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Cryo-EM structures of ZYG11B-EloB-EloC-substrate complex reveal architecture of CRL2^ZYG11B E3 ligase. ZYG11B forms both monomeric and dimeric assemblies, and functional assays show that dimerization enhances substrate ubiquitination and degradation.

Traditional recycling of polyoxymethylene plastic often leads to significant material loss and toxic emissions. Here, the authors introduce an acidic electrochemical process that efficiently converts plastic waste into valuable chemicals with conversion efficiency approaching 90%.

Rong Tang and colleagues report a method that seamlessly integrates passive optical networks with distributed acoustic sensing for human intrusion monitoring. The system enables simultaneous data transmission and sub-meter localization over 25 km of fiber, supporting secure and wide-area infrastructure monitoring.

Copper is a critical resource for the energy transition, but the associated mine waste and tailings present an environmental hazard. Global copper tailings generation is projected to continue to rise until at least the middle of the century, prompting a need for a coordinated, multilateral strategy to manage copper mine tailings.

By resonant excitation of an InAs quantum dot embedded in a microcavity, a deterministic single-photon source is demonstrated. Single-photon purity of 0.9795(6), photon indistinguishability of 0.9856(13), and an overall end-to-end efficiency of 0.712(18) are simultaneously obtained.

A virus-mimicking micelle selectively delivers drugs to diseased chondrocytes in osteoarthritis, significantly alleviating disease progression in mouse and sheep models.

The mediobasal hypothalamus plays a central role in integrating nutritional and sex-related signals to regulate energy homeostasis. Here, through snRNA-seq of the mediobasal hypothalamus in female and male mice across nutritional states, authors show that Agrp neurons are nutrition-sensitive, DA neurons exhibit transcriptional differences in a sex-dependent manner, and KNDy neurons are responsive to both sex and nutrition.

The authors compile a national database of 975 plants including 2,151 incinerators across China, showing that they supplied up to 7% of residential electricity consumption in 2023. Scenario projections indicated that waste incineration could generate up to 259 TWh by 2035, meeting 13% of residential demand.

An n-type conducting polymer with excellent mixed ionic and electronic transport enables a practical lithium–organic battery that exhibits a wide operating temperature range and excellent safety.

Genetic bases of grain shape differentiation between the two subspecies of Asian cultivated rice have not been fully elucidated. Here, the authors report GSE9, a de novo gene evolved from a non-coding region of wild rice through acquisition of start codon, contributes to the grain shape difference between the two subspecies.

Pan-genomes provide useful resources for evolutionary studies, functional genomics and breeding of cultivated plants. Here, the authors report a new rice pan-genome including 73 Asian rice and two wild relatives (Oryza rufipogon and O. punctata), and reveal the prevalence and scale of large inversions across the pan-genome.

Set up an international platform to share data and experiences, and coordinate industrial policies and trade to conserve resources and energy, urge Yong Geng, Joseph Sarkis and Raimund Bleischwitz.

Coordinating protein translation with energy supply is a significant challenge faced by cells. Here, the authors found that the protein quality control network may provide a link between the two.

The study reveals a nanobody that blocks LGR4 to activate fat browning and combat obesity, offering structural insights and a potential strategy for weight loss therapy.

High-density dynamic random access memory is crucial for addressing the memory wall issue, yet its three-dimensional integration faces significant challenges. Liao et al. utilize a single-step self-aligned integration scheme, achieving 4 F² density and demonstrating 4-bit operation.

The Wnt signalling pathway is essential for development and the maintenance of stem cells. Here, the authors reveal how LGR4 and RSPO2 modulate ZNRF3 conformations and assembly heterogeneity, stabilising ZNRF3 in its inactive state to enhance Wnt signalling. These findings offer insights for the development of targeted therapies for Wnt-driven cancers.

Quantum information cannot be copied, posing challenges for long-distance communication due to signal losses. Here the quantum relay architecture using a single-photon source enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of quantum information transmission.

In this Perspective, members of the Aging Biomarker Consortium outline the X-Age Project, an Aging Biomarker Consortium plan for building standardized aging clocks in China. The authors discuss the project roadmap and its aims of decoding aging heterogeneity, detecting accelerated aging early and evaluating geroprotective interventions.

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.

Multielectron molecular CO₂ reduction in acid is challenged by weak CO binding and competing hydrogen evolution. Here a methanol Faradaic efficiency of 62% is achieved in acid by tuning the microenvironment with cationic, hydrophobic and aerophilic layers.

Birds exhibit extensive close ecological interactions with flowering plants, but the evolutionary origins of those relationships remain unclear. Plant phytolith analysis of stomach contents of the Early Cretaceous long-tailed bird Jeholornis reveals the earliest example of leaf eating by birds.

Robust cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer fibres with rapid and reversible mechanochromic responses are woven and sewn into garments to create smart clothing.

In this study, the authors utilize cryo-EM and Molecular Dynamic analysis to elucidate the selective and catalytic mechanisms of the glycogen debranching enzyme (GDE). Their findings also reveal how disease-causing mutations disrupt GDE function, thereby contributing to Glycogen Storage Disease Type III.

H-bonded assembly of multiple components into well-defined icosahedral capsules has been elusive, and constructing stable sophisticated cluster-based supramolecular frameworks without coordinative bonding linkages remains challenging. Here, the authors report a cluster-based icosahedral H-bonded capsule Cu₆₀ and its self-propagation into a 3D robust zeolitic-like supramolecular framework.

Mixed-dimensional 1D-2D heterostructures hold promise for catalytic and optoelectronic applications, but the control of their electronic band structure remains challenging. Here, the authors report the fabrication of 1D-graphene nanoribbon/2D-CuSe heterojunctions with tunable band alignment by varying the geometry and phase of the materials.

As climate change drives more frequent extreme heat, this study reveals how global trade has intensified heat exposure for workers. Between 1995 and 2020, labour exposure to extreme heat rose by 89%, with many workers now spending nearly half their work hours in dangerous temperatures.

Unstable configurations and uncontrollable stoichiometries in 1D magnets hinder their practical use. Here, the authors synthesize air-stable 1D V_xTe_y with distinct stoichiometries inside SWCNTs and analyze their magnetic properties.

Diarrhoea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in China. Here, the authors present results from a large sentinel surveillance scheme from 217 hospitals in all 31 provinces in mainland China, including ~150,000 patients with acute diarrhoea and covering years 2009-2018.

The mechanisms through which multigenerational paternal obesity affects spermatogenesis in offspring remain poorly understood. Here, the authors show that it affects Wt1 m6A modifications, decreasing the fertility of offspring.

This study quantitatively identifies contaminant loss as the dominant limitation for silica microcavity Q factors. Through laser polishing and thermal annealing, a record-high Q of 8.28 × 10⁹ is achieved, enabling fully stabilized soliton microcombs with >60.6 dB repetition-rate phase-noise suppression.

The role of polymers in stabilizing liquid crystal (LC)-water interfaces is well studied but how the LC affects stabilizers is not fully explored yet. Here, Ma et al. show that amphiphilic polymers change their behavior when the LC is heated towards its transition to the isotropic state, and propose that this is due to an entropic repulsion active at low temperatures where the orientationally ordered LC restricts the mobility of the flexible polymer chains.

LGR4 distinguishes Norrin and RSPOs via distinct binding modes to drive separate Wnt signaling outcomes. Here, the authors use cryo-EM to reveal a LGR4–Norrin complex that blocks Frizzled4, highlighting a regulatory checkpoint and develop a nanobody that targets both ligands.

The endemic Tibetan antelope is adapted to high-altitude environments with low partial pressure of oxygen and high level of ultraviolet radiation. Here Ge et al. report a draft genome of this species and by comparison with other mammals, present possible genetic bases of highland adaptation.

This study reveals that phosphorus and nitrogen deficiency alters the abundance and profiles of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice, underscoring its crucial role in genome plasticity and stress adaptation, which has implications for agricultural performance.

Reliable statistics are important for both climate science and international negotiations about emission-reduction targets. However, China is often questioned in terms of its data transparency and accuracy. Now researchers have compiled the carbon dioxide emission inventories for China and its 30 provinces for the period 1997–2010, and found a 1.4 gigatonne discrepancy between national and provincial inventories in 2010.

The authors develop a freestanding high-entropy-oxide (HEO) nanomembrane with exceptional fracture resistance and multifunctionality. Formation of dual-phase nanostructure (HEO scaffold + decomposed hydrogel chains) enables hierarchical toughening.

This study identifies FOXN3 as a suppressor of pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting Smad signaling. FOXN3 facilitates Smad4 ubiquitination, disrupting the Smad complex’s association with target elements and abolishing its transcriptional activity.