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Solving partial differential equations is the cornerstone of scientific and engineering development. Here, authors show a high-performance optical neural engine architecture, combining diffractive optics and optical matrix multipliers, to solve a variety of equations in broad scientific domains.

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impact on asteroid Dimophos resulted in an elliptical ejecta plume. Here, the authors show that this elliptical ejecta is due to the curvature of the asteroid and makes kinetic momentum transfer less efficient.

In a post-hoc analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) features from patients with metastatic prostate cancer treated with [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu–PSMA-617 or cabazitaxel in the randomized phase 2 TheraP trial, low ctDNA levels at baseline were predictive of clinical benefit from [¹⁷⁷Lu]Lu–PSMA-617, and PTEN or ATM alterations were identified as potential biomarkers of response.

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.

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

Combinatorial experimental and bioinformatics methods can be used to analyse function and specificity of CD8 T cells. Here the authors propose a multiomic analysis framework Antigen-TCR Pairing and Multiomic Analysis of T cell (APMAT) to relate TCR specificity to transcriptomic phenotype indicating associations with physicochemical features.

Here they show that heterodimerization of the receptor tyrosine kinases PDGFRa and PDGFRb negatively affects downstream ERK1/2 signaling and cellular proliferation, due in part to rapid internalization mediated by binding to the unconventional myosin protein MYO1D.

Tissue monolayers avoid rupture at large tensile stresses through a strain-stiffening process governed by intermediate keratin filaments.

Skyrmion bags—textures comprising multiple skyrmions contained within a larger skyrmion—have been reported in several condensed matter systems. Now an optical analogue of these structures has been observed in plasmonic moiré superlattices.

Loggerhead sea turtles, which undergo long-distance migrations, can learn magnetic signatures associated with different geographic areas and have two different magnetic senses, each based on a different underlying mechanism.

Genomic studies often lack representation from diverse populations, limiting equitable insights. Here, the authors show that the BIG Initiative captures extensive genetic diversity and reveals ancestry-linked health disparities in a community-based Mid-South cohort.

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

Researchers demonstrate systems in which optical solitons coexist and interact with topological solitonic structures localized in the molecular alignment field of a soft birefringent medium. The findings could lead to solitonic tractor beams and new light–matter self-patterning phenomena.

In metastatic urothelial carcinoma, it has not been established whether circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can replace archival primary tissue to assess mutations and biomarkers. Here, the authors show high mutation concordance between ctDNA and tumour tissue, with high consistency in serial samples.

Stress relaxation in cell monolayers shows remarkable similarities with that of single cells, suggesting the rheology of epithelial tissues is mediated by the actomyosin cortex—with dynamics reminiscent of those on a cellular level.

Soft hair arrays anchored to a substrate are useful for bio-inspired engineering applications. Here, the authors demonstrate a rapid 3D printing technique for creating fine, continuous, biomimetic hair arrays using solvent exchange. Fibers as small as 1.5 µm are printed at high speeds, offering scalability for biomimetic and structural applications.

Yudina et al. present clinical validation guidelines for an integrated RNA and DNA sequencing assay. Applied to over 2000 tumors, the assay enhances precision oncology by capturing complex variants missed by DNA-only testing.

An in situ phase-separation method at microscale level creates stretchable superelastic porous nanocomposite conductors, reduces conductive filler usage and enables strain-resilient wireless wearable and implantable bioelectronics.

Accumulation of interseismic strain may now be constrained by satellite observations. Here, the authors show that strain accumulation rates on the North Anatolian Fault are constant for the interseismic period indicating that lower-crustal viscosities from postseismic studies are not representative.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

PXR is a receptor activated by diverse compounds that triggers detoxification pathways in the cell, and blocking this receptor may increase the effectiveness of certain drugs. Here, the authors present the structural basis of PXR inhibition.

Here the authors induce asymmetric transmission in planar Fabry–Pérot microcavities by embedding organic thin films exhibiting apparent circular dichroism (ACD), an optical phenomenon based on 2D chirality.

PREGCARE is a new strategy for families who had a child with a pathogenic de novo mutation, that efficiently identifies couples at higher recurrence risk due to parental mosaicism, while reassuring many others that their recurrence risk is negligible.

Analyses of genome and exome sequencing data identify rare coding and structural variants associated with atrial fibrillation and highlight genetic links between atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathies.

An initial draft of the human pangenome is presented and made publicly available by the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium; the draft contains 94 de novo haplotype assemblies from 47 ancestrally diverse individuals.

Long-term imaging in the spinal cord is achieved by placing a fluoropolymer membrane on the spinal cord, which reduces fibrosis. This approach, combined with deep-learning-based motion correction, enables months-long imaging of the same neurons.

Researchers created a periodically poled van der Waals semiconductor (3R-MoS₂) and achieved a macroscopic frequency conversion efficiency of 0.03% over a thickness of 3.4 μm. The quasi-phase-matched second harmonic signal surpasses the usual quadratic enhancement by 50% and broadband generation of photon pairs at telecom wavelength is demonstrated with a coincidence-to-accidental ratio of 638 ± 75.

Cryptic degassing, whereby mantle-derived CO₂ fluxes continue after surface eruptions slow, can explain prolonged warming that followed some large igneous province events, according to geodynamic and climate modelling.

Transmission of influenza A viruses (IAV) between hosts and replication within host impose genetic bottlenecks, constraining viral diversity and adaptation. Here, Amato et al. perform site-specific inoculation of barcoded IAV of ferrets and track viral diversity as infection spreads to the lower respiratory tract and conclude that narrow population bottlenecks are an important feature of the within-host infection dynamics.

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 can inform regional transmission dynamics and inform public health interventions. Here, the authors sequence ~200 samples from Rwanda, identify shifts in predominating strains from May 2020 to February 2021, and infer geographic origins.

Large-volume volcanic eruptions can occur despite only limited precursory activity. Here the authors show that modelling the combined effects of buoyant magma, viscoelastic earth behaviour, and sustained magma channels can explain such behaviour of volcanoes and gives an estimate of pressure evolution in magma bodies.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is a highly aggressive disease, with a variable response to treatment. Here, the authors validate ctDNA fraction as a poor prognostic factor and develop a model to predict whether patients harbor sufficient ctDNA for informative blood-based genotyping.

Classical light is as good as quantum light to characterize a quantum channel. This unexpected result has practical consequences that make an experimentalist’s life easier in some situations.

Saavedra et al. show that broad-spectrum antibiotics impair homeostatic efferocytosis of macrophages in mice by affecting the gut microbiota. Microbial butyrate is shown to rescue homeostatic efferocytosis efficiency in vivo.

Whole-genome sequencing and phenotype data sharing are introduced in a national health system to streamline diagnosis and to discover coding and non-coding variants that cause rare diseases.

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare and fatal disease with a heterogeneous treatment response. Here the authors show that unsupervised machine learning of whole blood transcriptomes from 359 patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension identifies 3 subgroups (endophenotypes) that improve risk stratification and provide new molecular insights.