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A reinforcement learning-based virtual reality system, implementing a series of sport sessions with coaching, was as effective as standard physical activity in reducing fat mass in adolescents, with positive effects on cognition.

Complex traits present challenges for gene mapping and molecular characterization. Here, the authors develop a 16-generation intercross line of chickens to explore the genetic architecture of complex traits in chicken.

In situ methods for water quality monitoring is crucial for global water use and management, though many conventional sensors have slow response time and are non-recyclable. Here, the authors report a recyclable amphiphobic dielectric material for fast monitoring of water pollutants.

Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as forever chemicals, in intracellular aggregates. Colonization of gnotobiotic mice with bioaccumulating bacteria increases faecal PFAS excretion.

USP18 is a multifunctional cysteine protease involved in IFN pathways. Here, the authors report chemical probes and chemoproteomics platforms that allow to detect and perturb USP18 activity in complex biological systems with the potential to unravel important (de)ISGylation-dependent processes.

Lan et al. demonstrate the high performance of plasma p-tau217 in detecting and tracking multiple aspects of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, outperforming other plasma tau biomarkers across two Chinese cohorts (GHABS and Huashan) and the North American ADNI cohort.

The Einstein Probe has discovered a fast X-ray transient, EP240414a, associated with a broad-lined type Ic supernova. Its unusually soft spectrum and weak jet add to the diversity of stellar deaths and suggest a previously unknown Wolf–Rayet star explosion mechanism.

Phytochrome photoreceptors are master regulators of plant development. This paper describes 3D structures of soybean phytochrome A in both Pr (inactive) and Pfr (signalling) states, revealing changes that might transmit the light signal to the cell.

In response to the emergence of H5N1 influenza A viruses as a novel pathogen of cattle, this study shows that pasteurisation of cows’ milk should effectively inactivate the virus, but that it remains infectious in unpasteurised milk.

The study of isotopes away from the beta stability valley is crucial for the understanding of nuclear structure, especially for neutron-deficient heavy nuclei. Here, the authors report the observation of the alpha-decay isotope 210-protactinium (Pa), extending the alpha-decay systematics of underexplored regions of the nuclides chart.

A combination of metagenomic data from experimental and natural warming with microbial culturing experiments shows that warming increases the potential of evolution of antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria.

Sadhu et al. identify and functionally validate ferredoxin-1 (FDX1) as a determinant of cholesterol metabolism and cardiovascular risk in Asian populations.

While Bell inequalities have been violated several times—mostly in photonic systems—their violations within particle physics experiments are less explored. Here, the BESIII Collaboration showcases Bell-violating nonlocal correlations between entangled hyperon pairs.

Optical coherence elastography (OCE) is a technique that uses tomographic scans of tissue to retrieve information on its mechanical properties. By measuring shear and Young’s moduli, the elasticity of the sample can be mapped in two or three dimensions, making OCE a useful tool in fields such as oncology, ophthalmology and mechanobiology.

Low-carbon lifestyles could reduce global carbon footprints by 10.4 gigatons CO₂e by targeting the top 23.7% of emitting households. This study quantifies 21 low-carbon expenditures while noting potential rebound effects that may offset carbon savings.

A positive relationship between fine root carbon and soil organic carbon stocks is well established in grasslands, particularly at greater depths, but the relationship varies across forests, based on a continental-scale analysis of 43 sites across the United States.

The immaturity of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes limits their use in drug testing. This study provides a systematic evaluation of how culture medium, calcium, nanopatterning and electrostimulation distinctly affect their structural, metabolic, and electrophysiological maturation.

The key challenge in liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) is preventing catalyst poisoning by CO in crude H₂. Here the authors present a Pd/α-MoC catalyst that enables efficient N-LOHC hydrogenation under crude H₂ (CO > 5 vol%) below 150 °C, achieving activity 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than conventional Pd-based catalysts.

Khufu’s Pyramid is one of the largest archaeological monuments in the world, and still contains unexplored voids. Here, the authors use cosmic-ray muon radiography in multiple positions to precisely characterize one of these inner structures called the North Face Corridor.

Duan et al. introduce an optimal transport approach to generate transition states, surpassing diffusion models in precision and speed. This method can facilitate the study of chemical reactions with unknown mechanisms.

Resistance to first line treatment is a major hurdle in cancer treatment, that can be overcome with drug combinations. Here, the authors provide a large drug combination screen across cancer cell lines to benchmark crowdsourced methods and to computationally predict drug synergies.

Conventional methods for nanoparticle cluster formation involve surface functionalization, which can alter the properties. Here, the authors propose a non-disruptive strategy to position nanomaterials of different shapes between nanosheets without the need for pre-modification.

Three new euharamiyidan species from the Jurassic period of China are described, cementing the alliance with multituberculates and showing that the initial divergence between groups of extant mammals—monotremes on the one side, marsupials and placentals on the other—goes back to the Triassic period.

Chirality has long fascinated chemists, but asymmetric synthesis has largely focused on central, axial, and helical chirality to date. Here, the authors synthesize dianthranilides with planar chirality, via cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed (dynamic) kinetic resolution.

A graph-based pan-genome constructed from 30 genome assemblies covering Malus domestica ‘Golden Delicious’ and 29 wild diploid or polyploid Malus species highlights structural variation and genome evolution in the Malus genus.

Worldwide, the number of only-child families is increasing. This research examines how growing up without siblings affects adult brain structure, function and connectivity, cognition, personality and mental health.

Kekulé vortices in hexagonal lattices can host fractionalized charges at zero magnetic field, but have remained out of experimental reach. Here, the authors report a Kekulé vortex in the local density states of graphene around a chemisorbed hydrogen adatom.

MultiSTAAR provides a general and flexible statistical framework for functionally informed multi-trait rare variant analysis of biobank-scale sequencing studies by jointly analyzing multiple traits and incorporating annotation information.

Medical imaging has transformed clinical diagnostics. Here, authors present RadDiag, a foundational model for comprehensive disease diagnosis using multi-modal inputs, demonstrating superior zero-shot performance on external datasets compared to other foundation models and showing broad applicability across various medical conditions.

Socioeconomic status is multidimensional and can change over time. Xu, Lui, Ji et al. found dimension-specific, late-stage-specific and change-specific socioeconomic effects on brain, cognition, personality and emotion.

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.

Using Xenopus laevis egg extracts and a Cdk1 FRET sensor, the authors demonstrate how rapid cell cycles achieve long-range cytoplasmic synchronization through mitotic waves. In this process, trigger waves gradually replace transient phase waves, with spatial heterogeneities accelerating the transition.

Guan et al. analyse the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on global supply chains. Earlier, stricter and shorter lockdowns can minimize overall losses. A ‘go-slow’ approach to lifting restrictions may reduce overall damages if it avoids the need for further lockdowns.

Defect engineering in catalysts can enhance performance by manipulating vacancy configurations, but controlling them is challenging. The authors report triple O-Ti-O vacancies in Ni-doped TiO₂, which boost catalytic reactions through water dissociation and active site regeneration.

The electrochemical coupling of NO₃⁻ and CO₂ to produce urea using entangled iron porphyrins embedded in three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks is reported. The spatial localization of twin iron sites overcomes the unordered transfer of intermediates, enabling carbon–nitrogen coupling.

The mechanisms allowing early disseminated cancer cells colonize other tissues remain largely unknown. Here, authors show that GPRC5A axis drives esophageal squamous cell carcinoma lung seeding and metastasis, in a mechanism resembling trophoblast behavior during embryo implantation.

Every 1% increase in extreme surface solar ultraviolet radiation events results in a 0.72% decrease in corn yield, particularly during the mid-growth phase, but high soil moisture may help mitigate this effect, according to an analysis of climate and phenology data from 1992 to 2018.

The death of massive stars has traditionally been discovered by explosive events in the gamma-ray band. Liu et al. show that the sensitive wide-field monitor on board Einstein Probe can reveal a weak soft-X-ray signal much earlier than gamma rays.

Current-driven dynamic atomic rearrangements in layered In₂Se₃ are visualized. The authors identify an intralayer ‘unzipping’ and interlayer ‘zipping’ phase-transition pathway in which bond formation across the van der Waals gaps drives bond cleavage within covalent layers.

This study introduces a ChickenGTEx atlas of regulatory variants across 28 tissues and illustrates its utility in deciphering association signals for 39 complex traits in chickens.