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Experimental evidence shows that hydrogen–silicate reactions can generate abundant water in sub-Neptunes, suggesting hydrogen-rich planets have the potential to reach water-rich compositions.

The electronic band structure in silicon optical fibres can be engineered by continuous laser irradiation during the crystallization of the fibres. A reduction of the bandgap down to 0.59 eV is demonstrated.

The critical concentration of dopants required to trigger an insulator-to-metal transition in films of semiconductor nanocrystals has been calculated, and experimentally verified with highly doped silicon nanocrystal films.

Carbonylative homologation reactions are typically catalysed by precious metal catalysts such as palladium and rhodium. Here, aryl iodides are reductively homologated using a nickel triflate catalyst and simple bipyridine ligand, using Mo(CO)₆ as the carbonyl source and phenyl silane as the reductant.

X-ray ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy captures the charge migration in neutral silane molecules, which shows in the spectra as pairs of quantum beats.

Transition-metal-catalysed hydrosilylation and hydroboration reactions are valuable in the synthesis of commodity and fine chemicals, respectively. This Review describes the catalyst design principles that enable us to perform these reactions using catalysts based on earth-abundant metals. Scenarios in which using earth-abundant metals can offer an advantage over using a precious metal are also outlined.

Observations from the JWST MIRI/LRS show the detection of SO₂ spectral features in the 5–12-μm transmission spectrum of the hot, Saturn-mass exoplanet WASP-39b, suggesting that photochemistry is a key process in high-temperature exoplanet atmospheres.

Charge noise degrades the performance of spin qubits hindering scalability. Here the authors engineer the heterogeneous material stack in ²⁸Si/SiGe gate-defined quantum dots, to improve the scattering properties and to reduce charge noise.

Battery development needs both scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Starting from an atomic understanding of particle growth mechanisms, a remarkable upscaling of a sub-nanometer-sized silicon-based negative electrode — from coin-sized cells to battery packs of over 100 kWh — is now presented.

Spin qubits in Si/SiGe quantum dots suffer from variability in the valley splitting which will hinder device scalability. Here, by using 3D atomic characterization, the authors explain this variability by random Si and Ge atomic fluctuations and propose a strategy to statistically enhance the valley splitting

A broad-wavelength 0.5–5.5 µm atmospheric transmission spectrum of WASP-39b, a 1,200 K, roughly Saturn-mass, Jupiter-radius exoplanet, demonstrates JWST’s sensitivity to a rich diversity of exoplanet compositions and chemical processes.

Photonic crystal structures can be used to control the spectral distribution of thermal emission. Here, Arpin et al. demonstrate three-dimensional tungsten and hafnium diboride photonic crystals to control high-temperature thermal emission for solar thermophotovoltaic energy devices.

The selective hydrogenation of trace acetylene to ethylene is a well-established process for purifying fossil-derived ethylene streams. Here, the authors present a self-repairing Pd-C laterally condensed catalyst that improves selectivity, prevents sub-surface hydride formation, and achieves high ethylene productivity, effectively bridging the gap between powder catalysts and single-crystal model catalysts.

Fabricating doped semiconductor layers and p–n junctions inside silica optical fibres allows the realization of a new breed of in-fibre optoelectronic devices, such as photodetectors with gigahertz bandwidths.

In serotonin-rich tissues, tissue transglutaminase 2 is able to attach serotonin to a glutamine residue in histone H3; this modification mediates permissive gene expression in these tissues.

The direct C–H activation of inert C(sp³)–H bonds in a hydrocarbon chain is an attractive target in organic synthesis but C-H activation driven by vinyl carbocations remains underdeveloped. Here, the authors design a double C(sp³)–H functionalization of unactivated alkyl CH₂ groups to produce substituted quaternary carbon stereocenter via insertion of vinyl carbocations.

The transmission spectrum of the exoplanet WASP-39b is obtained using observations from the Single-Object Slitless Spectroscopy mode of the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph instrument aboard the JWST.

Metal-elastomer nanophases are critical for stretchable electronics but face mixing challenges. This study introduces a kinetic method for precise mixing, yielding gyrified nanophases with improved durability and strain-invariant conductivity, which holds promise for resilient stretchable devices.

This protocol describes the cultivation and differentiation of zebrafish hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells ex vivo for use in colony assays.

The medium-resolution transmission spectrum of the exoplanet WASP-39b, described using observations from the Near Infrared Spectrograph G395H grating aboard JWST, shows significant absorption from CO₂ and H₂O and detection of SO₂.

Vibrational excitations are a fingerprint of molecule–surface interactions, but knowing how they scale across materials is tricky. Here, the authors discover correlations between the vibrational frequencies of adsorbates on transition metals, developing a predictive theory to allow interpretation of complex experimental spectra.

Large igneous provinces may form very quickly, but compositions often differ. Here, the authors find that boninite-like rocks at Manihiki are a result of re-melting of an ultra-depleted source therefore putting into question that all boninitic rocks on Earth must be related to subduction processes.

Short range atomic ordering quantification and nanoscale spatial resolution over a large area for amorphous materials is crucial for accelerating technology development but remain challenges. Here, the authors explore nanoscale heterogeneity of amorphous silicon by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy via multiresolution manifold learning.

This year marks a century since the pioneering work leading to what is now known as the Rosenmund reduction. We celebrate this landmark, reflecting upon the evolution of synthetic methodologies for reductive aldehyde synthesis from carboxylic acid derivatives and highlighting modern, improved strategies.

FINO₂ is a small molecule that requires the endoperoxide moiety and hydroxyl group to promote ferroptosis through indirect inhibition of GPX4 enzymatic function and direct oxidation of iron, resulting in increased lipid peroxidation.