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Despite the global prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, its maternal–fetal interface during the first trimester remains underexplored. Here, the authors combined a cohort of 700+ samples and determine that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first trimester rarely infects placental tissue but alters immune responses and cellular communication, which may influence pregnancy outcomes.

Lithium dendrites are a major barrier to the use of high-energy lithium metal batteries. Now, a highly adhesive polymer electrolyte is designed to suppress lithium dendrites by confining lithium in a continuous nucleation state through strong interfacial binding interactions.

Here the authors report that WNT10B, a ligand of the Wnt family, mediates renal inflammation and fibrosis. Mechanistic work in male mice with induced chronic kidney disease shows that the WNT10B/FOXO6 axis controls tubular senescence fate transition and pro-inflammatory microenviroment formation through metabolic reprogramming.

Global Burden of Disease analysis found that in 2023, suboptimal diet was estimated to be responsible for 4 million deaths and 97 million morbidity burdens from ischemic heart disease.

Topological states are commonly localised at the interface between topologically distinct domains. By combining various artificial gauge fields with artificial neural networks to design the system energy landscape, here, authors propose a technique to transform topological modes into states with arbitrary shape.

Ti/Co dual-doped LaFeO₃ perovskite rapidly removes humic acid from water, and its magnetic, Fenton-active design enables easy recovery and quick in situ regeneration with H₂O₂ for stable long-term reuse.

Here, the authors present a machine-learning assisted single-molecule sensor that can precisely quantify the structurally diverse per- and polyfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in the absence of standards, together with state-of-the-art detection limits.

Induction of hypothermia during hibernation/torpor enables certain mammals to survive under extreme conditions. Here, the authors show that the natural product P57 induces hypothermia by targeting pyridoxal kinase and has a potential application in therapeutic hypothermia.

When 100 social and behavioural science claims were examined, 34% of reanalyses closely matched the original results, with 74% reaching the same conclusion, revealing limited robustness of single-path analyses and the need to address analytical uncertainty.

Development of the pangenome-informed genome assembly (PIGA) workflow enabled the generation of 1,116 diploid genome assemblies (55 de novo and 1,061 pangenome-informed), representing an extensive resource of medically relevant genic variations.

Constructing an artificial solid electrolyte interphase to protect the lithium metal electrode is promising but challenging. Here, authors report a facile approach to form a layer to simultaneously overcome diffusion and advection-limited ion transport to achieve dendrite-free Li plating/stripping.

Two-dimensional perovskite phases at the bottom interfaces of solar cells improve performance, but their formation is challenging. To address this, Zhao et al. graft the 2D perovskite-phase precursor onto a functionalized SnO₂ electrode substrate.

Stable solid–electrolyte interphases on Li anodes are crucial for reliable Li metal batteries. A suspension electrolyte design that modifies the Li⁺ solvation environment in liquid electrolytes and creates inorganic-rich interphases on Li is now reported.

The authors synthesize rock-salt-structured LiMnSbTe₃, in which Sb₂Te₃-type van der Waals-like gaps are embedded as ordered local structures that both scatter phonons and enhance charge-carrier transport.

Yang et al. compare neoadjuvant triple therapy versus direct hepatectomy in patients with resectable intermediate or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The findings indicate that the neoadjuvant regimen improves overall and event-free survival but is associated with a higher risk of serious adverse events and postoperative complications.

Zhou, Ho and colleagues show that, in mice, a schizophrenia-associated mutation impairs belief updating by weakening mediodorsal (MD) thalamus activity. Boosting this activity restored flexible decision-making, suggesting MD thalamus as a potential therapeutic target.

The lack of microenvironment understanding results in unsatisfactory conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes. Here, authors report a data-driven exploration of weak coordination manipulation by plasticizer design for safe and energy-dense batteries.

Lactylation of SOD1 at lysine in nucleus pulposus cells and aggravates intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) in male rats.

Endocytosis of TFR1 plays a crucial role in extracelluar iron uptake. Here the authors revealed that PKCβII facilitates the endocytosis of TFR1 and increases cellular iron levels through the phosphorylation of AAK1, thus promoting ferroptosis of tumor cells.

An intensive effort in the development of Li-metal batteries is well underway. Here the authors design a Li salt with an asymmetric molecular structure that distinctly contrasts with conventional salts, enabling high-performance Li-metal batteries with carbonate electrolytes.

Hanging Coffins were a mortuary tradition practiced in southern China and Southeast Asia. Here, the authors show that different groups of ancient Hanging Coffin practitioners are genetically related, and that they are ancestors of present-day Bo people.

Cycling capability, especially at high rates, is limited for lithium metal batteries. Here the authors report electrolyte solvent design through fine-tuning of molecular structures to address the cyclability issue and unravel the electrolyte structure–property relationship for battery applications.

In nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), cisplatin is known to be associated with poor treatment compliance and notable side effects therefore more effective platinum drugs are expected. Here this group updates the 10-year survival analysis results of a multicenter, randomized, phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy of lobaplatin and fluorouracil induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy on 502 NPC patients.

Off-the-shelf, on-demand allogeneic CAR-T cells could represent a therapeutic alternative to autologous products for cancer therapy. Here the authors report the preclinical characterization of off-the-shelf CRISPR-Cas9– edited IL-13Rα2-specific allogeneic universal CAR-T cells and the results of a first-in-human phase I trial in patients with high-grade glioma.

Analyses of 2,658 whole genomes across 38 types of cancer identify the contribution of non-coding point mutations and structural variants to driving cancer.

It is unclear how early-life urbanicity influences adult neurobehavioral traits. This study reveals that earlier menarche mediates the relationship between early-life urbanicity and adult neurobehavioral traits associated with mental disorders.

Behçet’s syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disease with oral ulcers being the most common symptom. Here authors present results from a phase 2 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial that shows that systemic low dose interleukin-2 could be safely administered to these patients, and the therapy may improve their quality of life.

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.

Wang, Zheng, Qian, Pan, Tian et al. characterize the crosstalk between peritumoural visceral adipose tissue and colorectal tumour microenvironment and report an immune escape mechanism, which may be potentially targeted for improved immunotherapy.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has shown promise but remains limited against solid tumors. This study reports that DKK1-A2 CAR-T cells selectively target HLA-A2- and DKK1-positive tumors, suggesting their therapeutic potential in treating human cancers.

Revealing the structural features governing ergodicity breaking is critical to understanding glass formation. Here, the authors synthesise a family of hybrid metal halide glasses, and show that the molecular shape and polarity determine rotational disorder, enabling diverse glass-forming abilities.

Here, Zhang et al. demonstrate that the microbial metabolite indole-3-propionic acid stimulates production of β-hydroxybutyrate in intestinal cells, in turn activating regenerative stem cells to promote mucosal healing in colitis.

A heat-shrinking method—in which semi-liquid metal-based circuits are printed on thermoplastic films that subsequently shrink and wrap around a target object when mildly heated—can be used to create conformal electronics on various substrates, including plants and skin.

The biological clock model LifeClock predicts biological age across all life stages from routine clinical data, revealing distinct pediatric and adult disease risk patterns.

In this study, long-read RNA sequencing achieves accurate single-nucleotide polymorphism calling, haplotype phasing and allele-specific expression analysis.

The realization of the full potential of Li metal batteries requires high-performance electrolytes. Here Z. Bao and colleagues develop low-concentration electrolytes with a single-solvent and single-salt formulation, offering promise for high-energy and long-cycling batteries.