Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Articles in this Issue
The benefits and dangers of anthropomorphic conversational agents
A growing body of research suggests that the recent generation of large language model (LLMs) excel, and in many cases outpace humans, at writing persuasively and empathetically, at inferring user tra...
A universally applicable definition for domestication
The process of domestication is commonly perceived as a human achievement, and domestic species are typically assumed to be those under human control. Domestic species have emerged from a greater dive...
Task difficulty modulates the effect of mind wandering on phase dynamics
Mind wandering attenuates widespread sensory and motor processing, both of which are mediated by phase coherence. However, it remains unclear i) whether mind wandering impacts both sensory input and m...
Estimating wage disparities using foundation models
The rise of foundation models marks a paradigm shift in machine learning: instead of training specialized models from scratch, foundation models are trained on massive datasets before being adjusted o...
Oxr1 and Ncoa7 regulate V-ATPase to achieve optimal pH for glycosylation within the Golgi apparatus and trans-Golgi network
Maintenance of pH within membranous organelles is crucial for cellular processes such as posttranslational modifications, ligand–receptor interactions, and proteostasis. The precise mechanisms that de...
Rhomboid-mediated cleavage of the immune receptor XA21 protects grain set and male fertility in rice
To maintain growth and to successfully reproduce, organisms must protect key functions in specific tissues, particularly when countering pathogen invasion using internal defensive proteins that may di...
Label-free high-throughput live-cell sorting of genome-wide random mutagenesis libraries for metabolic traits by Raman flow cytometry
A full spontaneous single-cell Raman spectrum captures the metabolic phenome in a label-free and noninvasive manner. However, Raman-activated cell sorting (RACS) of rare target cells from highly heter...
Transcription-templated assembly of the nucleolus in the <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> embryo
The nucleolus is a multicomponent structure made of RNA and proteins that serves as the site of ribosome biogenesis within the nucleus. It has been extensively studied as a prototype of a biomolecular...
Proofreading and single-molecule sensitivity in T cell receptor signaling by condensate nucleation
T cells display the remarkable ability to detect single foreign peptides displayed on target cells, while ignoring highly abundant self-peptides. This selectivity has been explained by kinetic proofre...
Phage-induced protection against lethal bacterial reinfection
Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that target and infect bacteria. Due to a worldwide rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), phages have been proposed as a promising alternative to antibiotics f...
Solution structure and synaptic analyses reveal determinants of bispecific T cell engager potency
Bispecific T cell engagers (TcEs) link T cell receptors to tumor-associated antigens on cancer cells, forming cytotoxic immunological synapses (IS). Close membrane-to-membrane contact (≤13 nm) has bee...
Himalayan “S-type” granite generated from I-type sources
Partial melting of metasedimentary rocks is generally accepted as the source of peraluminous Himalayan leucogranites—they are commonly considered as pure “S-type” (sedimentary source) granites. Here,...
Can increasing the size and flexibility of a molecule reduce decoherence and prolong charge migration?
Coherent superposition of electronic states, created by ionizing a molecule, can initiate ultrafast dynamics of the electron density. Correlation between nuclear and electron motions, however, typical...
Modular arrangement of synaptic and intrinsic homeostatic plasticity within visual cortical circuits
Neocortical circuits use synaptic and intrinsic forms of homeostatic plasticity to stabilize key features of network activity, but whether these different homeostatic mechanisms act redundantly or can...
Exploring diverse supramolecular tessellation through hierarchical assemblies of nonalternant nanographene
Tessellation, as an ancient and fascinating mathematical pursuit, has not only captivated mathematicians but also has attracted chemists’ increasing attention at the molecular level in recent years. E...
CRISPR screen reveals a simultaneous targeted mechanism to reduce cancer cell selenium and increase lipid oxidation to induce ferroptosis
Ferroptosis is a cell death mechanism distinguished by its dependence on iron-mediated lipid oxidation. Cancer cells highly resistant to conventional therapies often demonstrate lipid metabolic and re...
Genomic analyses identify 15 risk loci and reveal <i>HDAC2</i> , <i>SOX2-OT</i> , and <i>IGF2BP2</i> in a naturally occurring canine model of gastric cancer
Gastric cancer ranks as the fifth most common human cancer worldwide and has a poor survival rate and limited treatment options. Despite the high prevalence and mortality rate, the genetic etiology is...
Environmental DNA adsorption to chitin can promote horizontal gene transfer by natural transformation
Horizontal gene transfer by natural transformation (NT) is induced in Vibrio cholerae upon attachment to chitin surfaces in the aquatic environment. Here, we sh...
Independent transitions to fully planktonic life cycles shaped the global distribution of medusozoans in the epipelagic zone
Life history traits influence marine species dispersal and habitat colonization. Medusozoans (jellyfish and siphonophores) exhibit diverse life cycles, evolved from an ancestral cycle alternating betw...
Phylogenomics reveals the slow-burning fuse of diatom evolution
Evolution is often uneven in its pace and outcomes, with long periods of stasis interrupted by abrupt increases in morphological and ecological disparity. With thousands of gene histories, phylogenomi...
Targeted apoptotic immune modulator for the treatment of metastatic EGFR-positive solid tumors
Aberrant activation and overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) occurs in various solid cancers and often correlates with poor outcome. The clinical benefit from EGFR-targeted th...
Maximum spreading of impacting shear-thinning and shear-thickening drops
The maximum spreading of an impacting liquid drop is a key metric for characterizing the fundamental fluid process of drop impact. While extensively studied for Newtonian liquids, how far a non-Newton...
Nucleoporins cooperate with Polycomb silencers to promote transcriptional repression and repair at DNA double-strand breaks
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are harmful lesions and major sources of genomic instability. Studies have suggested that DSBs induce local transcriptional silencing that consequently promotes genomic...
The proofreading mechanism of the human leading-strand DNA polymerase ε holoenzyme
The eukaryotic leading-strand DNA polymerase ε (Polε) is a dual-function enzyme with a proofreading 3′-5′ exonuclease ( exo ) site located 40 Å from the DNA syn...
Robustness revisited: On the neutral evolution of centrality and localization
This study investigates the intricate interplay among neutral landscape structure, mutation rate, recombination rate, and population dynamics in shaping evolutionary robustness. We provide a comprehen...