Browse Articles

The Cardiovascular Cost of Medicaid Cuts Under H.R. 1

Pharmacoequity and the Promise of GLP-1 Therapies in Cardiovascular Disease

Association of Common Ancestry-Enriched Variants With Cardiomyopathy and Arrhythmias

BACKGROUND: Individuals of African ancestry are underrepresented in genetic studies, contributing to disproportionately higher rates of variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and fewer actionable results in genetic testing for cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias. We aimed to determine whether ancestry-enriched VUS confer measurable cardiovascular risk among individuals of African ancestry. METHODS: We identified VUS enriched in individuals of African ancestry in 18 cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia genes. We defined enriched as allele frequency in gnomAD ≥2-fold higher than in European (non-Finnish) individuals, and we confined the analysis to VUS with allele frequency >0.05% in individuals of African ancestry. Associations with cardiovascular phenotypes were assessed in 96 897 individuals of African ancestry from the All of Us (n=65 481) and BioVU (n=31 416) biobanks using fixed-effects meta-analysis. Analyses were stratified by heart failure (HF) status and conventional cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: We identified 82 ancestry-enriched VUS. Exploratory analysis in All of Us identified 10 variants associated with composite cardiovascular outcome, 4 of which were associated with individual cardiovascular phenotypes in pooled meta-analysis across both cohorts. PKP2 p.Val558Ile was associated with a 4-fold increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.02 [95% CI, 1.85–8.71]; P =0.004). ELAC2 p.Ile396Val was associated with HF (aOR, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.17–2.39]; P =0.02) and atrial arrhythmias (aOR, 1.88 [95% CI, 1.27–2.78]; P =0.02). FLNC p.Gly11Ser and PKP2 p.Val842Ile were associated with HF (aOR, 1.96 [95% CI, 1.24–3.10]; P =0.02 and aOR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.16–3.41]; P =0.039). The presence of cardiovascular risk factors was associated with earlier onset of HF (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.25–2.33]; P =0.0006) and atrial arrhythmias (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.06–1.29]; P =0.0019) in pooled variant carriers. PKP2 p.Val558Ile, SCN5A p.Gln1832Glu, and FLNC p.Gly11Ser demonstrated increased arrhythmia burden specifically in participants with HF. Using American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, PKP2 p.Val558Ile met criteria for likely pathogenic classification, potentially affecting an estimated 24 000 Black adults in the United States. CONCLUSIONS: Large-scale biobank analysis identified variants classified as VUS that conferred increased risk of cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia in individuals with African ancestry. The risk associated with these variants was increased in the presence of cardiovascular risk factors and HF.

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are associated with higher land, water and nitrogen use, and greenhouse gas emissions

Dietary guidelines form the foundation of federal food policy, informing programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), government food procurement, school meals, and military and hospital food services. The most recent guidelines, released in early 2026, advise avoiding “hyperprocessed” (generally known as ultraprocessed foods, UPFs), while also recommending higher overall protein intake chiefly from animal sources. Here, we quantified the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, freshwater use, land use, and nitrogen fertilizer use of adherence to these new guidelines in comparison to the current Mean American Diet (MAD). We constructed isocaloric diets with varying degrees of added protein intake and protein sources that are similar to current dietary patterns, but with no UPFs as recommended. We find that although eliminating ultraprocessed foods from the MAD could yield substantial environmental benefits—given their large share of total intake and animal-based makeup—the recommended increase in animal-based proteins, will more than offset this environmental dividend in GHG, land use, and nitrogen fertilizer use by as much as 32%, but not in water use (i.e., water use is lower by 7 to 19% than the MAD). Across all environmental metrics measured, favoring plants- over animal-based foods leads to better environmental outcomes. Overall, adherence to the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans would confer net environmental harm across most key metrics relative to the prevailing U.S. diet.

Ancient oaks reveal rewilding of Mediterranean forests after the Black Death

In Italy, evergreen holm oaks ( Quercus ilex ) and deciduous sessile oaks ( Quercus petraea ) experienced a synchronized establishment pulse starting at the beginning of 1400s CE, consistent with a release from anthropogenic pressure following demographic collapse associated with the Black Death outbreak (1347 CE) and its following waves until the 17th century. Radiocarbon dating of the oldest-looking individuals of each species revealed similar tree-age distributions across sites located at the extremes of the forest elevational gradient: Montecristo Island (100 to 500 m a.s.l.) and Aspromonte mountain (1,100 to 1,800 m a.s.l.). Montecristo, with its favorable coastal conditions, showed a pronounced post-1400 CE recruitment peak, while the mountainous Aspromonte region, at harsher high elevations, required a more extended and delayed period of recruitment. The extreme longevity of these two unrelated oak populations is enabled by different functional traits and resilience mechanisms, highlighting an ancient rewilding event spurred by human tragedy.

Electrochemical Selective C ₂ –H Hydroxymethylation of Pyridines via a Zinc Single-Atom Cathode and Anodic Iodide Relay-Mediated Strategy

New climate regime restructures the ecology of Canada’s Northern Great Lakes

Great Bear Lake (GBL), Great Slave Lake (GSL), and Lake Hazen in northern Canada have recently experienced a shift in fundamental aquatic ecosystem processes associated with accelerated Arctic warming. Multiple high-resolution, 210 Pb-dated sediment records (GBL: Smith, Keith, McVicar arms, GSL: West Basin, Lake Hazen: Blister, Main sites) registered remarkably similar restructuring of algal community composition over the past few decades in all lakes. A rapid proliferation of small euplanktonic diatoms at the turn of the 21st century displaced benthic (GBL, Lake Hazen) and large filamentous (GSL) taxa that dominated the diatom assemblages since the mid-to-late 1800s. An increase in the number of ice-free days, a rise in regional air temperature, and a decline in wind speed primed the lakes for new physical and thermal regimes that facilitated a shift to greater whole lake primary production and favored small obligate planktonic diatoms. Historical records from surveys undertaken on the lakes between the 1940s and 1970s substantiated our paleolimnological findings that these lakes were relatively stable limnologically since at least the past century and have only recently transitioned to new thermal states. As primary producers fuel the entire food web, this rapid algal community restructuring serves as a cautionary signal of major ecosystem changes. The characteristic thermal inertia and resilience of Canada’s “Northern Great Lakes” is rapidly eroding, with implications for native fish populations that Indigenous and other northern communities rely on.

Enhanced global storm surges by tropical cyclone poleward migration

Tropical cyclone–induced storm surges pose significant and growing threats to coastal regions; however, their long-term evolution in response to changing tropical cyclone characteristics remains poorly quantified. Here, by conducting a comprehensive global analysis, we find that tropical cyclone–induced storm surge has increased globally by 20% over the period 1982–2024, which is also statistically significant in both hemispheres. Notably, such increases are 28% over the western North Pacific, 38.2% over the eastern Pacific and 31% over the South Pacific, respectively. Through statistical decomposition, we identify the poleward migration of tropical cyclone activity as a key factor amplifying the storm surge in both hemispheres. Furthermore, the intensification of major tropical cyclones and increasing sizes of weak tropical cyclones also play important roles in enhancing storm surges across multiple basins. These changes in tropical cyclone activity, particularly the poleward migration, are largely related to human-induced global warming, underscoring the intrinsic link between tropical cyclone characteristics and associated surge risk under a changing climate. Our findings highlight the necessity of explicitly incorporating the evolving tropical cyclone activity into climate projections and provide a critical framework for assessing compound coastal flood risks in a warming world.

Female dolphins use individual vocal labels to track coercive males

Animals rely on identity signaling to navigate social relationships, assess potential mates, and avoid costly interactions. While species- and group-level recognition signals can provide fitness advantages by preventing inbreeding depression and hybridization, our understanding of the role that individual identity signals can play in mate choice is notably lacking. In species with coercive mating systems, females must carefully evaluate male behavior to minimize risks while also maximizing reproductive success, yet the mechanisms that enable them to monitor and respond to male behavior remain poorly understood. Male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins form multilevel alliances to compete for access to reproductive females, with important consequences for how females negotiate their relationships with males. In this study, we investigated how females assess males by conducting 34 sound playbacks to 17 females and using drone-mounted video to analyze their behavioral responses to individual male identity signals. We combined these experiments with long-term behavioral data to examine how female reproductive state, sociability, and interaction history shaped their responses. Females who were reproductively available showed a significantly stronger aversive response to the identity signals of males who coerced females at higher rates, suggesting that females track male behavior across time and use individual vocal labels to guide reproductive decision-making based on their experience of individual male behavior. This capacity suggests that females integrate social knowledge about individual males to strategically manage intersexual relationships and mate choice.

Selective interaction of SMCHD1 with chromatin is governed by LRIF1 and SMCHD1 ATPase activity

Abstract The chromosomal protein SMCHD1 is a GHKL ATPase with important roles in epigenetic silencing, including on the inactive X chromosome (Xi). Mutations of SMCHD1 have been linked to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and Bosma arrhinia microphthalmia syndrome (BAMS). Here, we use live-cell and single-molecule imaging to investigate SMCHD1 interactions with chromatin and its function in epigenetic silencing. We show that chromatin binding of SMCHD1 genome-wide, including on the Xi, is critically dependent on the protein LRIF1 that mediates interaction with H3K9me2/3-modified nucleosomes. Engineered mutations in the GHKL ATPase domain demonstrate that ATP hydrolysis is required for selective enrichment of SMCHD1 at specific chromatin regions, which is critical for X-linked gene silencing. Conversely, gain-of-function BAMS-associated mutations are linked to accelerated Xi recruitment and gene silencing, or increased Xi compaction. Together, our findings advance understanding of SMCHD1 recruitment and function on the Xi and at other target sites in the genome.

Machine learning-assisted high-speed combinatorial optimization with Ising machines for dynamically changing problems

Reconstructing building genealogy with visual intelligence

Atmospheric microplastic deposition in high-altitude snowpacks across Türkiye

Giant bulk photovoltaic effect in an iron-based magnetic semiconductor

Abstract Efficient bulk photovoltaic (BPV) conversion and room-temperature ferromagnetism are difficult to combine, because the itinerant electrons that support magnetic order favor metallic transport, whereas BPV generation requires a semiconducting state with broken inversion symmetry. Here, we show that oxygen-plasma implantation transforms metallic Fe 3 GaTe 2 into a ferromagnetic semiconductor with a giant BPV response, enabling zero-bias photocurrent generation in a non-centrosymmetric lattice. Oxygen incorporation localizes itinerant Fe d -electrons, induces p-type semiconducting transport and polar electronic structure, while oxygen-associated exchange pathways allow persistent ferromagnetic state above room temperature. The resulting devices exhibit spontaneous broadband photoresponse, with short-circuit current densities approaching 30 A cm −2 and a BPV coefficient up to 0.25 V −1 . The photovoltaic current can be linearly programmed by low magnetic fields based on field-dependent magnetoresistive modulation. Using the experimentally calibrated device response, we demonstrate magnetically programmable feature separation and image restoration with 92.3% recognition accuracy, establishing oxygen-engineered Fe 3 GaTe 2 as a platform for self-powered, reconfigurable magnetic optoelectronics.

Machine learning-based identification of a metabolic cell death gene signature for assessing disease activity and immunological landscape in inflammatory bowel disease

Programming Palladium Cage Geometry through Ligand Redox Modulation

ABSTRACT Incorporating redox active ligands into coordination cages offers a direct way to reach architectures whose structure or composition can be modulated in response to changes in the oxidation state. An exTTF‐based ditopic ligand L affords a M 2 L 4 cage in presence of a palladium(II) salt (M). The resulting M 2 L 4 cavity exhibits selective binding properties for medium length α,ω‐dinitrile alkanes. Modifying the coordination geometry of the ligand by oxidation to its L ox state redirects the self‐assembly process toward a M 2 L ox 2 structure. The oxidized ligand can also be combined with a dibenzothiophene linker (L′) to afford a heteroleptic M 2 L ox L′ 2 structure whose vacant coordination sites enable subsequent dimerization into an unprecedented M 4 L 4 L′ 4 architecture. Key intermediates and products were structurally authenticated by single‐crystal x‐ray diffraction. Notably, these processes are reversible. Reduction converts the M 2 L ox L′ 2 assembly back to the homoleptic M 2 L 4 cage. This sequence illustrates how changes of oxidation state can reshape nuclearity and composition in metal organic assemblies.

Research and application of production release process optimization for low permeability condensate gas reservoirs in the East China Sea

Solar‐Driven Ammonia Synthesis From Nitrate Reduction Paired With CO ₂ Capture for Sustainable Agriculture via a Robust CuPd Heterojunction

ABSTRACT The transition to sustainable agriculture requires technologies that simultaneously enhance crop yields and reduce environmental impacts. Solar‐driven nitrate valorization, when coupled with CO 2 capture from industrial flue gas, presents a promising dual strategy for producing high‐value fertilizers while mitigating carbon emissions. However, its practical implementation is hindered by two interrelated challenges: (i) the intermittent nature of solar irradiation and (ii) the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which severely compromises Faradaic efficiency (FE) of desired nitrogenous products. Here, we address these challenges by designing a heterogeneous CuPd electrocatalyst featuring an amorphous/crystalline heterojunction. This catalyst suppresses HER across a broad potential window (−0.4 to −1.4 V), maintaining >80% FE(ammonia) for >100 h. The catalytic robustness enables stable solar‐powered electrolysis even under low irradiation (0.4 sun), achieving >70% FE(ammonia) and 6% solar‐to‐fuel conversion efficiency, while catholyte simultaneously captures CO 2 at a rate of 6–20 mg h −1 . Techno‐economic analysis demonstrates cost competitiveness against biological counterparts. When applied to plant cultivation, this artificial photosynthesis system boosts solar‐to‐biomass conversion efficiency by 3.5‐fold compared to natural photosynthesis. By unifying solar energy harvesting, waste nitrate reduction, and carbon sequestration, our work provides a scalable blueprint for a closed‐loop agrochemical ecosystem and advanced catalyst design for intermittent renewable‐powered electrosynthesis.

Wheat spike and spikelet detection and counting from high-resolution digital imagery using YOLO with Oriented Bounding Boxes

Asymmetric Fe–Te Pairs Enhance Peroxymonosulfate Activation via Surface‐Bound Hydroxyl Radicals Pathways

ABSTRACT Controlling peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation at the atomic scale is crucial for steering reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways, yet design principles that selectively bias PMS chemistry toward interfacial radical states remain elusive. Herein, we report an asymmetric Fe–Te dual‐atom pair (FeTe DAs/NC), in which a p‐block metalloid electronically modulates an Fe center through pronounced p–d hybridization. This atomic asymmetry reconstructs the local electronic structure, strengthens PMS binding, and directs PMS activation toward the generation and retention of surface‐bound hydroxyl radicals. Mechanistic studies reveal surface‐bound hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) as the dominant ROS, while singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) plays a secondary role. As a result, FeTe DAs/NC achieves complete degradation of carbamazepine within 60 min, markedly outperforming Fe or Te single‐atom analogs, together with excellent reactivity and cycling stability across different water matrices and pollutant systems. This work establishes atomic‐scale asymmetry and metal–metalloid p–d coupling as an effective strategy for steering PMS activation chemistry toward long‐lived interfacial radical states.