At the United Nations climate conference in late 2023, multilateral development banks and environmental institutions committed to raising the number, size, types, and effectiveness of funding mechanisms that support developing countries to address the interconnected crises of debt, climate, and biodiversity. A “Task Force on Sustainability-Linked Sovereign Financing for Nature and Climate” will convene

Despite identifying El Niño events as a factor in dengue dynamics, predicting the oscillation of global dengue epidemics remains challenging. Here, we investigate climate indicators and worldwide dengue incidence from 1990 to 2019 using climate-driven mechanistic models. We identify a distinct indicator, the Indian Ocean basin-wide (IOBW) index, as representing the regional average of sea surface temperature

To fully understand how the human brain works, knowledge of its structure at high resolution is needed. Presented here is a computationally intensive reconstruction of the ultrastructure of a cubic millimeter of human temporal cortex that was surgically removed to gain access to an underlying epileptic focus. It contains about 57,000 cells, about 230 millimeters of blood vessels, and about 150 million

Rapid processing of tactile information is essential to human haptic exploration and dexterous object manipulation. Conventional electronic skins generate frames of tactile signals upon interaction with objects. Unfortunately, they are generally ill-suited for efficient coding of temporal information and rapid feature extraction. In this work, we report a neuromorphic tactile system that uses spike

Phonons play a crucial role in many properties of solid-state systems, and it is expected that topological phonons may lead to rich and unconventional physics. On the basis of the existing phonon materials databases, we have compiled a catalog of topological phonon bands for more than 10,000 three-dimensional crystalline materials. Using topological quantum chemistry, we calculated the band representations

Molecular rings of N carbon atoms (cyclo[ N ]carbons, or C N ) are excellent benchmarking systems for testing quantum chemical theoretical methods and valuable precursors to other carbon-rich materials. Odd- N cyclocarbons, which have been elusive to date, are predicted to be even less stable than even- N cyclocarbons. We report the on-surface synthesis of cyclo[13]carbon, C 13 , by manipulation of

Hexavalent iridium (Ir VI ) oxide is predicted to be more active and stable than any other iridium oxide for the oxygen evolution reaction in acid; however, its experimental realization remains challenging. In this work, we report the synthesis, characterization, and application of atomically dispersed Ir VI oxide (Ir VI - ado ) for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. The Ir VI - ado

Electrochemistry offers a sustainable synthesis route to value-added fine chemicals but is often constrained by competing electron transfer between the electrode and redox-sensitive functionalities distinct from the target site. Here, we describe an ion-shielding heterogeneous photoelectrocatalysis strategy to impose mass-transfer limitations that invert the thermodynamically determined order of electron

Despite a half-century of advancements, global magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) accessibility remains limited and uneven, hindering its full potential in health care. Initially, MRI development focused on low fields around 0.05 Tesla, but progress halted after the introduction of the 1.5 Tesla whole-body superconducting scanner in 1983. Using a permanent 0.05 Tesla magnet and deep learning for electromagnetic

The Hubbard model is an iconic model in quantum many-body physics and has been intensely studied, especially since the discovery of high-temperature cuprate superconductors. Combining the complementary capabilities of two computational methods, we found superconductivity in both the electron- and hole-doped regimes of the two-dimensional Hubbard model with next-nearest-neighbor hopping. In the electron-doped

Nasal chemosensation is considered the evolutionarily oldest mammalian sense and, together with somatosensation, is crucial for neonatal well-being before auditory and visual pathways start engaging the brain. Using anatomical and functional approaches in mice, we reveal that odor-driven activity propagates to a large part of the cortex during the first postnatal week and enhances whisker-evoked activation

Changes in climate shift the geographic locations that are suitable for malaria transmission because of the thermal constraints on vector Anopheles mosquitos and Plasmodium spp. malaria parasites and the lack of availability of surface water for vector breeding. Previous Africa-wide assessments have tended to solely represent surface water using precipitation, ignoring many important hydrological processes

The high rate of biological productivity in the North Atlantic is stimulated by the advective supply of nutrients into the region via the Gulf Stream (nutrient stream). It has been proposed that the projected future decline in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) will cause a reduction in nutrient supply and resulting productivity. In this work, we examine how the nutrient stream

The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) is a robust topological phenomenon that features quantized Hall resistance at zero magnetic field. We report the QAHE in a rhombohedral pentalayer graphene-monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ) heterostructure. Distinct from other experimentally confirmed QAHE systems, this system has neither magnetic element nor moiré superlattice effect. The QAH states emerge

On 2 April, I received an email that changed the course of the next 2 weeks. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, chaired by United States Congressman Brad Wenstrup, invited me to testify along with my counterparts at Nature and The Lancet . The purpose of the public hearing (Academic Malpractice: Examining the Relationship Between Scientific Journals, the Government, and Peer Review)

Heritable variation is a prerequisite for evolutionary change, but the relevance of genetic constraints on macroevolutionary timescales is debated. By using two datasets on fossil and contemporary taxa, we show that evolutionary divergence among populations, and to a lesser extent among species, increases with microevolutionary evolvability. We evaluate and reject several hypotheses to explain this

Large ensembles of laser-cooled atoms interacting through infinite-range photon-mediated interactions are powerful platforms for quantum simulation and sensing. Here we realize momentum-exchange interactions in which pairs of atoms exchange their momentum states by collective emission and absorption of photons from a common cavity mode, a process equivalent to a spin-exchange or XX collective Heisenberg

Fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states are known for their robust topological order and possess properties that are appealing for applications in fault-tolerant quantum computing. An engineered quantum platform would provide opportunities to operate FQH states without an external magnetic field and enhance local and coherent manipulation of these exotic states. We demonstrate a lattice version of photon

Meningomyelocele is one of the most severe forms of neural tube defects (NTDs) and the most frequent structural birth defect of the central nervous system. We assembled the Spina Bifida Sequencing Consortium to identify causes. Exome and genome sequencing of 715 parent-offspring trios identified six patients with chromosomal 22q11.2 deletions, suggesting a 23-fold increased risk compared with the general

A molecular clock network is crucial for daily physiology and maintaining organismal health. We examined the interactions and importance of intratissue clock networks in muscle tissue maintenance. In arrhythmic mice showing premature aging, we created a basic clock module involving a central and a peripheral (muscle) clock. Reconstituting the brain-muscle clock network is sufficient to preserve fundamental

Certain people occupy topological positions within social networks that enhance their effectiveness at inducing spillovers. We mapped face-to-face networks among 24,702 people in 176 isolated villages in Honduras and randomly assigned villages to targeting methods, varying the fraction of households receiving a 22-month health education package and the method by which households were chosen (randomly

Recent advances in wearable and implantable biomedical devices have inspired the pursuit of seamless human-machine integration through bioelectronic interfaces (1). Such biocompatible interfaces would allow the recording and processing of signals, such as brain and heart activities, in real time. Although modern electronics rely on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor architectures to construct

Cancer cells often have abnormal DNA content owing to disruption of the pathways that control the cell cycle. Cells commit to the cell cycle in response to small peptide signals called mitogens, which ensure entry into S phase, when DNA is replicated. Once S phase is initiated, the cell cycle is normally self-sustaining and irreversible. However, under certain circumstances, two consecutive rounds

B cells are key players in adaptive immunity. In a typical response, B cells specific for an antigen become activated and proliferate in a transient structure called a germinal center (GC), where their B cell receptor (BCR) undergoes rounds of mutation, and clones with BCRs that bind antigen more robustly are selected. Selected GC B cells then become either memory cells, poised to respond to future

Considered one of the “big three” global infectious diseases—together with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis—malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax continues to substantially affect the poorest communities of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (1). Development of resistance to almost all antimalarial drugs by the parasite, resistance of the Anopheles mosquito (which transmits the parasite)

Hydrogels are an attractive category of biointerfacing materials with adjustable mechanical properties, diverse biochemical functions, and good ionic conductivity. Despite these advantages, their application in electronics has been restricted because of their lack of semiconducting properties, and they have traditionally only served as insulators or conductors. We developed single- and multiple-network

Marine stratocumulus clouds are the “global reflectors,” sharply contrasting with the underlying dark ocean surface and exerting a net cooling on Earth’s climate. The magnitude of this cooling remains uncertain in part owing to the averaged representation of microphysical processes, such as the droplet-to-drizzle transition in global climate models (GCMs). Current GCMs parameterize cloud droplet size

Neurons on the left and right sides of the nervous system often show asymmetric properties, but how such differences arise is poorly understood. Genetic screening in zebrafish revealed that loss of function of the transmembrane protein Cachd1 resulted in right-sided habenula neurons adopting left-sided identity. Cachd1 is expressed in neuronal progenitors, functions downstream of asymmetric environmental

Controlling ultracold atoms with laser light has greatly advanced quantum science. The wavelength of light sets a typical length scale for most experiments to the order of 500 nanometers (nm) or greater. In this work, we implemented a super-resolution technique that localizes and arranges atoms on a sub–50-nm scale, without any fundamental limit in resolution. We demonstrate this technique by creating

Although technologically promising, the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to produce carbon monoxide (CO) remains economically challenging owing to the lack of an inexpensive, active, highly selective, and stable catalyst. We show that nanocrystalline cubic molybdenum carbide (α-Mo 2 C), prepared through a facile and scalable route, offers 100% selectivity for CO 2 reduction to CO while maintaining

The developmental decision made by malaria parasites to become sexual underlies all malaria transmission. Here, we describe a rich atlas of short- and long-read single-cell transcriptomes of over 37,000 Plasmodium falciparum cells across intraerythrocytic asexual and sexual development. We used the atlas to explore transcriptional modules and exon usage along sexual development and expanded it to include

B lymphocytes are essential mediators of humoral immunity and play multiple roles in human cancer. To decode the functions of tumor-infiltrating B cells, we generated a B cell blueprint encompassing single-cell transcriptome, B cell–receptor repertoire, and chromatin accessibility data across 20 different cancer types (477 samples, 269 patients). B cells harbored extraordinary heterogeneity and comprised

If elected, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo would bring an extensive background in science and engineering to Mexico’s presidency. But many researchers are anxious about how she would govern

Cell cycle events are coordinated by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) to ensure robust cell division. CDK4/6 and CDK2 regulate the growth 1 (G 1 ) to synthesis (S) phase transition of the cell cycle by responding to mitogen signaling, promoting E2F transcription and inhibition of the anaphase-promoting complex. We found that this mechanism was still required in G 2 -arrested cells to prevent cell cycle

At the end of May, 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet for the World Health Assembly. Negotiations underway now will determine whether they vote then to adopt a pandemic agreement. For the past 2 years, discussions have focused on articulating essential components of a robust and equitable architecture for pandemic preparedness and response. Despite this, talks have failed

Widely recognized as key partners for achieving international climate goals (1, 2), businesses like to indicate that their targets and activities are “Paris-aligned.” In response, research and initiatives have emerged to guide and assess whether companies’ targets represent an adequate mitigation effort to achieve the Paris Agreement. Here, we highlight conceptual limitations of effort-sharing approaches

The acoustic environment of animals and humans has never been quiet, encompassing all sounds, from natural to those made by humans. The effect of sound on physiology and development starts before birth, which is why a world that grows increasingly more noisy, with loud outdoor entertainment, construction, and traffic, is a concern. On page 475 of this issue, Meillère et al. (1) report that exposure

Tremendous progress has been made in improving cancer immunotherapy, which is now established as a pillar for cancer treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) enhance antitumoral T cell responses by blocking interactions of the inhibitory receptors cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) or programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) that are expressed on T cells with their ligands. ICIs

Tubulin, one of the most abundant cytoskeletal building blocks, has numerous isotypes in metazoans encoded by different conserved genes. Whether these distinct isotypes form cell type– and context-specific microtubule structures is poorly understood. Based on a cohort of 12 patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia as well as mouse mutants, we identified and characterized variants in the TUBB4B isotype

The central dogma of molecular biology outlines the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to proteins. With a limited vocabulary of four nucleotides (A, C, G, and T), DNA encodes an extensive instruction set, including the chromosomal positions where RNAs begin to be transcribed and the magnitudes of their expression. This process, known as transcription initiation (1), begins at transcription

As a seven-year-old child, I experienced war in Cyprus. Armed conflict has not been far from my conscience ever since. At a time when there are active conflicts in many parts of the world, war is unlikely to be far from many children’s minds globally today. Can a “war” theme be included in science lessons and play a role in helping young children develop into socially responsible scientists and peaceful

All brains work differently. Individuals process information and engage with the world in ways that are influenced by a multitude of biological, cultural, and social factors. In the world of science, these differences are what spark innovation. This is why the scientific community needs to better recognize the enormous potential of neurodiversity and bear in mind that certain behavioral and cognitive

Governments recently adopted new global targets to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. It is therefore crucial to understand the outcomes of conservation actions. We conducted a global meta-analysis of 186 studies (including 665 trials) that measured biodiversity over time and compared outcomes under conservation action with a suitable counterfactual of no action. We find that in two-thirds

A role for vitamin D in immune modulation and in cancer has been suggested. In this work, we report that mice with increased availability of vitamin D display greater immune-dependent resistance to transplantable cancers and augmented responses to checkpoint blockade immunotherapies. Similarly, in humans, vitamin D–induced genes correlate with improved responses to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment

Behavior is critical for animal survival and reproduction, and possibly for diversification and evolutionary radiation. However, the genetics behind adaptive variation in behavior are poorly understood. In this work, we examined a fundamental and widespread behavioral trait, exploratory behavior, in one of the largest adaptive radiations on Earth, the cichlid fishes of Lake Tanganyika. By integrating

Aryldiazonium salts remain a staple in organic synthesis and are still prepared largely in accord with the protocol developed in the 19th century. Because of the favorable reactivity that often cannot be achieved with other aryl(pseudo)halides, diazonium chemistry continues to grow. Facile extrusion of dinitrogen contributes to the desired reactivity but is also reason for safety concerns. Explosions

Small macrocycles with four or fewer amino acids are among the most potent natural products known, but there is currently no way to systematically generate such compounds. We describe a computational method for identifying ordered macrocycles composed of alpha, beta, gamma, and 17 other amino acid backbone chemistries, which we used to predict 14.9 million closed cycles composed of >42,000 monomer

Based on an extensive model intercomparison, we assessed trends in biodiversity and ecosystem services from historical reconstructions and future scenarios of land-use and climate change. During the 20th century, biodiversity declined globally by 2 to 11%, as estimated by a range of indicators. Provisioning ecosystem services increased several fold, and regulating services decreased moderately. Going

Chemical modulation of proteins enables a mechanistic understanding of biology and represents the foundation of most therapeutics. However, despite decades of research, 80% of the human proteome lacks functional ligands. Chemical proteomics has advanced fragment-based ligand discovery toward cellular systems, but throughput limitations have stymied the scalable identification of fragment-protein interactions

Liver mitochondria play a central role in metabolic adaptations to changing nutritional states, yet their dynamic regulation upon anticipated changes in nutrient availability has remained unaddressed. Here, we found that sensory food perception rapidly induced mitochondrial fragmentation in the liver through protein kinase B/AKT (AKT)–dependent phosphorylation of serine 131 of the mitochondrial fission

Degeneracies in multilayer graphene, including spin, valley, and layer degrees of freedom, can be lifted by Coulomb interactions, resulting in rich broken-symmetry states. Here, we report a ferromagnetic state in charge-neutral ABCA-tetralayer graphene driven by proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling from adjacent tungsten diselenide. The ferromagnetic state is identified as a Chern insulator with a

Organisms exhibit extensive variation in ecological niche breadth, from very narrow (specialists) to very broad (generalists). Two general paradigms have been proposed to explain this variation: (i) trade-offs between performance efficiency and breadth and (ii) the joint influence of extrinsic (environmental) and intrinsic (genomic) factors. We assembled genomic, metabolic, and ecological data from

Electron–electron interactions in high-mobility conductors can give rise to transport signatures resembling those described by classical hydrodynamics. Using a nanoscale scanning magnetometer, we imaged a distinctive hydrodynamic transport pattern—stationary current vortices—in a monolayer graphene device at room temperature. By measuring devices with increasing characteristic size, we observed the

Transcription initiation is a process that is essential to ensuring the proper function of any gene, yet we still lack a unified understanding of sequence patterns and rules that explain most transcription start sites in the human genome. By predicting transcription initiation at base-pair resolution from sequences with a deep learning–inspired explainable model called Puffin, we show that a small

N-Heteroaromatics are key elements of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials. N-Heteroarynes provide a scaffold to build these essential molecules but are underused because five-membered N-heteroarynes have been largely inaccessible on account of the strain of a triple bond in that small of a ring. On the basis of principles of metal-ligand interactions that are foundational to organometallic

Noise pollution is expanding at an unprecedented rate and is increasingly associated with impaired reproduction and development across taxa. However, whether noise sound waves are intrinsically harmful for developing young—or merely disturb parents—and the fitness consequences of early exposure remain unknown. Here, by only manipulating the offspring, we show that sole exposure to noise in early life

Genome editing with CRISPR RNA-guided endonucleases generates DNA breaks that are resolved by cellular DNA repair machinery. However, analogous methods to manipulate RNA remain unavailable. Here, we show that site-specific RNA breaks generated with type III CRISPR complexes are repaired in human cells, and this repair can be used for programmable deletions in human transcripts to restore gene function

Gasdermins (GSDMs) are pore-forming proteins that execute pyroptosis for immune defense. GSDMs are two-domain proteins, activated by proteolytic removal of the inhibitory domain. Here we report two types of cleavage-independent GSDM activation. First, Tricho GSDM, a pore-forming-domain-only protein from the basal metazoan Trichoplax adhaerens , is a disulfides-linked autoinhibited dimer, activated

The difficulty in characterizing the complex structures of nanoporous carbon electrodes has led to a lack of clear design principles with which to improve supercapacitors. Pore size has long been considered the main lever to improve capacitance. However, our evaluation of a large series of commercial nanoporous carbons finds a lack of correlation between pore size and capacitance. Instead, nuclear

Electrostatic capacitors are foundational components of advanced electronics and high-power electrical systems owing to their ultrafast charging-discharging capability. Ferroelectric materials offer high maximum polarization, but high remnant polarization has hindered their effective deployment in energy storage applications. Previous methodologies have encountered problems because of the deteriorated