Browse Articles

JointPRS: A data-adaptive framework for multi-population genetic risk prediction incorporating genetic correlation

Monitoring water percolation in a laboratory compacted soil dam using time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography

Correlation measurement of propagating microwave photons at millikelvin

Abstract Microwave photons are essential carriers of quantum information in several promising platforms for quantum computing. However, measurement of the quantum statistical properties of microwave photons is demanding owing to their low energy relative to thermal fluctuations of any room-temperature detector, and phase-insensitive voltage amplification necessarily adds noise. Here, we overcome this trade-off with a nanobolometer that directly measures the photon statistics at millikelvin. Using a cryogenic temperature-controlled blackbody radiator, we demonstrate the detection of the mean photon number $$\langle \hat{n}\rangle$$ ⟨ n ̂ ⟩ and reveal the expected photon number variance $${(\Delta n)}^{2}=\langle \hat{n}\rangle \left(\langle \hat{n}\rangle+1\right)$$ ( Δ n ) 2 = ⟨ n ̂ ⟩ ⟨ n ̂ ⟩ + 1 , following the Bose–Einstein distribution. By engineering the coherent and incoherent proportions of the input field, we observe a transition between super-Poissonian and Poissonian statistics from the bolometric second-order correlation measurements. This technique is poised to serve in fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and function as a scalable readout solution for a quantum information processor.

Comparative analysis of gut microbiota in free range and house fed yaks from Linzhou County

Author Correction: Record sea surface temperature jump in 2023–2024 unlikely but not unexpected

Science acceleration and accessibility with self-driving labs

Altering ROY polymorph crystallization in conventional and microfluidic crystallizers with acoustic cavitation

Author Correction: Traversable wormhole dynamics on a quantum processor

Latitudinal scaling of aggregation with abundance and coexistence in forests

TGF-β1-induced m6A modifications accelerate onset of nuclear cataract in high myopia by modulating the PCP pathway

Author Correction: The syntaxin-binding protein STXBP5 regulates progerin expression

China overtakes the United States in cancer research output

Neck deep in overdiagnosis: Books in brief

Impact-driven oxidation of organics explains chondrite shock metamorphism dichotomy

Assessing the deployment of solar-driven hydrogen from biomass at scale in the U.S.

Abstract Solar hydrogen from biomass gasification is a promising technology to sustainably produce hydrogen, responsibly dispose biomass waste, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. However, its large-scale deployment faces challenges due to the geospatial misalignment between biomass resources and solar intensity, which introduces additional supply chain logistics costs. We analyze the logistics cost burden imposed by this misalignment and its impact on successful large-scale deployment of solar-driven hydrogen from biomass in the United States. We also consider associated carbon emissions and explore how the mix of deployed technologies evolves under externally imposed carbon penalties. Our findings show that while economies of scale are known to apply at the processing facility level, the reverse effect occurs at the broader systems-level, driven by logistics. Also, at current technology costs, high carbon penalties would be required to favor deployment of solar based technologies over conventional and hybrid alternatives. We further illustrate strategies and system-level changes to reduce logistics costs and enable sustainable, low-cost hydrogen for decarbonizing different industrial sectors.

GHS-R1a signaling drives anxiety-related behavior by shaping excitability of ventromedial hypothalamic neurons

Using detrital zircon to reconstruct Neoproterozoic crustal thickness variation in the northwestern margin of the Yangtze Block

Abstract Trace element geochemistry and chronology of zircon are reliable tools for reconstructing sediment provenance and crustal evolution, particularly in contexts where early crustal and rock records are sparse. We hereby employ in-situ U-Pb dating of Neoproterozoic detrital zircons to refine our understanding of sediment sources, tectonic settings, and crustal evolution along the northwestern margin of the Yangtze Block. Detrital zircons from the Doushantuo and Dengying formations exhibit similar Neoproterozoic age distributions (700–950 Ma). The lithology of the zircon source rocks correlates with the bimodal volcanic rocks extensively developed in the Micangshan–Hannan region along the Yangtze Block’s northwestern margin. Using Eu/Eu* ratios derived from detrital zircons, we reconstructed crustal thickness variations in the northwestern Yangtze Block during the Neoproterozoic. The crustal thickening from 1000 to 850 Ma, thinning between 850 and 730 Ma, and thickening between 730 and 539 Ma. The U/Yb-Nb/Yb, Nb/Hf-Th/U, U/Yb-Hf, and U/Nd ratios of the Neoproterozoic detrital zircons mainly suggest island arc or orogenic features. The zircons younger than 850 Ma suggest progressively depleted mantle-type characteristics and extensional intra-plate. The fluctuated Th/U ratios exhibit a general trend of increase during 1000–730 Ma, which is followed by a decrease. The U/Yb ratios (mostly > 0.1) show a decrease from 1000 to 820 Ma and an insignificant change from 820 to 730 Ma followed by an increase. The estimated crystallization temperatures of the dated detrital zircons, calculated using the Ti-in-zircon geothermometer equation, reveal a general temperature increase during 1000–730 Ma, followed by a gradual decrease. The Ce/Nd ratios (oxygen fugacity) show a fluctuation but a general increase between 820 and 730 Ma possibly due to heat influx from the subduction slab rollback and sediment melting. All the trace element analyses of detrital zircons indicate that subduction along the northwestern margin of the Yangtze Block persisted until 730 Ma and the slab rollback around 850–730 Ma. It also supports the hypothesis that the South China Plate was situated at the periphery, rather than the interior, of the Rodinia supercontinent. After 730 Ma, the Yangtze Block experienced internal extension and rifting, forming rift basins. However, the northwestern margin of the Yangtze Block continued to collide with multiple microcontinents, resulting in crustal thickening. After ca.625 Ma, crust extension led to a decrease in crustal thickness, which is also consistent with the subduction environment indicated by the cumulative distribution function (CDF) plot of detrital zircon ages.

Carbon majors and the scientific case for climate liability

Potassium-stabilized metastable carbides and chalcogenides via surface chemical potential modulation

Clinical features and perforation predictors of appendicitis in infants and toddlers under 3: A retrospective two-center study