The pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI) continuously demands higher computing performance. Despite the superior processing speed and efficiency of integrated photonic circuits, their capacity and scalability are restricted by unavoidable errors, such that only simple tasks and shallow models are realized. To support modern AGIs, we designed Taichi—large-scale photonic chiplets based on

Inverted (pin) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) afford improved operating stability in comparison to their nip counterparts but have lagged in power conversion efficiency (PCE). The energetic losses responsible for this PCE deficit in pin PSCs occur primarily at the interfaces between the perovskite and the charge-transport layers. Additive and surface treatments that use passivating ligands usually bind

Ultrahigh–power-density multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are critical components in electrical and electronic systems. However, the realization of a high energy density combined with a high efficiency is a major challenge for practical applications. We propose a high-entropy design in barium titanate (BaTiO3)–based lead-free MLCCs with polymorphic relaxor phase. This strategy effectively minimizes

Epoxy resin thermosets (ERTs) are an important class of polymeric materials. However, owing to their highly cross-linked nature, they suffer from poor recyclability, which contributes to an unacceptable level of environmental pollution. There is a clear need for the design of inherently recyclable ERTs that are based on renewable resources. We present the synthesis and closed-loop recycling of a fully

Single-phase body-centered cubic (bcc) refractory medium- or high-entropy alloys can retain compressive strength at elevated temperatures but suffer from extremely low tensile ductility and fracture toughness. We examined the strength and fracture toughness of a bcc refractory alloy, NbTaTiHf, from 77 to 1473 kelvin. This alloy’s behavior differed from that of comparable systems by having fracture

The giant planets of the Solar System formed on initially compact orbits, which transitioned to the current wider configuration by means of an orbital instability. The timing of that instability is poorly constrained. In this work, we use dynamical simulations to demonstrate that the instability implanted planetesimal fragments from the terrestrial planet region into the asteroid main belt. We use

There are differences in the prevalence of inflammatory diseases between the sexes (sexual dimorphism), but the underlying mechanisms that regulate tissue immunity remain unclear. The interplay between multiple immune cells, structural cells, and tissue matrix proteins determines the outcome of tissue immunity. These interactions are regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors that calibrate the tone

Eukaryotic cells are notably complex—for example, they have various organelles, which are membrane-bound structures with specific functions. Two of these organelles, mitochondria and chloroplasts, which function in respiration and photosynthesis, evolved from the integration of endosymbiotic bacteria to the eukaryotic cell (1). In marine systems, some nitrogen-fixing bacteria are endosymbionts of microalgae

High-performance dielectric capacitors (which include insulating materials) play a crucial role in advanced electrical and electronic systems (1). In pulsed power systems, dielectric capacitors exhibit exceptionally high power density (rapid charging and discharging capabilities) and a prolonged operational lifetime, features that distinguish them from batteries and electrochemical capacitors (2).

Globally, only 9% of plastics are recycled, and because of polymer degradation and mixed waste streams, their properties decline with each reuse cycle (1). Thermosets, a widely used class of plastics that maintain a permanent shape upon curing, are not recycled at all (2). In closed-loop recycling, a polymer can be processed into a new material without sacrificing properties, retaining the value of

Formins control the assembly of actin filaments (F-actin) that drive cell morphogenesis and motility in eukaryotes. However, their molecular interaction with F-actin and their mechanism of action remain unclear. In this work, we present high-resolution cryo–electron microscopy structures of F-actin barbed ends bound by three distinct formins, revealing a common asymmetric formin conformation imposed

Spinal circuits are central to movement adaptation, yet the mechanisms within the spinal cord responsible for acquiring and retaining behavior upon experience remain unclear. Using a simple conditioning paradigm, we found that dorsal inhibitory neurons are indispensable for adapting protective limb-withdrawal behavior by regulating the transmission of a specific set of somatosensory information to

Oil and water can only be mixed by dispersing droplets of one fluid in the other. When two droplets approach one another, the thin film that separates them invariably becomes unstable, causing the droplets to coalesce. The only known way to avoid this instability is through addition of a third component, typically a surfactant, which stabilizes the thin film at its equilibrium thickness. We report

Modern condensed matter physics relies on the concept of topology to classify matter, from quantum Hall systems to topological insulators. Engineered systems, benefiting from synthetic dimensions, can potentially give access to topological states predicted in dimensions D > 3. We report the realization of an atomic quantum Hall system evolving in four dimensions (4D), with two spatial dimensions and

Much is being made about the erosion of public trust in science. Surveys show a modest decline in the United States from a very high level of trust, but that is seen for other institutions as well. What is apparent from the surveys is that a better explanation of the nature of science—that it is revised as new data surface—would have a strong positive effect on public trust. Because scientists are

Symbiotic interactions were key to the evolution of chloroplast and mitochondria organelles, which mediate carbon and energy metabolism in eukaryotes. Biological nitrogen fixation, the reduction of abundant atmospheric nitrogen gas (N 2 ) to biologically available ammonia, is a key metabolic process performed exclusively by prokaryotes. Candidatus Atelocyanobacterium thalassa, or UCYN-A, is a metabolically

Short telomeres cause age-related disease and long telomeres predispose to cancer; however, the mechanisms regulating telomere length are unclear. We developed a nanopore-based method, Telomere Profiling, to determine telomere length at nearly single nucleotide resolution. Mapping telomere reads to chromosome ends showed chromosome end–specific length distributions that could differ by more than six

Therapeutic oligonucleotides are a powerful drug modality with the potential to treat many diseases. The rapidly growing number of therapies that have been approved and that are in advanced clinical trials will place unprecedented demands on our capacity to manufacture oligonucleotides at scale. Existing methods based on solid-phase phosphoramidite chemistry are limited by their scalability and sustainability

Many plans are in preparation to land robotic missions on the surface of the Moon, which will pave the way to return humans to the lunar surface and set the stage for an ongoing human presence. Artemis is a NASA-led international effort to return humans to the Moon. One of the goals of Artemis is to use innovative technologies to address priority science objectives. At the same time, the European Space

DNA supercoiling must be precisely regulated by topoisomerases to prevent DNA entanglement. The interaction of type IIA DNA topoisomerases with two DNA molecules, enabling the transport of one duplex through the transient double-stranded break of the other, remains elusive owing to structures derived solely from single linear duplex DNAs lacking topological constraints. Using cryo–electron microscopy

Global estimates of the size, distribution, and vulnerability of soil inorganic carbon (SIC) remain largely unquantified. By compiling 223,593 field-based measurements and developing machine-learning models, we report that global soils store 2305 ± 636 (±1 SD) billion tonnes of carbon as SIC over the top 2-meter depth. Under future scenarios, soil acidification associated with nitrogen additions to

Massive stars (those ≥8 solar masses at formation) have radiative envelopes that cannot sustain a dynamo, the mechanism that produces magnetic fields in lower-mass stars. Despite this, approximately 7% of massive stars have observed magnetic fields, the origin of which is debated. We used multi-epoch interferometric and spectroscopic observations to characterize HD 148937, a binary system of two massive

Recently, the emergence of all-organic perovskites with three-dimensional (3D) structures has expanded the potential applications of perovskite materials. However, the synthesis and utilization of all-organic perovskites in 2D form remain largely unexplored because the design principle has not been developed. We present the successful synthesis of a metal-free 2D layered perovskite, denoted as the

Thermoelectric materials can realize direct and mutual conversion between electricity and heat. However, developing a strategy to improve high thermoelectric performance is challenging because of strongly entangled electrical and thermal transport properties. We demonstrate a case in which both pseudo-nanostructures of vacancy clusters and dynamic charge-carrier regulation of trapped-hole release have

Reports of what were known at that time as “asthmatic fits” can be traced back millennia (1, 2), but a mechanistic understanding of the basis for what are now called asthma exacerbations remains incomplete. Over the past 100 years, multiple mechanisms have been proposed, including constriction of the smooth muscle that encircles the airways (bronchoconstriction), persistent airway inflammation, and

RNA has come a long way from a simple “messenger” or “translator” of canonical genic information during the production of proteins. A plethora of new types of noncoding RNAs have been discovered, including thousands of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), many of which have no identified functions (1, 2). Throughout this “RNA revolution,” one property of RNA has been thought to be constant: RNAs are short-lived

Understanding universal aspects of quantum dynamics is an unresolved problem in statistical mechanics. In particular, the spin dynamics of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model were conjectured as to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class based on the scaling of the infinite-temperature spin-spin correlation function. In a chain of 46 superconducting qubits, we studied the probability

The synthesis of quaternary carbons often requires numerous steps and complex conditions or harsh reagents that act on heavily engineered substrates. This is largely a consequence of conventional polar-bond retrosynthetic disconnections that in turn require multiple functional group interconversions, redox manipulations, and protecting group chemistry. Here, we report a simple catalyst and reductant

Phage viruses shape the evolution and virulence of their bacterial hosts. The Salmonella enterica genome encodes several stress-inducible prophages. The Gifsy-1 prophage terminase protein, whose canonical function is to process phage DNA for packaging in the virus head, unexpectedly acts as a transfer ribonuclease (tRNase) under oxidative stress, cleaving the anticodon loop of tRNALeu. The ensuing

Cleistogamy is a type of self-pollination that relies on the formation of a stigma-enclosing floral structure. We identify three homeodomain-leucine zipper IV (HD-Zip IV) genes that coordinately promote the formation of interlocking trichomes at the anther margin to unite neighboring anthers, generating a closed anther cone and cleistogamy (flower morphology necessitating strict self-pollination).

Genomic DNA that resides in the nuclei of mammalian neurons can be as old as the organism itself. The life span of nuclear RNAs, which are critical for proper chromatin architecture and transcription regulation, has not been determined in adult tissues. In this work, we identified and characterized nuclear RNAs that do not turn over for at least 2 years in a subset of postnatally born cells in the

Technical experts and policy-makers have increasingly emphasized the need to address extinction risk from artificial intelligence (AI) systems that might circumvent safeguards and thwart attempts to control them (1). Reinforcement learning (RL) agents that plan over a long time horizon far more effectively than humans present particular risks. Giving an advanced AI system the objective to maximize

Intelligent textiles are fabrics and garments with integrated functionalities that can sense, store, process, and communicate information in a seamless, scalable, and unobtrusive manner (1). They create vast opportunities, ranging from monitoring physiological signals (2, 3) and daily physical interactions (4, 5) to powering smart-home devices (6). Challenges to achieving such materials include incorporating

The de novo design of small molecule–binding proteins has seen exciting recent progress; however, high-affinity binding and tunable specificity typically require laborious screening and optimization after computational design. We developed a computational procedure to design a protein that recognizes a common pharmacophore in a series of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase–1 inhibitors. One of three designed

Intelligent textiles provide an ideal platform for merging technology into daily routines. However, current textile electronic systems often rely on rigid silicon components, which limits seamless integration, energy efficiency, and comfort. Chipless electronic systems still face digital logic challenges owing to the lack of dynamic energy-switching carriers. We propose a chipless body-coupled energy

Asthma is deemed an inflammatory disease, yet the defining diagnostic feature is mechanical bronchoconstriction. We previously discovered a conserved process called cell extrusion that drives homeostatic epithelial cell death when cells become too crowded. In this work, we show that the pathological crowding of a bronchoconstrictive attack causes so much epithelial cell extrusion that it damages the

Macrophages are functionally heterogeneous cells essential for apoptotic cell clearance. Apoptotic cells are defined by homogeneous characteristics, ignoring their original cell lineage identity. We found that in an interleukin-4 (IL-4)–enriched environment, the sensing of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages triggered their tissue remodeling signature. Engulfment of apoptotic hepatocytes promoted

Males and females exhibit profound differences in immune responses and disease susceptibility. However, the factors responsible for sex differences in tissue immunity remain poorly understood. Here, we uncover a dominant role for type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in shaping sexual immune dimorphism within the skin. Mechanistically, negative regulation of ILC2 by androgens leads to a reduction in

Macrophages are functionally heterogeneous cells essential for apoptotic cell clearance. Apoptotic cells are defined by homogeneous characteristics, ignoring their original cell lineage identity. We found that in an interleukin-4 (IL-4)–enriched environment, the sensing of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages triggered their tissue remodeling signature. Engulfment of apoptotic hepatocytes promoted

Males and females exhibit profound differences in immune responses and disease susceptibility. However, the factors responsible for sex differences in tissue immunity remain poorly understood. Here, we uncover a dominant role for type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in shaping sexual immune dimorphism within the skin. Mechanistically, negative regulation of ILC2 by androgens leads to a reduction in

Genomic DNA that resides in the nuclei of mammalian neurons can be as old as the organism itself. The life span of nuclear RNAs, which are critical for proper chromatin architecture and transcription regulation, has not been determined in adult tissues. In this work, we identified and characterized nuclear RNAs that do not turn over for at least 2 years in a subset of postnatally born cells in the

Concerns about the ethical use of data, privacy, and data harms are front of mind in many jurisdictions as regulators move to impose tighter controls on data privacy and protection, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Although efforts to hold corporations to account for their deployment of data and data-driven technologies have been largely welcomed by academics and civil society, there is

Understanding universal aspects of quantum dynamics is an unresolved problem in statistical mechanics. In particular, the spin dynamics of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model were conjectured as to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class based on the scaling of the infinite-temperature spin-spin correlation function. In a chain of 46 superconducting qubits, we studied the probability

Asthma is deemed an inflammatory disease, yet the defining diagnostic feature is mechanical bronchoconstriction. We previously discovered a conserved process called cell extrusion that drives homeostatic epithelial cell death when cells become too crowded. In this work, we show that the pathological crowding of a bronchoconstrictive attack causes so much epithelial cell extrusion that it damages the

Thermoelectric materials can realize direct and mutual conversion between electricity and heat. However, developing a strategy to improve high thermoelectric performance is challenging because of strongly entangled electrical and thermal transport properties. We demonstrate a case in which both pseudo-nanostructures of vacancy clusters and dynamic charge-carrier regulation of trapped-hole release have

Phage viruses shape the evolution and virulence of their bacterial hosts. The Salmonella enterica genome encodes several stress-inducible prophages. The Gifsy-1 prophage terminase protein, whose canonical function is to process phage DNA for packaging in the virus head, unexpectedly acts as a transfer ribonuclease (tRNase) under oxidative stress, cleaving the anticodon loop of tRNA Leu . The ensuing

In a world where biodiversity is on the line on many fronts—from armed conflict to pandemics to climate change—defending institutions that have effectively managed it is paramount. In the global effort to protect biodiversity, Mexico has been at the forefront. In particular, for more than 30 years, Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) has promoted research

The de novo design of small molecule–binding proteins has seen exciting recent progress; however, high-affinity binding and tunable specificity typically require laborious screening and optimization after computational design. We developed a computational procedure to design a protein that recognizes a common pharmacophore in a series of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase–1 inhibitors. One of three designed

The synthesis of quaternary carbons often requires numerous steps and complex conditions or harsh reagents that act on heavily engineered substrates. This is largely a consequence of conventional polar-bond retrosynthetic disconnections that in turn require multiple functional group interconversions, redox manipulations, and protecting group chemistry. Here, we report a simple catalyst and reductant

The retractile type IV pilus (T4P) is important for virulence of the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) phage PP7 binds to T4P and is brought to the cell surface through pilus retraction. Using fluorescence microscopy, we discovered that PP7 detaches T4P, which impairs cell motility and restricts the pathogen’s virulence. Using cryo–electron microscopy

Intelligent textiles provide an ideal platform for merging technology into daily routines. However, current textile electronic systems often rely on rigid silicon components, which limits seamless integration, energy efficiency, and comfort. Chipless electronic systems still face digital logic challenges owing to the lack of dynamic energy-switching carriers. We propose a chipless body-coupled energy

Cleistogamy is a type of self-pollination that relies on the formation of a stigma-enclosing floral structure. We identify three homeodomain-leucine zipper IV (HD-Zip IV) genes that coordinately promote the formation of interlocking trichomes at the anther margin to unite neighboring anthers, generating a closed anther cone and cleistogamy (flower morphology necessitating strict self-pollination).

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a routinely used vaccine for protecting children against Mycobacterium tuberculosis that comprises attenuated Mycobacterium bovis. BCG can also be used to protect livestock against M. bovis; however, its effectiveness has not been quantified for this use. We performed a natural transmission experiment to directly estimate the rate of transmission to and from vaccinated

Devices implanted in the human body for sensing conditions and delivering treatments must be biosafe, biocompatible, and biodegradable. These requirements make piezoelectric materials attractive for their design because they convert mechanical force into electricity and vice versa (1). However, traditional piezoelectrics such as lead zirconate titanate are permanent, rather than transient, in nature

People living in urban and industrialized societies, which are expanding globally, spend more than 90% of their time in the indoor environment, breathing indoor air (IA). Despite decades of research and advocacy, most countries do not have legislated indoor air quality (IAQ) performance standards for public spaces that address concentration levels of IA pollutants (1). Few building codes address operation

Mitosis is a challenging time for cells owing to the potential for structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities, termed chromosomal instability, which is a hallmark of cancer (1). In M phase, chromosomal instability is prevented by the spindle assembly checkpoint, which delays cell cycle progression until chromosomes are properly attached to spindle microtubules, ensuring proper separation into

Tuberculosis (TB) has plagued humans around the globe for thousands of years and still causes 10 million new cases every year (1). The second leading cause of death from infectious disease in humans, TB also afflicts animals, both domestic and wild. Bovine TB in cattle causes socioeconomic implications as a result of decreased production, the compulsory slaughter of infected animals, and associated

Freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes and rivers, have been deteriorating in many places worldwide (1). Growing research suggests that many aspects of freshwater health—that is, the maintenance of chemical, physical, and biological integrity—may depend on the composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) (2). DOM consists of thousands of distinct organic compounds that mainly originate from different

Cellular purines, particularly adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), fuel many metabolic reactions, but less is known about the direct effects of pyrimidines on cellular metabolism. We found that pyrimidines, but not purines, maintain pyruvate oxidation and the tricarboxylic citric acid (TCA) cycle by regulating pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity. PDH activity requires sufficient substrates and cofactors