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Nonlinear atomic tunnelling boosted by bright squeezed vacuum

IGF2BP3 promotes epithelial ovarian cancer progression by regulating FASN expression

The investigation on tensile failure of active waveguide structure by acoustic emission measurements

Five winning images of scientists at work

Higher dietary antioxidant quality is linked to reduced diabetic nephropathy risk in type 2 diabetes: a case-control study

Rapid increase in West Siberia’s retrogressive thaw slumps since 1964 associated with Arctic winter warming

Abstract Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) are key indicators of permafrost thaw in the West Siberian Arctic. Based on a new high-resolution remote sensing-derived, field-verified inventory of 6168 RTSs for the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas, we provide the first large-scale spatio-temporal and climate sensitivity analysis from 1964 until 2024. In Gydan, RTS clusters are located at higher elevations, on rougher terrain, and in lake-rich areas, whereas such associations are weaker in Yamal. Temporal analysis of RTS using historical and modern satellite imagery for key sites (~ 6,103 km 2 ) indicates that RTS numbers increased 23-fold from 1964 to 2024, and initiation rates rose 26-fold. A discrete-time Bayesian hazards model identified summer maximum precipitation as the strongest short-term factor. However, winter warming was the dominant long-term driver, with an increase of + 4.82 K resulting in a 29-pp increase in annual initiation probability. RTS development in the region poses high risks to gas and transport infrastructure.

When drug discovery fails: scientists share their frustrations with the process

Acidophilic fungi as possible candidates for living forms in the Venus clouds

Improved quantum processor logical error rates via correction and detection

Circulating IGF2BP3 enables risk stratification and predicts treatment response in Ewing sarcoma

Comparative analysis of soil prokaryotic community structure and function in Ethiopian Church Forests and adjacent habitats

Abstract Soil microorganisms are central to ecosystem functioning, yet how habitat degradation affects their community structure and functional potential in dry Afromontane forests (DAFs) remains poorly understood. This study investigated soil prokaryotic communities across five habitats representing a disturbance gradient in Ethiopian DAFs: Church forest, State forest, Community-managed forest, Shrubland, and Cropland. Using next-generation sequencing, we examined prokaryotic community composition, diversity, assembly processes, and predicted functional profiles. Actinobacteriota and Crenarchaeota were more abundant in less disturbed forests, whereas disturbed habitats showed shifts toward taxa associated with stressed conditions. Alpha diversity was lower in Church and State forests than in shrubland and cropland, indicating environmental filtering and dominance of habitat specialists. Community composition differed significantly among habitats and was associated with soil properties, stand attributes, and indicator trees. Deterministic processes explained most community turnover (81%), indicating strong environmental structuring, with homogeneous selection more evident in forests and mixed deterministic–stochastic processes in disturbed habitats. Predicted functional profiles suggest shifts in nitrogen-related processes, particularly ammonia oxidation and nitrification, although not directly measure microbial activity. Overall, habitat degradation is associated with changes in prokaryotic community structure and assembly, highlighting the importance of conserving intact forests and supporting restoration efforts in dryland ecosystems.

Phosphoproteomic profiling reveals reversal of dysregulated kinase signaling by nitric oxide inhibition in the Shank3 mouse model of autism

Abdominal massage improves intestinal barrier function via the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in obesity-associated T2DM rats

Good recycling starts at home — and benefits the world

Quantum light source boosts attosecond science

Research on a belt roller fault diagnosis method based on adaptive band-time KAN

Pervasive and programmed nucleosome distortion on single chromatin fibres

Abstract Despite decades of biochemical and structural studies of the nucleosome 1 , researchers lack genome-scale methods to determine variability in nucleosome structure along individual chromatin fibres. To address this, here we present Iteratively Defined Lengths of Inaccessibility (IDLI), a computational method that maps the single-molecule co-occupancy of structurally distinct nucleosomes, subnucleosomes and other protein–DNA interactions through long-read single-molecule footprinting 2,3 . IDLI classifies methylase-inaccessible footprints on individual chromatin fibres into (i) linker-histone-associated nucleosomes; (ii) nucleosomes with focal DNA accessibility along the nucleosome wrap; (iii) unwrapped nucleosomes; and (iv) subnucleosomal species such as hexasomes, tetrasomes and other short DNA protections. Applying IDLI to chromatin from mouse embryonic stem cells, we discover that more than 85% of nucleosomes exhibit intranucleosomally accessible DNA (nucleosome ‘distortion’). We observe epigenomic-domain- and expression-level-specific patterns of distortion, including at promoters and mouse satellite repeat sequences. Transcription factor (TF) motif occurrence correlates significantly with distinct types of distortion, and degron experiments provide evidence of direct regulation by TFs. We apply IDLI to in vitro endoderm differentiation in human induced pluripotent stem cells and primary mouse hepatocytes. In both cases, we observe distortion at pioneer TF FOXA2 binding sites, demonstrating that distortion is developmentally encoded and present in vivo. Finally, genetic experiments in mice show that a nucleosome-binding domain of FOXA2 directly affects nucleosome structure in vivo, implicating these protein–nucleosome interactions as direct mediators of distortion. Our work suggests extreme but regulated nucleosome structural variability at the single-molecule level. Furthermore, our approach offers opportunities to model TF binding, nucleosome remodelling and cell-type-specific chromatin regulation across biological contexts.

Correction: An eco-friendly evaluation of geraniol and CeO2NPs paper poultices for multifunctional paper manuscript conservation

Don’t compete, collaborate: why collective funding applications are the future

Morphological and histochemical characterization of eyelids and orbital glands in the crocodile monitor (Varanus salvadorii)

Abstract The crocodile monitor is an arboreal predator, and its ocular adnexa remain poorly characterized. This study provides the first detailed histochemical characterization of the ocular adnexa in this species, including the upper and lower eyelids, the nictitating membrane, the Harderian gland, and the lacrimal gland, based on two adult individuals. Because the available material was limited, the findings should be interpreted as descriptive baseline observations. Histological slides were analyzed using microanatomical assessment, histochemistry, and Picrosirius Red staining under polarized light. Both eyelids were covered by scales and contained a pigmented corneous β-protein–rich epidermis. A collagen-rich dermis with a thick stratum compactum and an osteoderm located between the dermis and hypodermis were identified. The posterior palpebral epithelium was non-keratinized and contained abundant goblet cells producing mainly acidic mucins. The lower eyelid also contained a dense regular tarsal plate and lymphoid tissue. The nictitating membrane was folded and pigmented, contained hyaline cartilage, and showed conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue. Birefringence patterns suggested Type I–like collagen in the perichondrium and Type III–like collagen in the cartilage matrix. The Harderian gland, a large acinar gland, opened onto the bulbar surface of the nictitating membrane and secreted mainly acidic mucins with a moderate neutral mucin component. The small lacrimal gland produced predominantly acidic mucins without detectable neutral mucins. These findings provide a baseline for the protective and secretory ocular structures of the crocodile monitor and represent the first detailed histochemical characterization of the studied orbital glands. In addition, this study contributes to comparative anatomy, veterinary medicine, and exotic animal conservation.