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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.

The Fermi-LAT Collaboration reports a significant γ-ray detection (5.2σ) from the coronae of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei, revealing compact (~10 gravitational radii) and extended (~2.7 × 10⁶ gravitational radii) corona regions, challenging existing models.

The ribosomal decoding center monitors accurate translation of 3-base mRNA codons. Here, the authors use cryo-EM to show how one of the monitoring bases of the ribosome enables a frameshift-inducing tRNA to instead read a 2-base codon.

An unconventional machine learning-based inverse design framework enables the generation of ultrabroadband and band-selective thermal meta-emitters with complex 3D architectures and diverse material compositions.

This study integrates a nitrite-adsorbing ionophore into a copper/carbon nanotube electrified membrane, enabling ultrafast and highly selective ammonia production from low-concentration nitrate in real water sources. This cooperative adsorption approach tunes the local catalyst environment to achieve high activity, selectivity and stability without using precious metals or complex synthesis methods.

The role of vascular plasticity in brain function remains poorly understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that a significant portion of blood vessels in the adult brain periodically occlude and regress, a process that is associated with a reduction in neuronal activity.

Natural products inspire the development of pseudo-natural products through combinations of fragments of compound classes that are chemically and biologically distinct. Here, the authors report a library of 244 pseudo-natural products, evaluate them in the cell painting essays and identify the phenotypic role of individual fragments.

The Mass Spectrometry Query Language (MassQL) is an open-source language that enables instrument-independent searching across mass spectrometry data for complex patterns of interest via concise and expressive queries without the need for programming skills.

Heavier analogues of unsaturated organic molecules are of interest because of their bonding situation and their potential use in synthesis. Now, a Bi(I)-based allyl cation, which can be seen as a heavy congener of all-carbon π-allyl cations, has been reported. This complex serves as a synthon for Bi(I) transfer, enabling access to low-valent organobismuth compounds.

This study reports an adsorption-independent O₂ activation pathway for superior ¹O₂ electrosynthesis via an O₂ mono-hydrogenation process on compressive-strained rutile TiO₂. The compressive-strained TiO₂ suppresses the formation of reductive unsaturated sites for O₂ adsorption and enhances the reductive ability of atomic hydrogen, thereby enabling direct O₂ hydrogenation into free ^•OOH without the O₂ adsorption.

The observation of the transition from hcp H₂ to a post-hcp structure with a six-fold larger supercell at pressures above 212 GPa is reported, indicating the trend of H₂ polymerization through molecular association.

Cancer incidence is rare in long-lived bats. Here the authors find that although bat fibroblasts express telomerase and require only two oncogenic hits for malignant transformation, bats may rely on elevated p53 signaling and enhanced immunosurveillance to prevent cancer.

Insulator-to-metal transitions induced by spontaneous magnetization above room temperature have rarely been observed. Here, the authors show that this transition, along with concurrent high-temperature ferrimagnetic order, is realized in the novel 3d/5d hybridized quadruple perovskite oxide CaCu₃Ni₂Os₂O₁₂.

Nonlinear light-matter coupling has applications in quantum technologies, for instance in quantum-non-demolition measurements, but its strength is typically limited. Here the authors demonstrate near-ultrastrong nonlinear light-matter coupling in a superconducting circuit with two transmons and a quarton coupler.

Vessel elements arise from cambium stem cells and support plant growth by supplying water and nutrients. This study reveals that strigolactone signalling inhibits vessel formation in response to drought, affecting transpiration and drought resistance.

Sodium-ion batteries face challenges due to electrode degradation and interphase instability. Here, authors develop a smart gel polymer electrolyte for hard carbon||NaNi_1/3Fe_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ batteries via in situ polymerization of specific monomers in conventional electrolytes.

This study shows that typhoid toxin disrupts the blood–brain barrier leading to vascular leakage, inflammation and neurological symptoms, causing encephalopathy in typhoid fever. Corticosteroids help mitigate these effects.

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.

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise nearly half of the human genome. This Review discusses transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms that repress TE activity, how TEs escape this suppression and regulate endogenous genes in development and disease, and emerging therapeutic strategies that exploit TE derepression.

Developing chemistries for positive electrodes with large specific capacities and high operating potentials is highly desirable for aqueous zinc batteries. Here, authors report a reversible Se electrode that undergoes ZnSe↔Se↔SeCl₄ reaction, combined with Br⁻ /Br^{n –} redox couple as Se revitalizer to enhance cycling performance.

Batki, Hetzel et al. report a lineage-tracing strategy to track extraembryonic gut endoderm cells over development. They find that these cells are eventually eliminated in a p53-dependent manner and neighbouring embryonic cells clear their remnants.

Understanding the immunological underpinnings of long-term survival in cancer is of high interest. Here, authors dissect the immune parameters of multiple myeloma long-term survivors following a single line of therapy longitudinally, and find sustained changes, including inflammation and impaired immune function.

Swanton and colleagues present a clonal expression signature, ORACLE, which, in combination with clinicopathological and molecular risk factors, can predict survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and they prospectively validate its prognostic value.

Little is known about nitrogen loss processes in deep-sea cold seeps. Here, the authors report that cold seeps are potential hotspots of nitrogen loss, revealing high rates and a diverse range of nitrogen loss genes across multiple microbial phyla.

Single-atom and nanocluster catalysts have been widely studied in heterogeneous catalysis, yet their coexistence and potential synergistic effects remain unclear. Here, the authors investigate atomic-scale Ni-based catalysts for bioethanol reforming and reveal a synergistic interaction between single atoms and nanoclusters.

Advancements in proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers rely on developing oxygen evolution reaction catalysts with high activity and stability. Here, the authors report a method to enhance the spatiotemporal coordination of oxygen radicals in a Ru-based catalyst for improved performance.

Complete sequences of chromosomes telomere-to-telomere from chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean orangutan, Sumatran orangutan and siamang provide a comprehensive and valuable resource for future evolutionary comparisons.

Van der Waals magnetic materials are characterized by strong magnetic interactions within each van der Waals layer, while the interaction between the layers is typically weaker. Here, Liu, Su, Gu and coauthors find a magnetic phase transition in the van der Waals magnet, NiI₂, under hydrostatic pressure, which they associate with the interlayer magnetic interaction.

Lentivirus-based reporter assays for 680,000 regulatory sequences from three cell lines coupled to machine-learning models lead to insights into the grammar of cis-regulatory elements.

This study maps the single-axon projections of 7,180 hypothalamic peptidergic neurons in male mice and uncovers extensive collateralization, topographic target innervation and modular intra-hypothalamic organization.

A systematic analysis of 115 mammalian genomes, including 10 new bat genomes, reveals prevalent positive selection in immune genes in bats and shows key adaptations in the antiviral gene ISG15 that aid disease resistance in bats, including to coronaviruses.

The genetic determinants of long-distance migration in birds are largely unknown. Sokolovskis et al. tracked genotyped hybrid willow warblers from a migratory divide in Sweden and find that autumn migration direction is consistent with a dominant inheritance pattern of two large effect loci that interact through epistasis.

Multi-year La Niña and El Niño events became more common over the past 7,000 years because of orbital forcings causing gradual changes in upper-ocean stratification in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, according to an analysis of proxy records and palaeoclimate modelling.

Open-shell nanographenes are used to fabricate length-controlled antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 Heisenberg chains. It is revealed that the spin excitation spectra evolve from gapped to gapless following a power-law dependence on chain length, along with the visualization of the standing waves of confined single spinons.

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.

Su, Zhao, Jiang and colleagues identify IGFBP6 as an intrinsic downregulator of the inflammatory response lost in disturbed flow-induced atherosclerotic plaque development, suggesting that its restoration may represent a viable therapeutic strategy.

This study analyses radio observations of the jet in galaxy M87, from which the existence of a spinning black hole that induces Lense–Thirring precession of a misaligned accretion disk is inferred.

The controlled synthesis of monodisperse nanospheres faces a number of difficulties, such as extensive crosslinking during hydrothermal processes. Here, the authors show a route for the controlled synthesis of mesoporous polymer nanospheres, which can be further converted into carbon nanospheres through carbonization.

Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy is compromised by the trade-off between resolution and photobleaching. Here, the authors present ReSTED, a reactivatable STED microscopy using fluorescence-recoverable nanographene that enables hour-long, super-resolution 3D imaging without bleaching.

Observations of γ-rays with energies up to 1.4 PeV find that 12 sources in the Galaxy are PeVatrons, one of which is the Crab Nebula.

The phase transitions of rare earth nickelates have attracted intensive study as they arise from the complex interplay of charge, spin and lattice degrees of freedom. Here Guo et al. present evidence that LaNiO₃ has an unanticipated magnetically ordered metallic phase.

An axion cloud surrounding a spinning black hole would rotate the electric vector position angles of linearly polarized emissions. Tight constraints on the axion–photon coupling can therefore be obtained from polarization information in the Event Horizon Telescope’s images of M87^⋆.

Exome-wide analysis identifies rare and low-frequency coding variants associated with body mass index. Gene-based meta-analysis and functional studies implicate 13 genes, eight of which are novel, and neuronal pathways as factors in human obesity.

Cancers evolve as they progress under differing selective pressures. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, the authors present the method TrackSig the estimates evolutionary trajectories of somatic mutational processes from single bulk tumour data.

One of the key challenges in dielectric ceramics for energy storage lies in the comprehensive optimization of their properties. Here, the authors establish an equitable system considering performance and structure evolution in a lead-free ceramic capacitor, achieving a broad-high temperature performance.

Analysis of cancer genome sequencing data has enabled the discovery of driver mutations. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium the authors present DriverPower, a software package that identifies coding and non-coding driver mutations within cancer whole genomes via consideration of mutational burden and functional impact evidence.