Search

The mechanism of confidence formation in learning remains poorly understood. Here, the authors show that both dorsal and ventral prefrontal networks encode confidence, but only the ventral network incorporates the valence-induced bias.

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

PM_2.5 pollution partially counteracts vegetation greening trends by delaying green-up dates and reducing photosynthetic activity. This study shows that the negative feedback between PM_2.5 pollution and terrestrial carbon uptake introduces unforeseen uncertainty in China’s carbon neutrality goals.

As a ‘safe’ alternative to harmful monomeric halogenated flame retardants, the use of polymeric flame retardants has surged in recent years. The authors show that polymeric flame retardants break down in the environment into small toxic molecules that can pose environmental hazards.

SARS-CoV-2 mainly transmits via respiratory droplets. Here Deng et al. show that SARS-CoV-2 can infect rhesus macaques via ocular conjunctival inoculation.

Small circular RNAs encoding one or more antigens and enclosed in subcutaneously injected lipid nanoparticles can elicit potent and durable antitumour T cell responses for robust tumour immunotherapy, particularly in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition, as shown in multiple mouse models of tumours.

Ancient DNA, stable isotopes and other archaeological methods establish that humans were living at extremely high elevation on the Tibetan Plateau 4,400 years ago, maintaining sedentary lifestyles that combined fishing, hunting and crop exchange.

Irreversible damage of the lung epithelium in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients causes high mortality worldwide, with no lung repair approaches available currently. Here, the authors show that cloned human airway basal progenitor cells could repair the fibrotic lung through re-epithelialization of the damaged alveolar area.

Bio-degradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) is an attractive tactic but requires an effective hydrolytic enzyme. Here, the authors demonstrate that cutinases are highly potent PBAT-decomposing enzymes and their mechanism is proposed based on substrate-binding mode.

Dispersal is key to establishing patterns of cooperation. Here, the authors show that social organization is associated with levels of cooperation in Sino-Tibetan populations with strikingly different dispersal patterns.

A power conversion efficiency of 33.89% is achieved in perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells by using a bilayer passivation strategy to enhance electron extraction and suppress recombination.

Here, Qi et al. assembled ~3000 archaeal genomes from hot springs, capturing temporal dynamics and environmental diversity, and systematically explored functional niches and metabolic handoffs, shedding light on Archaea’s role in biogeochemical cycling.

Treatment of primary glioblastoma cell lines with epigenetic therapy reactivates transposable elements (TEs). TE-derived transcripts can produce human leukocyte antigen class I-presented antigens, which could potentially be therapeutically targeted.

Genomic, transcriptomic and DNA methylation data from tissue samples from 208 Chinese patients with prostate cancer define the landscape of alterations in this population, and comparison with data from Western cohorts suggests that the disease may stratify into different molecular subtypes.

COVID-19-convalescent individuals maintain a strong neutralizing antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 that has cross-reactivity to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Neutralizing antibody titres depend on the severity of the disease and are positively correlated with the frequency of CXCR3⁺ T follicular helper cells and lymphocyte counts.

In a prespecified interim analysis of the phase 3 trial GEMSTONE-304, anti-PD-L1 with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone led to significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival of patients with unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Male germ unit (MGU) transportation in pollen tubes is critical for double fertilization in flowering plants. Wang et al. reveal distinct functions of microtubule-kinesin and actomyosin system in the directional migration of MGU.

By examining the relationship of various facets of genomic changes with phenotypic evolution, this study found that pulses of phenotypic innovation in gymnosperms are strongly associated with gene duplications and genomic conflict.

Jellyfish plays an important ecological role in surface waters and the deep sea. Here the authors report genome sequences of two true jellyfish, Sanderia malayensis and Rhopilema esculentum, showing distinct homeobox gene clusters and sesquiterpenoid pathway.

Yao et al. observe and characterize genomic redistribution of the PBAF complexes upon PBRM1 loss, leading to sustained RELA occupancy by SMARCA4, activation of the NF-kB pathway and enhanced kidney tumourigenesis.

Phosphoantigen-mediated BTN2A1 association drives BTN3A1 intracellular fluctuations outwards in a thermodynamically favourable manner, thereby enabling BTN3A1 to push off from the BTN2A1 ectodomain to initiate T cell receptor–mediated γδ T cell activation.

In the face of global plastic pollution, enzymatic degradation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has attracted much attention. Now, structural and biochemical studies reveal a minimal mutational strategy to increase the activity of PET-degrading enzymes, with potential evolutionary implications.

Li and colleagues show how cMyc promotes tumourigenesis by promoting succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit A acetylation by activating SKP2-mediated degradation of SIRT3. This leads to succinate accumulation and consequent tumour-specific gene expression.

Analysis of multiple tumor types, cancer cell lines and adult tissues identifies tumor-specific transposable-element-chimeric transcripts. Mass spectrometry data confirm that many are translated and subsequently located on the extracellular surface of cancer cells, highlighting potential immunogenic therapies.

Methane metabolism by some lineages of Archaea contributes to the cycling of carbon on Earth. Here, the authors show high diversity of methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr), a key enzyme associated with archaeal methane/alkane metabolism, in hot spring Archaea, and investigate their ecological roles and evolution.

Delivering genes to and across the brain vasculature efficiently and specifically across species remains challenging. Here, the authors show that endothelial-specific AAVs with serotype flexibility enable redosing and transform the brain vasculature into an in vivo biofactory in genetically diverse rodents. In primates, these vectors cross the blood-brain-barrier and show broad tropism.

Optical glasses can form high-quality dielectric metasurfaces by controlled dewetting and fluid instabilities.

Gene expression is regulated by enhancers and super-enhancers, which can be identified by chromatin profiling. Here, the authors surveyed gastric cancer samples and cell lines to identify enhancer elements exhibiting somatic alterations.

The BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network has constructed a multimodal cell census and atlas of the mammalian primary motor cortex in a landmark effort towards understanding brain cell-type diversity, neural circuit organization and brain function.

Wenyan Nong, Zhe Qu, Yiqian Li, Tom Barton-Owen, Annette Wong and colleagues provide genomes and small RNA transcriptomes for the mangrove horseshoe crab and the tri-spine horseshoe crab. They show that horseshoe crabs have undergone three rounds of whole genome duplication and shed light on how gene families and microRNAS evolved following this genome duplication event.

The long lifetime and spin properties of dark excitons in atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides offer opportunities to explore light-matter interactions beyond electric dipole transitions. Here, the authors demonstrate that the coupling of the dark exciton and an optically silent chiral phonon enables the intrinsic photoluminescence of the dark-exciton replica in monolayer WSe₂

Metabolism is tightly regulated through communication among cells and organs. Here Gong and colleagues show that a liver-secreted factor, Gpnmb, promotes lipogenesis in adipose tissue and worsens metabolic dysfunctions during diet-induced obesity, whereas its inhibition reduces weight gain and insulin resistance.