Browse Articles

Dynamic Ion‐Pair Networks Enable Selective Li ⁺ Transport for Stable and Efficient Solid‐State Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

ABSTRACT Solid‐state lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries are intrinsically constrained by persistent Li + ‐anion coordination in polymer electrolytes, which couples Li + migration to anion motion and limits both interfacial stability and sulfur redox kinetics. Here, we show that incorporating an ionic liquid modified ZIF‐67 (IL@ZIF‐67) into a polymer solid electrolyte enables deliberate reorganization of ion coordination and reconfiguration of Li + transport pathways at the molecular level. ZIF‐67 sites preferentially anchor TFSI − , while confined ionic liquid domains reshape Li + coordination, establishing a dynamic ion‐pair network with weakened Li + ‐anion coupling and spatially restricted anions. This coordination reorganization decouples long‐range Li + transport from anion migration, lowers the Li + migration energy barrier, and homogenizes Li + flux across the electrolyte. Consequently, a stable LiF/Li 2 S‐rich solid electrolyte interphase forms at the lithium metal interface, while continuous Li + supply mitigates solid‐solid interfacial polarization and accelerates reversible S─C/S─S bond conversion and Li 2 S nucleation/decomposition kinetics in SPAN cathodes. As a result, the solid‐state Li‐S batteries deliver a high reversible capacity of 1004.97 mAh g −1 after 150 cycles at 0.2 C, prolonged cycling stability over 500 cycles at 1 C with a decay rate of ∼0.06% per cycle, highlighting ion‐pair regulation via ionic‐liquid‐engineered MOF fillers as an effective pathway toward high‐performance solid‐state Li‐S batteries.

Sea-floor spreading captured by undersea observatory

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of a Tb(IV) polyoxometalate

Abstract There has been a renaissance in high valent lanthanide chemistry, which has resulted in the first examples of tetravalent praseodymium (Pr) and terbium (Tb) in molecular systems. These feats have been achieved with tailored ligands that facilitate tetravalent lanthanide stability in non-aqueous conditions. The next step in realizing the potential of high valent lanthanide chemistry is moving towards complexes that are stable in ambient and aqueous conditions. In this investigation, we advance this paradigm by obtaining definitive evidence of Tb(IV) in a molecular system under aqueous conditions utilizing the lacunary Wells-Dawson polyoxometalate, K 10 P 2 W 17 O 61 •20H 2 O. Herein we present the single crystal structure of K 16 Tb(IV)(P 2 W 17 O 61 ) 2 •39.85H 2 O (Tb(IV)W 34 ) as well as extensive spectroscopic evidence obtained via UV–Vis-NIR, X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, continuous wave X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometry measurements to confirm the oxidation state of Tb in W 34 complexes as +4.

Biosynthesis of the Fully Saturated C ₁₆ Homosesquiterpene Descartane Through Deprotonation With Cyclopropanation

ABSTRACT Non‐canonical terpene biosynthesis expands structural diversity beyond the classical C 5n logic. Here we report the discovery of descartane, a C 16 homosesquiterpene with an unprecedented scaffold produced by a bacterial type I terpene cyclase from Morganella morganii (MmTC). Unlike most terpene cyclase products, descartane is fully saturated and lacks both alkene and alcohol functions, while containing a cyclopropane ring formed in an unusual termination step. Functional characterisation demonstrated that MmTC converts α‐presodorifen pyrophosphate (α‐PSPP) into descartane. The cyclisation cascade was investigated by extensive isotopic labelling experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, revealing a complex pathway involving fragmentation‐recombination, multiple hydride shifts, and cyclopropane formation. Site‐directed mutagenesis identified active site residues that control product formation and redirect the cascade towards related terpenes, including voltairene, malebranchene, de‐beauvoirol, and pythagorene. These findings establish the biosynthetic origin of descartane and show how subtle changes in the active site can reprogram complex terpene cyclisation cascades.

Observation of Floquet rotational super-radiance

Episodic planetesimal disruptions triggered by dissipation of gas disk

Azole γ‐Peptides Helix Switching via Heterocycle Substitutions

ABSTRACT Precise control of peptide backbone folding through non‐covalent interactions remains a major challenge in foldamer design. In this work, we demonstrate that heteroatom substitutions program conformational switching in azole γ‐peptides by tuning intrinsic stereoelectronic effects within heterocyclic γ‐amino acids. Conformationally constrained thiazole‐ and oxazole‐based γ‐amino acids were designed to adopt conformations driven by either a C 9 or a C 7 intramolecular H‐bond depending on key 1,4‐X···O interactions (X = S or N). We previously showed that thiazole‐based oligomers form a well‐characterized canonical 9‐Helix. Here, permutation of the sulfur and nitrogen atoms within the heterocycle induces a stretched helical structure with alternating C 7 ‐turns and residues in extended conformations. This unusual topology arises from competition between seven‐membered intra‐residue H‐bonds and attractive S···N electrostatic‐chalcogen interactions. Reversing this effect through an S→O substitution affords oxazole‐derived oligomers that adopt a stable 7‐Helix stabilized by a continuous seven‐membered H‐bond network in solution. These findings show that simple heteroatom permutation or substitution allows control over heterocyclic γ‐peptide folding, thereby expanding opportunities for foldamer design in molecular recognition, catalysis, and biomedical applications.

The minor spliceosome component U4atac regulates JAK/STAT signaling to modulate hematopoiesis and immune responses in Drosophila melanogaster

The U1 snRNP protein U1C and Helix H of U1 snRNA are critical for small molecule splicing modulator function

Abstract Risdiplam and branaplam represent two classes of small-molecule splicing modulators that promote U1 snRNP recognition of weak non-canonical GA/GU-containing 5’ splice sites (ss). We demonstrate that branaplam enhances recognition of these 5’ ss by reconstituted U1 snRNP in vitro, and that this effect depends on the ZnF domain of U1C and Helix H of U1 snRNA, but not U1A or U1-70K. We also demonstrate that branaplam enhances the weak 5’ ss recognition through a dual act of strengthening the U1 snRNP–5’ ss interaction and U1 snRNP–U1C interaction. In cells, depletion of U1C reduces or abolishes compound-induced exon inclusion for most cassette exons. Interestingly, a subset of cassette exons become responsive to compound only upon U1C knockdown, supporting a model in which U1C stabilizes specific conformations at the 5’ ss–U1 snRNA interface in a context-dependent manner that can either facilitate or hinder compound binding. Surprisingly, risdiplam shows no effect on weak 5’ ss recognition in vitro, suggesting additional cellular factors are required for its activity.

Ocean floor witnessed splitting apart for the first time — releasing lava

Long-read sequencing of single cell-derived melanoma sublines reveals divergent and parallel genomic and epigenomic evolutionary trajectories

Abstract Tumor evolution is driven by various mutational processes, ranging from single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) to large structural variants (SVs) to dynamic shifts in DNA methylation. Current short-read sequencing methods struggle to accurately capture the full spectrum of these genomic and epigenomic alterations due to inherent technical limitations. To overcome that, here we introduce an approach to identify and analyze the genomic and epigenetic events in different stages of tumoral evolution from long-read sequencing of single-cell derived sublines. We then use it to profile 23 sublines of a mouse cutaneous melanoma cell line, characterized with distinct growth phenotypes and treatment responses. We develop a computational framework for harmonization and joint analysis of different variant types in the evolutionary context. Uniquely, our framework enables detection of recurrent amplifications of putative driver genes, generated by independent SVs across different lineages, suggesting parallel evolution. In addition, our approach revealed gradual and lineage-specific methylation changes associated with aggressive clonal phenotypes. We also show our set of phylogeny-constrained variant calls along with openly released sequencing data can be a valuable resource for the development and benchmarking of computational methods.

Verification of the Outer Space Treaty with cosmic protons

Strain-induced faceting of Ti4O7 for active chlorine electrosynthesis

Dual-physics programmable metasurfaces for dynamical controls of acoustics and electromagnetics

Ultrafast non-volatile charge storage and mid-infrared photoluminescence in LuminoMem tellurium devices for in-memory computing

Author Correction: Molecular mechanisms of receptor recognition and antibody neutralization of coxsackievirus A6

Biophysical modeling of anatomically realistic prenatal cortical folding development

Abstract Cortical folds encode the architecture of human cognition, yet the mechanisms that transform the smooth fetal cortex into its convoluted geometry remain elusive. Biophysical modeling enables mechanistic insight into cortical morphogenesis, but existing models often lack anatomical realism and fail to capture key hallmarks and morphometrics of dynamic cortical folding in the developing human brain. Here, we introduce a whole-brain developmental framework that integrates region-specific, data-driven growth laws with anatomically realistic cortical geometry to enable biologically interpretable modeling of cortical morphogenesis during gestation. Growth fields derived from large-scale prenatal magnetic resonance imaging data capture spatiotemporal variations in cortical expansion and thickness across parcellated regions. Incorporating heterogeneous growth yields folding patterns that match key anatomical landmarks and quantitative morphometrics from human imaging. Systematic perturbations of geometry and growth attributes delineate control parameters that produce realistic morphological variability and replicate clinically atypical brain phenotypes consistent with lissencephaly, pachygyria, and polymicrogyria. This framework provides a quantitative foundation for elucidating the mechanisms of typical and atypical fetal brain development.

Analysis of gene co-expression connectivity dynamics implicates aberrant neuron-oligodendroglia interactions in schizophrenia

Shared latent representations of speech production for cross-patient speech decoding

Interactively addressable organic metadevices

Abstract Active, pixel-level addressability is central to the realization of metadevices with programmable wavefront control. However, two-dimensional operation at visible wavelengths remains challenging, as reducing metasurface pixel dimensions imposes increasing constraints on electrical interconnect design and local tunability. Here, we demonstrate interactively addressable organic metadevices, in which ultrathin polyaniline is conformally integrated with plasmonic nanoantennas to yield individually switchable metasurface pixels with localized electrochemical modulation. Using a planar fan-out architecture, we realize two-dimensional metasurface arrays, in which each pixel is electronically isolated and driven at sub-volt voltages, enabling millisecond-scale switching dynamics. Embedded within a user-driven electronic control loop, the platform converts user inputs into pixel-level voltage patterns to generate reconfigurable holographic projections, supporting functionalities ranging from alphanumeric character rendering to interactive gaming. Pixel-resolved measurements reveal uniform electrochemical behaviour, negligible electrical crosstalk, and stable operation across dynamically evolving holographic scenes. Our results establish organic metasurfaces as a promising route toward user-programmable and interactively addressable photonic systems.