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REPLY TO: “Daylight Saving Time and Mortality—Proceed with Caution “in response to “Daylight saving time affects European mortality patterns” by Levy et al
Author Correction: A ZFYVE21-Rubicon-RNF34 signaling complex promotes endosome-associated inflammasome activity in endothelial cells
Exclusive: NIH ousts infectious-disease leaders as COVID scientists face US charges
Coherent quantum control of nitrogen vacancy spin with nanoscale magnets
Breaking the membrane heredity paradox through de novo protocell formation
Abstract Lipid membranes define cell boundaries, acting as gatekeepers for transport and signaling. A central paradigm in biology is that all cellular membranes descend from a common ancestral membrane, as they cannot be generated in the absence of pre-existing lipid structures. It is thus unclear whether lipid membranes can arise from membrane-less precursors. Here we demonstrate the de novo generation of lipid bilayers in the absence of any pre-existing membranes, membrane-bound proteins, or lipid nanostructure templates. Using acetate and cysteine as simple metabolites, lipid tails are constructed by soluble enzymes and spontaneously form diacyl lipids that assemble into vesicles. Pore-forming peptides facilitate precursor transport into vesicles, allowing the continuous generation of new lipids. Formation of glycolipid membranes creates compartments that can maintain proton gradients. Our findings demonstrate that lipid compartments can form without pre-existing membranes, establishing a unique route linking lipid synthesis to compartment formation and function.
The importance of competition and facilitation for global tree diversity
Primer PICKR: literature-mined scoring platform for robust RT–qPCR primers
Abstract Reliable reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT–qPCR) depends on well-designed primers, yet undocumented or poorly validated sequences continue to compromise reproducibility. Existing resources catalog only modest sets of empirically verified primers or generate de-novo primer pairs without experimental validation. Here, we introduce Primer PICKR (Publication Integrations for Composite Knowledge Ranking), a large-scale, open, continuously updated database that systematically converts >7,000,000 community-validated oligonucleotides from >400,000 papers into actionable design resources. PICKR aligns sequences to reference transcriptomes and assembles ranked primer pairs for over 6000 genes across ten model organisms. Composite scoring integrates citation frequency, biophysical quality, and primer-pair synergy, while experimental validation of 154 human primer pairs spanning the score distribution demonstrates near-perfect amplification success above a PICKR score of 80. By converting decades of scattered primer choices into an immediately searchable database, Primer PICKR reduces empirical screening, conserves scarce samples, and accelerates reproducible assay development.
Engineered immunosuppressive dendritic cells protect against cardiac remodelling
Direct imaging of magnetotransport at graphene-metal interfaces with a single-spin quantum sensor
Abstract Magnetotransport underlines many important phenomena in condensed matter physics, such as the Hall effect and magnetoresistance (MR) effect. Thus far, most magnetotransport studies are based on bulk resistance measurements without direct access to microscopic details of the spatial transport pattern. Here, we report nanoscale imaging of magnetotransport using a scanning single-spin quantum magnetometer, which is demonstrated in a graphene-metal hybrid device at room temperature. By visualizing the current flow at elevated magnetic fields (~ 0.5 T), we directly observe the Lorentz deflection of current near the graphene-metal interface, which is a hallmark of magnetotransport. Combining the local current distribution with global resistance measurements, we reveal that transport properties of the hybrid are governed by a complex interplay of intrinsic MR around the Dirac cone, carrier hydrodynamics, interface resistance, and the nanoscale device geometry. Furthermore, accessing the local transport pattern across the interface enables quantitative mapping of spatial variations in contact resistance, which is commonly present in electronic devices made from two-dimensional materials yet non-trivial to characterize. Our work demonstrates the potential of nanoscale current imaging techniques for studying complex electronic transport phenomena that are difficult to probe by resistance-based measurements.
Single nucleotide variants drive evolutionary phage-host arms race in anaerobic carbon dioxide-converting microbiome
Sustainable supercritical-mechanochemical process
North Atlantic influence reconciling model-observation discrepancy in the tropical Pacific warming pattern
Abstract Over the past four decades, zonal contrast in the tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) has strengthened in observations but weakened in majority of climate model simulations. This model–observation discrepancy cannot be explained by internal mode of interdecadal climate variability in the Pacific alone, and the source of possible model errors remains unclear. Here, using observations and a large ensemble of historical simulations by a climate model, we identified that the simulated SST pattern associated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) is biased in the tropical Pacific despite the time evolution of the AMV being reproduced well. Observations suggest that the positive AMV acts to increase the Pacific zonal SST contrast whereas this teleconnection process falsely weakens it in the model, which is a common feature in other climate models, and correcting the AMV-related SST pattern, which is likely an externally forced response, partly reconciles the model-observation discrepancy.
Human forebrain neural synchronization and entrainment to breathing during wakefulness, sleep, and external mechanical ventilation
Plant population responses to environmental variability are primarily driven by survival-reproduction trade-offs and mediated by aridity
Abstract Natural populations may suffer negatively from increased environmental variability due to climate change; however, several mechanisms can mitigate those effects by changing the vital rates of a population ( e.g ., survival, reproduction). Despite important analytical and theoretical advances, we still do not know how and to what extent environmental regimes, life history traits, and evolutionary history determine the buffering capacity of natural populations. To address these questions, we parameterise a Bayesian generalised linear mixed model with high-resolution vital rate data from 121 natural populations across 78 plant species. We show that population responses to environmental variability vary four orders of magnitude along a ‘demographic buffering continuum’. Furthermore, the position of a given population along said continuum is predicted by a survival - reproduction trade-off and by the degree of aridity the population experiences. Our findings open a promising avenue of research to improve ecological forecasts and management of natural populations in the Anthropocene.
Direction-specific enhanced diffusion of CO2 in chiral hexagonal boron nitride nanotubes
Abstract To meet performance requirements, the next generation of gas separation membranes will need both high gas permeability and selectivity, attainable if we could coax adsorbates to minimize random Brownian motion and produce direction-specific diffusion along a desired axis. In this atomistic modeling study, we detail how direction-specific diffusion of CO 2 can be achieved in chiral hexagonal boron nitride nanotubes (hBNNTs) by means of a non-Knudsen diffusion mechanism. Our findings detail how this mechanism of diffusion is driven by interactions with the tube walls and enables the CO 2 molecules to diffuse along the nanotube’s z-axis with minimized collisions and directional changes. hBNNTs with chiral indices exhibit CO 2 diffusion rates faster than non-chiral tubes of comparable and larger diameters. Of the hBNNTs studied, a (7,3) tube appears to be ideally sized (3.7 Å radius) exhibiting CO 2 diffusion that is 3.4 times faster than diatomic N 2 . Applying this mechanism of diffusion to hypothetical sheet membranes prepared with aligned chiral (7,3) hBNNTs results in membranes with a calculated CO 2 /N 2 permselectivity of 170 and a CO 2 permeability limit of nearly 1.35 ×10 7 Barrer, readily surpassing the Robeson upper bound for CO 2 /N 2 separations.
Are we really headed for a ‘super’ El Niño? What the science says
Deep tree roots at risk of accelerating groundwater pollution beneath clay-rich aquitards
Diverse configurations of binary asteroids explained by multi-generation satellites
A T7 RNAP regulatory toolbox for cell-free network engineering and biosensing applications
Abstract T7 RNA polymerase is ubiquitously used in the fields of synthetic biology and biotechnology. Yet the ability to precisely and modularly regulate T7 RNAP remains surprisingly limited. Here, we engineer a T7 RNAP regulatory toolbox consisting of programmable synthetic repressors, activators, and biosensors in a cell-free system. This toolbox enables scalable design of T7 RNAP-based gene regulatory networks and enables rapid, sensitive, and multiplexed detection of diverse biomolecules, including small-molecule drugs, antibodies, and proteins, in a simple one-pot reaction. By integrating a protein design pipeline, we generate biosensors using fully synthetic binders, demonstrating the potential for rapid development of protein-based sensors. We construct a diagnostic cell-free system combining SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein sensing, gene regulatory based amplification, enzymatic amplification, and glucose based detection demonstrating the potential for point-of-care detection with high sensitivity. This work demonstrates a flexible and expandable framework for constructing gene circuits responsive to a wide range of biomolecules and demonstrates the potential for engineering point-of-care cell-free diagnostic assays.