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The Dark sectioning algorithm removes the background and provides single-frame optical sectioning in fluorescence microscopy. It offers improved quantitative analysis and deep-tissue segmentation accuracy and is compatible to diverse modalities.

Large language models (LLMs) can be useful tools for science, but they often lack expert understanding of complex domains that they were not trained on. Zhang and colleagues fine-tuned a LLaMA-2-7b-based LLM with questions on organic chemistry reactions.

Two genetically linked TdNLR genes from wild emmer wheat are both required for YrTD121-mediated stripe rust resistance. The TdNLR1 and TdNLR2 pair lacks an integrated ___domain, representing an uncommon architecture for paired NLRs in plants.

Neural mechanisms underlying strengthening of escape behaviors are not fully understood. Here authors show that mPFC (medial prefrontal cortex)/VTg (ventral tegmental nucleus of gudden) to cholecystokinin expressing neurons in PMd (dorsal premammillary nucleus) neural pathway controls the threat memory-driven strengthening of escape. Furthermore, authors demonstrate a heterosynaptic role of eCB (endocannabinoid) signaling as the underlying molecular mechanism.

Phase-switchable preparation of two-dimensional WS₂ is achieved through an electrochemical Li⁺ intercalation-based exfoliation strategy. A low discharge current density with high cutoff voltage produces pure semiconducting 2H phase WS₂ bilayers, while a higher discharge current density with a lower cutoff voltage favours semimetallic 1T′ phase WS₂ monolayers.

The kinetic pathways driving morphological changes in core-shell metallic nanowires are crucial for their functional properties. Here authors reveal a three-step deposition process, and influence nanoparticle size and surface roughness.

Spontaneous parthenogenesis in sunflower has been used to develop a scalable doubled haploid breeding system.

The development of non-halogen solvent processed all-small-molecule organic solar cells was challenging. Here, the authors employ a small molecule donor with strong aggregation property to improve molecular pre-aggregation in tetrahydrofuran, realizing ternary device with efficiency of 16.1%.

The performance of inorganic, wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells is hindered by unsuitable electron transport layers. Han et al. design an acidic magnesium-doped tin oxide quantum dot layer, improving efficiency and stability in single-junction and tandem cells.

2D materials are known for their ability to remove heavy metal ions from water, however their adsorption mechanism is not well-understood. Here the authors prepared metallic 1T/1T′ phase 2D transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets, with activated sulfur sites, for rapid removal of Pb²⁺ ions.

The design of easily synthesized high molecular weight giant molecular acceptors is urgently needed. Here, the authors report a branch-connected dendritic hexamer acceptor that exhibits enhanced charge transport ability, achieving device efficiency of 19.4% for binary organic solar cells.

Li-ion intercalation often induces phase changes in transition metal dichalcogenides, but only the transition of 2H-to-1T/1T' in MoS₂ is well-known. Here, researchers report emerging phase transitions in 1T'-MoTe₂, leading to the discovery of two new electronic phases.

Self-assembled monolayers are essential for achieving high performance solar cells by minimizing interfacial energy losses. Here, authors the develop a co-adsorb strategy with a small molecule to provide a favorable heterointerface, realizing high efficiency in p-i-n perovskite and organic devices.

Room-temperature magnetism is challenging for 2D materials as they tend to lose their magnetic order at increasing temperatures. Now, researchers have achieved room temperature magnetism in lithium-intercalated chromium iodide.

A mechanical exfoliation method for producing freestanding metal oxide ultrathin flakes is reported. The flakes can be transferred and integrated with 2D materials, providing a platform to investigate the fundamental properties of ultrathin metal oxides.

Nanozymes offer diverse therapeutic avenues for cancer treatment. In this work, the authors report an iron-based quasi-metal organic framework nanozyme Q-MIL-53(Fe) with enhanced peroxidase and catalase-mimicking activity and glutathione depletion capacity and use it for tumor immunotherapy via inducing ferroptosis and immunogenic cell death.

The authors report a wet-chemistry-based method to fabricate amorphous, transferable high-k copper calcium titanate thin films as dielectrics for two-dimensional electronic devices.

Intercalation of atoms, ions and molecules is a powerful tool for finely regulating atomically thin, 2D materials. This Review highlights the effects of intercalation in 2D materials and discusses their in situ studies.

This study finds that vegetation models commonly underestimate the productivity of West African forests, owing to bias in fractional absorbed photosynthetic radiation (fAPAR) and leaf level photosynthetic capacities.

Only a minority of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Here the authors design a nanosystem for the co-delivery of a PLK1 inhibitor and PD-L1 antibody, showing anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical lung cancer models.

A paper-based assay leveraging nucleic acid strand-displacement reactions and the enzymatic amplification of the recognition of viral RNA at the single-nucleotide level allows for the rapid colorimetric detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Here authors use wedge molecules to directionally transmit mechanical force within three-dimensional crystalline frameworks. They fabricate various crystalline framework nanosheets including MOF, COF, and coordination polymer nanosheets.

Intercalation-based exfoliation is a reliable strategy for preparing atomically thin sheets. This Review highlights various types of intercalation-based exfoliation methods as well as the potential applications of the exfoliated nanosheets and the challenges and prospects in this emerging field.

The air-water interface is gaining attention for its role in accelerating chemical reactions. Here, authors present a catalyst-based method to harness the microbubble surface for boosting ROS generation and reactivity, significantly enhancing its potential for environmental remediation applications.

Using a combination of two-photon imaging and single-cell electrophysiology, the authors discover that associative learning induces the emergence of a unique subset of neurons in the auditory cortex, exhibiting high-rate bursting responses to the learned complex sounds but not to any of the constituents.

The presence of microplastics in wastewaters used for irrigation highlights the urgency of analysing the possible uptake of microplastics by crop plants. This study shows that submicrometre and micrometre plastic particles from treated wastewater enter the steles of crop plants via a crack entry at sites of lateral root emergence.

Varying growth temperatures enables the tuning of the degree of disorder, which is fully described by the absence/presence of medium-range order and temperature-dependent densities of nanocrystallites, and electrical conductivity in amorphous monolayer carbon films.

Solar-driven biomanufacturing using semiconductor biohybrids has the potential to achieve sustainable chemical production, but it is challenging to scale up. Here, the authors present a strategy to achieve scalable solar-driven waste-to-chemical conversion using wastewater-derived biohybrids.

The uptake and transfer of nanoplastics in the roots and shoots of lettuce and wheat were quantified by doping polystyrene nanoparticles with Eu–β-diketonate and using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, time-gated luminescence and scanning electron microscopy.

Ji and colleagues demonstrate that metabolic reprogramming in SCLC underlies chemotherapy resistance, resulting in an actionable dependency on the mevalonate pathway in tumor cells, which can be targeted using statins to revert chemoresistance.

The electrochemical lithium ion intercalation-based exfoliation of mono- or few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides nanosheets described here results in materials that can be used in diverse applications, e.g., biosensing and catalysis.

On-site crop disease diagnostics is critical for precise application of pesticides. Here, the authors report an in-field molecular diagnostic tool for wheat pathogens using a nucleic acid amplification-free, gene mutation-resolved and smartphone-integrated genetic assay.

The authors reveal a mechanism in understanding the responses to Ralstonia solanacearum in pepper under high temperature and high humidity conditions, that is differential associations between transcription factors mediate distinct immune and heat responses.

Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) play critical roles in human diseases. Here, the authors describe an integrated Cas12a sensor for sensing mtDNA mutations in vivo, showing potential for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Previous work has identified cells in L2/3 of auditory cortex which strongly respond with bursting to a specific learned chord, but not to single component tones in an auditory task. Here the authors show that these cells correlate with the behavioral relevance of the learned composite sounds.

Open-3DSIM is a versatile open-source software for high-fidelity reconstruction of three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy data (with polarization). It is available in three convenient forms for user-friendly and customizable applications.

Major depressive disorder is a major public health problem. Here, the authors illustrate that mesenchymal stromal cells exert antidepressant and anxiolytic effects through a pulmonary vagal→ nucleus tractus solitarius → 5-HT dorsal raphe nucleus neural pathway in murine depression models.

With a helium focused ion beam, an ionic liquid can undergo induced wetting to flow into a desired pattern on a surface in a controllable, rewriteable manner. Combined with electrochemical deposition, patterned solid materials can be produced.

The cryo-EM structures of Cas12g in complex with sgRNA in the absence and presence of target RNA reveal that the duplex formed by target RNA and crRNA binds to a central channel of Cas12g, inducing its conformational change and activation.

Zhang et al. show that astrocytes develop responses to fear-conditioned auditory stimuli mediated by α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and that astrocytic α7-nAChRs in the auditory cortex are required for memory persistence and retrieval.

Molecules with axial chirality are of intense focus to the synthetic organic community, but the axes most commonly explored are carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom. Here the authors report the syntheses of diaxially chiral biaryls containing N-N and C-N/C-C axes, achieved via rhodium catalysis.