an attempt to standardize data generation and help inform on COVID-19 pandemic and immunity.

ENTRAP-seq systematically links protein sequence to transcriptional output in a native plant context.

The function of DNMT1 (DNA methyltransferase 1) in these subsets of immature, migrating cortical inhibitory interneurons is not fully understood. This study shows that DNMT1 regulates cortical development by orchestrating the migration of postmitotic SST+ interneurons and their signaling to cortical progenitors, with implications for proper cortical architecture and function.

The BabyScreen+ study offered genomic screening to 1,000 newborns in Australia, and showed that the approach is feasible and positively received by families, leading to molecular diagnoses in 1.6% of babies.

Humanity’s Last Exam, a multi-modal benchmark at the frontier of human knowledge, is designed to be an expert-level closed-ended academic benchmark with broad subject coverage.

Distinct cortical pyramidal neuron types, defined by developmental lineage, make unique contributions to behavioral decisions. We highlight the importance of interactions among diverse cortical and subcortical areas for successful decision outcomes.

Genome-wide association analyses identify new risk loci for heart failure and its subtypes, extending understanding of the underlying biological pathways and disease mechanisms.

Available wheat genomes are annotated by projecting Chinese Spring gene models across the new assemblies. Here, the authors generate de novo gene annotations for the 9 wheat genomes, identify core and dispensable transcriptome, and reveal conservation and divergence of gene expression balance across homoeologous subgenomes.

Global research prioritization for peatland science engaged 467 participants from 54 countries, identifying 50 priority research questions across carbon dynamics, climate impacts, restoration and management, technological innovation, and community and policy engagement.

Wood density is an important plant trait. Data from 1.1 million forest inventory plots and 10,703 tree species show a latitudinal gradient in wood density, with temperature and soil moisture explaining variation at the global scale and disturbance also having a role at the local level.

Recent analyses have suggested that tree cover in non-forest ecosystems may be much higher than expected. Here, the authors map tree cover down to the individual tree level for the entire continent of Africa and find that almost 30% is found outside areas classified as forests.

Obtaining data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from healthy human populations is difficult. Here, Hendriksen et al. use metagenomic analysis to obtain AMR data from untreated sewage from 79 sites in 60 countries, finding correlations with socio-economic, health and environmental factors.

PdCO is a switchable optogenetic tool for inhibiting synaptic transmission in neuronal terminals in vivo, as demonstrated in a variety of contexts mainly in the mouse.

Examining drivers of the latitudinal biodiversity gradient in a global database of local tree species richness, the authors show that co-limitation by multiple environmental and anthropogenic factors causes steeper increases in richness with latitude in tropical versus temperate and boreal zones.

Cortical representations exhibit variable levels of stability, potentially impacting learning. Here, using an optogenetic cortical microstimulation task, the authors show that faster learning takes place in mice with more stable microstimulation responses.

Deconvolution methods infer levels of immune infiltration from bulk expression of tumour samples. Here, authors assess 6 published and 22 community-contributed methods via a DREAM Challenge using in vitro and in silico transcriptional profiles of admixed cancer and healthy immune cells.

Glucocorticoids reprogram the mitochondrial metabolism of macrophages, resulting in increased and sustained production of the anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate and, as a consequence, inhibition of the inflammatory response.

Olympiad-level formal mathematical reasoning is achieved with reinforcement learning, with performance reaching a score equivalent to that of a silver medallist at the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad competition.

Yin et al. show that motor learning is delayed in mice with 16p11.2 deletion, associated with abnormal ensemble activity and delayed spine remodeling in motor cortex and reduced activity of of locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons. The motor-related abnormalities were rescued by activation of ocus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons.

ULTRA, an ultra-large-FOV two-photon microscope enabling cellular-resolution imaging across 50 mm² and 900 μm depth, facilitating comprehensive, multi-region analysis of large-scale neuronal circuitry in vivo.

Ubiquitin is not only a posttranslational modifier but itself is subject to modifications, such as acetylation. Characterization of distinct acetylated ubiquitin variants reveals that each acetylation site has a particular impact on ubiquitin structure and its protein-protein interaction properties.

It is uncertain how much life expectancy of the Chinese population would improve under current and greater policy targets on lifestyle-based risk factors for chronic diseases and mortality behaviours. Here we report a simulation of how improvements in four risk factors, namely smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and diet, could affect mortality. We show that in the ideal scenario, that is, all people who currently smokers quit smoking, excessive alcohol userswas reduced to moderate intake, people under 65 increased moderate physical activity by one hour and those aged 65 and older increased by half an hour per day, and all participants ate 200 g more fresh fruits and 50 g more fish/seafood per day, life expectancy at age 30 would increase by 4.83 and 5.39 years for men and women, respectively. In a more moderate risk reduction scenario referred to as the practical scenario, where improvements in each lifestyle factor were approximately halved, the gains in life expectancy at age 30 could be half those of the ideal scenario. However, the validity of these estimates in practise may be influenced by population-wide adherence to lifestyle recommendations. Our findings suggest that the current policy targets set by the Healthy China Initiative could be adjusted dynamically, and a greater increase in life expectancy would be achieved.

While anti-retroviral therapy (ART) helps contain HIV, whether adoptive T cell therapy further improve the prognosis is unclear. Here the authors conduct an open-label, single-arm phase 1 study to assess the safety (primary outcome) and characteristic (secondary outcome) of autologous, HIV-specific T cell therapy to find it safe to warrant further efficacy assessment.

A transcriptome-wide association study identifies associations of genetically predicted gene expression with breast cancer risk. This analysis finds 48 candidate genes implicated in breast cancer susceptibility, including 14 at novel loci.

The authors use a linear model to reveal how neural activity patterns are related to cognition or movements. They find that uninstructed movements dominate single-cell and population activity throughout the brain, outpacing task-related activity.

ARGONAUTE (AGO) is the core protein component of small RNA-guided silencing complexes. Free, but not RNA-bound, AGO turns over rapidly. The authors identify a structural AGO switch whose accessibility only in the free state confers rapid degradation.

Alternative stable states in forests have implications for the biosphere. Here, the authors combine forest biodiversity observations and simulations revealing that leaf types across temperate regions of the NH follow a bimodal distribution suggesting signatures of alternative forest states.

Microglia, the brain’s immune cells, suppress neuronal activity in response to synaptic ATP release and alter behavioural responses in mice.

Fine-scale geospatial mapping of overweight and wasting (two components of the double burden of malnutrition) in 105 LMICs shows that overweight has increased from 5.2% in 2000 to 6.0% in children under 5 in 2017. Although overall wasting decreased over the same period, most countries are not on track to meet the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025.

Currently many of the time resolved serial femtosecond (SFX) crystallography experiments are done with light driven protein systems, whereas the reaction initiation for non-light triggered enzymes remains a major bottle neck. Here, the authors present an expanded Drop-on-Tape system, where picoliter-sized droplets of a substrate or inhibitor are turbulently mixed with nanoliter sized droplets of microcrystal slurries, and they use it for time-resolved SFX measurements of inhibitor binding to lysozyme and secondly, binding of a β-lactam antibiotic to a bacterial serine β-lactamase.