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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.

Legionella effector LnaB, a recently identified actin-activated AMPylase, mediates phosphoryl-AMPylation in a yet-unknown manner. Here the authors unveil a two-step catalytic process involving dual ATPase–AMPylase activity based on structural studies, providing a biochemical basis for AMPylation.

Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by a disruption in the balance between bone resorption and formation. Here, the authors identified high levels of lipid raft-related stomatin in osteoporosis patients and ovariectomized mice and demonstrate a mechanism by which it drives bone resorption.

Electronic wound bandages have to balance conformability and wound healing properties. Here, the authors develop a smart patch (iSAFE) using biomaterials with bioelectronics to facilitate permeability with waterproofing. This achieves intelligent wound management with real-time wound monitoring and active therapy.

A computationally guided strategy enables the suppression of structural defects in tin halide perovskite nanocrystals. By combining tin-rich conditions to minimize bulk defects, introducing monovalent cations to produce defect-tolerant surfaces and tuning precursor ratios to optimize defect suppression, highly luminescent FASnI₃ nanocrystals are obtained.

Some rhizosphere microbes protect plants from phytopathogens through unclear molecular mechanisms. Here, Zhang et al. show that a rhizosphere bacterium displays antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic fungi by reducing the activity of the fungal NatA acetyltransferase complex, thus inducing protein degradation and apoptosis.

A stereotaxic atlas of the whole mouse brain, based on a Nissl-stained cytoarchitecture dataset with isotropic 1-μm resolution, achieved through continuous micro-optical sectioning tomography, promises to be a versatile brainsmatics tool for studying the whole brain at single-cell level.

Geometrical-site-dependent catalytic ozone activation is demonstrated on the Co²⁺_Td and Co³⁺_Oh sites in spinel oxides, where the spin-polarized Co²⁺_Td outperforms Co³⁺_Oh site in •OH generation, achieving a 17.6-fold increase in turnover frequency.

Single-cell RNA sequencing, whole-exome sequencing and spatial transcriptome sequencing of gallbladder adenocarcinomas from 75 patients stratifies the disease into groups with distinct clinical outcomes.

In large prospectively enrolled validation cohorts of patients with cancer and controls and a prospective study of asymptomatic individuals with average risk for cancer, a multicancer early detection test based on plasma cell-free DNA genomics and fragmentomics showed encouraging accuracy in identifying ongoing disease as well as the tissue of origin.

There is a need to design soft robots for rapid movement in extreme environments, though it is a challenge to balance electronic and mechanical properties while being stable in extreme conditions. Here the authors design an ethylene glycol gel which balances stability with its electronic and mechanical performance.

The heterogeneity of HSPCs in response to IR stress remains poorly characterized. Here, the authors provide insights into the molecular intricacies of IR-induced BM injury and reveal the roles of BMP4-BMPR2 signaling in radiation resistance of HSCs.

Song et al. developed a computational tool to profile binding pairs between tumor-derived antigens and antibodies from high-throughput B cell receptor sequencing data, predicting response to immune-checkpoint inhibitor therapy and risk of adverse events.

NatD is an acetyltransferase responsible for N-α-terminal acetylation of the histone H4 and H2A and has been linked to cell growth. Here the authors show that NatD-mediated acetylation of histone H4 serine 1 competes with the phosphorylation by CK2α at the same residue thus leading to the upregulation of Slug and tumor progression.

Tao et al. study the role of TRMT6 in colorectal cancer, where it is upregulated and show that TRMT6 supports histone biosynthesis by stabilizing tRNA-Lys-TTT-1-1. Targeting TRMT6 reduced histone mRNA translation in a codon-biased manner.

Weakly space-confined, large-grained crystals of all-inorganic perovskite were used to fabricate light-emitting diodes with a high external quantum efficiency and operational stability.

Proteome profiling of plasma samples in human pan-cancer cohorts reveals patterns of biomarkers for diagnosis.

White-light emission from materials and devices usually occurs omni-directional through space. Here, the authors show that sintering carbon dots with TiO₂ forms a microlens-shape surface that enables directional emission with 1/60 solid angle.

The effects of non-reacting components on polyatomic reactions are still largely unclear. Here, the authors show through a combined experimental and theoretical study of the D + CH₄ reaction that the CH₃ umbrella bending mode serves as a reporter mode, revealing how the D atom dynamically approaches CH₄.

Acetylation is a posttranscriptional modification widely distributed across RNA types. Here, the authors uncover the role of tRNA ac⁴C12 for translational efficiency and tRNA quality control in both normal and heat stress conditions in mammalian cells.

Chiral state transfer typically requires nonadiabatic transitions and ultra-complex experimental control. Here, authors demonstrate a new mechanism arising from basins of attraction, enabling nonlinear chiral-like state transfer with a minimal set of parameters.

Microglia play a critical role in Alzheimer’s disease progression. Here, the authors show that knockout of microglial Cx43 or inhibition of Cx43 hemichannels by nanoparticle-delivered peptide mitigates cognitive deficits and neuropathology in APP/PS1 mice by inducing microglia into a neuroprotective state.

The Somatic Mosaicism across Human Tissues Network aims to create a reference catalogue of somatic mosaicism across different tissues and cells within individuals.

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.

Glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) contribute to therapeutic resistance via enhanced capability of DNA damage repair. Here the authors identify that the upregulated transcription factor AATF in GSCs modulates the stability and release of XRCC4 protein to promote DNA repair and resistance to radiotherapy.

This study reveals that over half of China’s steel units lack sufficient renewable energy for hydrogen-based direct reduced iron technology. Aggressive deployment would increase carbon emissions, economic costs, and water usage in the steel sector.

AI applications on mobile devices are constrained by the high resource demands of large models. Here, the authors developed an efficient on-device multimodal embedding system.

Two types of amyloid-β protein (1–42) (Aβ₄₂) fibrils are known to form in the insoluble fraction of diseased human brains. Now, another type of Aβ₄₂ fibril (type III) has been identified in the soluble fraction of Alzheimer’s disease brain using cryo-electron microscopy. These studies also reveal differences in ligand–fibril interactions between fibril types.

Dong et al. achieve Sb₂(S,Se)₃ solar cells with 10.7% efficiency by increasing charge generation with a textured electrode and reducing charge recombination and transport loss with a conformal electron-selective layer.

Although Cas12f proteins benefit from compact size for delivery, their gene-editing activity remains limited. By adding an N-terminal α-helix to Cas12f, we created hpCasMINI, hpOsCas12f1, and hpAsCas12f1 variants that show improved gene activation and DNA cleavage in mammalian cells and mice.

T cell responses can be generated to either pathogen infection or from priming with a vaccine. Here the authors compare T cell generation, phenotype and single cell transcriptome of participants vaccinated with a mpox vaccine or infected with the virus showing that the virus induced T cells showed more effective function and phenotype.

Hong-Xuan Lin, Ji-Ping Gao, Jun-Xiang Shan and colleagues show that natural variation in a proteasome α2 subunit gene contributes to thermotolerance in African rice. Their follow-up studies suggest that the variant allele protects cells from heat stress by enhancing the elimination of cytotoxic denatured proteins and maintaining heat-response processes.

Nanopore direct RNA sequencing is promising for epitranscriptome study but remains limited in single-molecule resolution. Here, the authors develop SingleMod, a tool for accurate single-molecule m6A detection from DRS and reveal cross-species epitranscriptome landscapes at single-molecule level.

Xue et al. report self-powered photoelectrochemical photodetectors based on CuOx decorated AlGaN nanowires with staggered energy band structure. High-energy photons can be absorbed by CuOx to trigger the multiexciton generation effect, enabling an external quantum efficiency of 131.5% at 255 nm.

Knock-in mice conditionally or constitutively expressing Cas12 variants enable a wide range of ex vivo and in vivo applications requiring multiplexed genome engineering.

Ym1, encoding a CC-NBS-LRR type resistance protein, confers defense to wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) infection in roots. Ym1’s function in preventing viral invasion is dependent on its interaction with WYMV coat protein and followed by induction of cell death.

The bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila is known to regulate a wide spectrum of host processes using its Dot/Icm effectors. In this work, He et al. provide insight into L. pneumophila regulation of ATP level in host cells.

Chen and colleagues explore how RNA therapeutics targeting mechanisms of aging can be used to treat age-related diseases and promote healthy aging. They discuss current preclinical and clinical progress, along with key challenges and future directions.

Gain-of-function mutations in CTNNB1 (encoding for b-catenin) leading to deregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling are frequently observed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here the authors show that inhibiting b-catenin with lipid nanoparticles encapsulating siRNA targeting CTNNB1 impairs tumor growth and promotes anti-tumor immunity in preclinical HCC models.

Deep phenotyping of responses to carbohydrate meals and mitigators revealed interindividual differences in postprandial glycemic responses that reflect underlying metabolic physiology, such as insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction.

The phenol industry faces a pressing sustainability challenge from the production of acetone as a by-product at a level far beyond its market. Here the authors develop an electro-biosystem that can efficiently convert such surplus acetone into valuable long-chain commodity chemicals.

The authors provide insights into the role of neuronal CCL2 expression, which is triggered with hyperglycaemia and modulates anxiety disorders under conditions of diabetes.

A trade-off exists between improving crystallinity and minimizing particle size in the synthesis of perovskite-type transition-metal oxynitrides. The authors break this limitation to fabricate sub-50 nm ATaO2N (A = Sr, Ca, Ba) single nanocrystals exhibiting improved photocatalytic water-splitting performance