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Xiangdong Fu and colleagues report characterization of a major rice grain yield QTL at the DEP1 locus.

Measurement-based quantum computing implements quantum algorithms by performing sequences of measurements on special classes of entangled states, such as cluster states. This approach has now been demonstrated on a superconducting quantum processor.

Primary biliary cholangitis is an autoimmune liver disease. Here, the authors show that variants in interleukin genes which potentially deregulate their expression are associated with this condition, and suggest that the IL21 signalling pathway may have a role in disease aetiology.

Integration of twist-phase-matched van der Waals flakes on optical fibre ends enables efficient nonlinear optical processes, including second-harmonic generation and parametric downconversion, and the fabrication of a frequency-doubling ultrafast laser.

Through a joint analysis of radial velocity and astrometry, Wang et al. have discovered a putative mass-gap black hole candidate in a wide binary system. Its wide circular orbit challenges current binary evolution and supernova explosion theories.

Photosynthesis reaction centre barrel proteins are important components of the FtsZ-based cell division apparatus in Haloferax volcanii and other archaea.

Several thermochemical redox reactions have been shown to operate via the coupling of electrochemical half-reactions. Here, scanning electrochemical cell microscopy is employed to image the variations in catalytic rate at different grains of polycrystalline platinum during aerobic formic acid oxidation.

Psychedelics and their non-hallucinogenic analogues were compared, revealing that serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT_2AR)-mediated G_i signalling is essential for hallucinogenic effect, with the functional mechanisms underlying this providing insights for designing therapeutic drugs without hallucinogenic effects.

J. Liu, C. Qu, Y. Liu and colleagues report an m⁷G-independent function of WDR4 in regulating translation machinery and cholesterol homeostasis in tumour-associated macrophages. They develop a targeting strategy using CpG-small interfering RNA to suppress tumour progression.

Molybdenum disulfide vertical transistors with channel lengths down to one atomic layer can be made with metal electrodes using a mechanical van der Waals transfer process that leads to a high-quality metal–semiconductor interface.

Phonon engineering with anisotropic Lorentz-type dielectric oscillations enables the creation of hyperbolic asymptotic line polaritons, achieving broadband diffraction-free propagation.

A natural variant of RCN2 enhances nitrogen assimilation and grain yield in rice by restricting chromatin loop extrusion and competitive interaction with the OsSPL14–SLR1 regulatory module.

The simultaneous scaling down of the channel length and gate length of 2D transistors remains challenging. Here, the authors report a self-alignment process to fabricate vertical MoS₂ transistors with sub-1 nm gate length and sub−50 nm channel length, exhibiting on-off ratios over 10⁵ and on-state currents of 250 μA/μm at 4 V bias.

Geochemical data reveals that volcanic pulses caused episodic climatic cooling from ~470 to 445 million years ago, driven by basalt weathering.

The authors leverage a super-bunching light to develop a spectrally encoded parallel LiDAR that achieves crosstalk-free optical channel division and supports effective long-range detection beyond conventional pulse-period limitations without requiring additional encoding or decoding.

Xiangdong Fu and colleagues map variants in OsSPL16 that influence grain width and yield in a cross between a slender-grain Basmati and a wide-grain indica variety of rice. The authors show that higher expression of OsSPL16 promotes cell division and grain filling and can lead to improvements in grain quality and yield.

The prokaryote defence system Dnd relies on phosphorothioation (PT) of DNA backbone to distinguish between self and non-self DNA. Here, Xiong et al. describe a previously uncharacterized PT-based antiviral system that is independent of the canonical Dnd and is widespread in Archaea and Bacteria.

Early detection and accurate diagnosis of focal liver lesions are crucial for effective treatment and prognosis. Here, the authors present a fully automated diagnostic system that leverages multi-phase CT scans and clinical features, for diagnosing liver lesions.

A relative potency-adjusted inventory of fine-particulate matter (PM_2.5) established in China reveals sectoral and regional disparities in PM_2.5 emissions, exposures and associated toxic potencies.

Locoregional treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) has been shown to be effective. Here the authors conduct a phase II clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of combining apatinib (VEGFR2 inhibitor) and HAIC (oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed) in patients with advanced HCC with extrahepatic metastasis.

Xiangdong Fu and colleagues show that variation in DEP1, which encodes a G protein subunit known to influence rice panicle architecture, underlies a major quantitative trait locus for nitrogen-use efficiency. These findings suggest that modulating heterotrimeric G protein activity could contribute to environmentally sustainable increases in rice grain yield.

A general strategy for the synthesis of two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructure arrays is used to produce high-performance electronic devices, showing the potential of this scalable approach for practical technologies.

Kuang, Dou et al. show that upon Salmonella Typhimurium infection in mice, macrophages release extracellular vesicles (EVs) that harbor iron-uptake receptors. By sequestering iron via a humoral mechanism, these EVs limit bacterial growth and thereby protect against infection.

The systematic ferroelectric domain control in ferroelectric CuInP₂S₆ systems has remained elusive. Herein, the authors report the efficient ferroelectric domain engineering under a unipolar electric field in CuIn₂S₆ system.

Here, the authors find that the brain recovers during sleep in a hierarchical pattern: higher association areas quiet down while primary sensory regions ramp up during early sleep, with these differences diminishing as slow waves decline.

The delta opioid receptor (δOR) is key in modulating sensation and emotion with a lower risk of drug dependence. Here, authors report cryo-EM structure of δOR and design probes to explore its signaling bias, with insights for drug discovery.

Variation in DNR1, a negative regulator of nitrate-use efficiency, contributes to a stronger response to elevated CO₂ levels in indica rice than in japonica rice. This finding could inform breeding efforts to enhance rice yields as CO₂ levels rise.

Reconstruction of seven sequential Rodinia large igneous provinces defines a basal mantle structure similar but different from that of Pangea, which implies partial regeneration of large low shearwave-velocity provinces through supercontinent cycles.

Farmland- and service-scale managements synergistically reduce agricultural carbon emissions in China between 2005 and 2021 through effects of agglomeration, technology, and machinery, based on an analysis of panel data from 30 Chinese provinces

Many cereal crops have been bred to be more compact to allow high-density planting, but soybean has remained relatively overlooked. Here, the authors describe a compact soybean mutant, reduced internode 1, that significantly enhances grain yield under high-density planting conditions compared to an elite cultivar.

Development of the Late Cenozoic Ice Age and Late Paleozoic Ice Age follows a comparable climate trajectory, involving secular trends superimposed with multiple astronomically forced climate-carbon cycles and transient climatic events.

The pilot phase of PigGTEx, re-analyzing 5,457 published RNA-seq samples, presents a pan-tissue catalog of molecular quantitative trait loci. Cross-species comparisons identify traits with shared genetic regulation in humans.

Here, the authors probe the phonon changes across an atomically sharp h-¹⁰BN/h-¹¹BN isotope interface with sub-unit-cell spatial resolution and momentum resolution. The observed phonon delocalization suggests strong electron-phonon coupling at isotopic interface.

The genomic epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii, which is rising in virulence and multidrug resistance, was explored. This study examined bloodstream infection isolates from Chinese patients in 2011–2021, revealing increased genetic diversity and dominance of highly virulent ST208.

Michael Seldin and colleagues report a genome-wide association study and meta-analyses for primary biliary cirrhosis. They identify three loci newly associated with susceptibility to this autoimmune liver disease.

Authors find that freestanding single crystalline antiferroelectric PbZrO₃ membranes exhibit remarkable flexibility that can endure a maximum bending strain of 3.5%, with the assistance of mechanical-induced antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition.

The authors achieve a high electrocaloric temperature change (ΔT = 3.9 K) in c-textured BaTiO₃-KNbO₃ ceramics via compositional tuning and grain orientation engineering. The ΔT variation remain within ±10% across 30–80 °C, demonstrating exceptional stability.

Monochromatic electron energy-loss spectroscopy enables the observation of highly confined and ultraslow hyperbolic phonon polaritons in suspended monolayer hexagonal boron nitride, expanding the potential of van der Waals materials for nanophotonic applications.

Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare, chronic immune-mediated liver disease triggered by environmental exposures in genetically susceptible individuals. Here, the authors investigate the functional mechanism underlying the association of 19p13.3 variants with primary biliary cholangitis.