The origins of novel behaviors are poorly understood, despite behavior’s hypothesized roles in evolution. One model, “genetic accommodation,” proposes that selection on ancestral phenotypic plasticity may precede the evolution of novel traits. A critical assumption of genetic accommodation is that ancestral lineages possess heritable genetic variation for trait plasticity that is revealed in novel

For a volcanic system, evaluating potential eruption probability requires understanding the extent of melt and gas accumulation in the upper crustal reservoir, which is challenging to resolve. Here, we jointly use geophysical imaging and petrophysical analysis to unravel the current state and pathway of gas or supercritical fluids in the upper crust beneath Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia. Although it

The platypus and four echidna species are the only living egg-laying mammals and the sole extant representatives of Order Monotremata. The platypus and echidnas are very disparate both morphologically and ecologically: The platypus is a specialized semiaquatic burrowing form that forages for freshwater invertebrates, whereas echidnas are fully terrestrial and adapted for feeding on social insects and

Climate-driven sea-level rise is increasing the frequency of coastal flooding worldwide, exacerbated locally by factors like land subsidence from groundwater and resource extraction. However, a process rarely considered in future sea-level rise scenarios is sudden (over minutes) land subsidence associated with great (>M8) earthquakes, which can exceed 1 m. Along the Washington, Oregon, and northern

The 1,4-dihydropyridines, drugs with well-established bioavailability and toxicity profiles, have proven efficacy in treating human hypertension, peripheral vascular disorders, and coronary artery disease. Every 1,4-dihydropyridine in clinical use blocks L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. We now report our development, using selective optimization of a side activity (SOSA), of a class of 1,4-dihydropyridines

Materials in low Earth orbit (LEO) face radiation, atomic oxygen erosion, and extreme temperature fluctuations, which can severely compromise their structural and functional integrity. Developing lightweight, multifunctional materials capable of withstanding these harsh conditions is critical for long-term space exploration and sustainable extraterrestrial settlements. This study evaluates the structural

Contrary to all terrestrial rocks, planets and meteorites exhibit oxygen isotope variations decorrelated with the mass difference of their atomic nuclei. It has been proposed that, in the protosolar nebula (PSN), these variations could result from mass independent isotopic fractionation (MIF) either during specific chemical reactions similar to those responsible for the formation of ozone in the Earth’s

Constructing single-cell atlases requires preserving differences attributable to biological variables, such as cell types, tissue origins, and disease states, while eliminating batch effects. However, existing methods are inadequate in explicitly modeling these biological variables. Here, we introduce SIGNAL, a general framework that leverages biological variables to disentangle biological and technical

Most of the global antibiotic consumption is by the livestock industry, making livestock farms a hotspot of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Farm air poses direct ARG exposure to workers, but the health risks of air resistomes remain unclear. We evaluated the human exposure and health risks of air resistomes in pig and chicken farms and compared air resistomes in Chinese farms to those in European

Transposable elements (TEs) make up the bulk of eukaryotic genomes and examples abound of TE-derived sequences repurposed for organismal function. The process by which TEs become coopted remains obscure because most cases involve ancient, transpositionally inactive elements. Reports of active TEs serving beneficial functions are scarce and often contentious due to difficulties in manipulating repetitive

Efficient behavior is supported by humans’ ability to rapidly recognize acoustically distinct sounds as members of a common category. Within the auditory cortex, critical unanswered questions remain regarding the organization and dynamics of sound categorization. We performed intracerebral recordings during epilepsy surgery evaluation as 20 patient-participants listened to natural sounds. We then built

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in one of at least 50 different genes that encode proteins involved in the biogenesis, structure, or function of motile cilia. Genetically inherited defects in motile cilia cause PCD, a debilitating respiratory disease for which there is no approved therapy. The dynein axonemal intermediate chain 1 (DNAI1) protein

Biofilm formation and encrustation are major issues in indwelling medical devices, such as urinary stents and catheters, as they lead to blockages and infections. Currently, to limit these effects, frequent replacements of these devices are necessary, resulting in a significant reduction in patients’ quality of life and an increase in healthcare costs. To address these challenges, by leveraging recent

Tau forms fibrillar aggregates that are pathological hallmarks of a family of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies. The synthetic replication of disease-specific fibril structures is a critical gap for developing diagnostic and therapeutic tools. This study debuts a strategy of identifying a critical and minimal folding motif in fibrils characteristic of tauopathies and generating seeding-competent

The extinction of conditioned fear responses is crucial for adaptive behavior, and its impairment is a hallmark of anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Fear extinction takes place when animals form a new memory that suppresses the original fear memory. In the case of context-dependent fear memory, the new memory is formed within the reward-responding posterior subset of basolateral

Animals often exhibit increased aggression in response to starvation, while parasites often manipulate host behavior. In contrast, underlying molecular mechanisms for these behavioral changes are mostly unknown. The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella , is an agricultural pest that feeds on cruciferous plants as larvae, while Cotesia vestalis is a parasitoid wasp that parasitizes diamondback moth

For over four decades, our understanding of cellular actin dynamics has been guided by the concept of treadmilling. However, this paradigm has been challenged by the evidence that twinfilin can uncap and promote depolymerization of filament barbed ends, though its precise mechanism remains debated. Using single-molecule microscopy and microfluidics-assisted TIRF imaging, we demonstrate that twinfilin

The transient excitonic condensate is a nonequilibrium electron–hole Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer state in a photoexcited semiconductor and semimetal, where electron–hole pairs undergo a phase transition and condense into a single coherent quantum state. Despite numerous experimental works to realize the predicted excitonic condensation phase, experimental evidence still remains elusive. This is largely

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a pregnancy-related condition characterized by a complex etiology. While placental trophoblast dysfunction is strongly associated with the development and progression of RSA, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we observed a significant decrease in the expression of MYB Proto-Oncogene Like 2 (MYBL2) in the villous tissue

China’s shale gas production has grown annually by 21% since 2017 with long-term national energy strategy calling for continued expansion. This large-scale shale gas development is challenged by constraints on water supply. It requires over 6,000 new wells to be drilled within the Yangtze River Basin in South China—one of China’s most populated regions with sensitive ecological and geological conditions

SYNGAP1 is a key Ras-GAP protein enriched at excitatory synapses, with mutations causing intellectual disability and epilepsy in humans. Recent studies have revealed that in addition to its role as a negative regulator of G-protein signaling through its GAP enzymatic activity, SYNGAP1 plays an important structural role through its interaction with postsynaptic density proteins. Here, we reveal that

Air pollution is a global health crisis that disproportionately affects lower- and middle-income countries. We examine global air quality monitoring data, highlighting persistent inequalities in high-exposure regions, and assess the potential of emerging technologies to improve data utility for mitigation. Improving air quality, however, does not need to wait for more data, nor will monitoring alone

Plasmacytoid Dendritic cells (pDCs) are the most potent producers of interferons, which are critical antiviral cytokines. pDC development is, however, compromised following a viral infection, and this phenomenon, as well as its relationship to conventional (c)DC development is still incompletely understood. By using lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection in mice as a model system, we observed

At high concentration, long Watson/Crick (WC) double-helixed DNA forms columnar crystal or liquid crystal phases of linear, parallel duplex chains packed on periodic lattices. This can also be a structural motif of short NA oligomers such as the 5’-GTAC-3’ studied here, which makes four-base WC duplexes having hydrophobic blunt ends. End-to-end aggregation then assembles these duplexes into columns

Many domesticated species exhibit remarkable phenotypic diversity. In nature, selection produces not only divergence but also convergence when organisms experience similar selective pressures. Whether artificial selection during domestication also produces convergence has received little attention. Three-dimensional shape analysis of domestic cat and dog skulls demonstrated convergence at multiple

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 122, Issue 16, April 2025.

Regional high-resolution climate projections are crucial for many applications, such as agriculture, hydrology, and natural hazard risk assessment. Dynamical downscaling, the state-of-the-art method to produce localized future climate information, involves running a regional climate model (RCM) driven by an Earth System Model (ESM), but it is too computationally expensive to apply to large climate

Natural faults are typically nonplanar and exhibit multiple bends, which deviate from the general fault orientation at different angles. However, while such deviations are considered a key factor controlling earthquake propagation and, hence, its intensity and magnitude, direct experimental evidence of how bends affect earthquake ruptures is nearly nonexistent. Here, we present direct experimental

The distribution of sugars is crucial for plant energy, signaling, and defense mechanisms. Sugar Transport Proteins (STPs) are Sugar Porters (SPs) that mediate proton-driven cellular uptake of glucose. Some STPs also transport fructose, while others remain highly selective for only glucose. What determines this selectivity, allowing STPs to distinguish between compounds with highly similar chemical

This work treats resonant collisions between five identical ultracold bosons in the framework of the adiabatic hyperspherical representation. The five-body recombination rate coefficient is quantified using a semiclassical description in conjunction with an analysis of the lowest five-body hyperspherical adiabatic potential curves in a scattering length regime with no universal weakly bound tetramers

Clownfishes (Amphiprioninae) are a fascinating example of a marine radiation. From a central Pacific ancestor, they quickly colonized the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific and diversified independently on each side of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Their association with sea anemones has been proposed to be a key innovation that enabled the clownfish radiation. However, this intuition has little empirical

Plasmid conjugation is a contact-dependent horizontal gene transfer mechanism that significantly contributes to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. While the molecular mechanisms of conjugation have been extensively studied, our understanding of plasmid transfer dynamics within spatially structured bacterial communities and the influence of community architecture on plasmid dissemination

Neural collapse (NC) reveals that the last layer of the network can capture data representations, leading to similar outputs for examples within the same class, while outputs for examples from different classes form a simplex equiangular tight frame (ETF) structure. This phenomenon has garnered significant attention due to its implications on the intrinsic properties of neural networks. Interestingly

Biogeographic regions arise due to constraints on species ranges, fostering lineage divergence as a result. Yet, convergent evolution means that evolutionary distinct lineages can share similar characteristics when subjected to similar environmental conditions. The ecological convergence of distinct regions has been demonstrated in terrestrial communities, but it remains uncertain if marine systems

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays fundamental roles in embryonic development while its abnormal activation in adults is associated with cancer. Hh targeting drugs have gained FDA approval but resistance emerged quickly, underlining the need for novel types of Hh inhibitors. Hh signaling is initiated by the Hh ligand, generated from the autoprocessing of Hh precursor. However, the catalytic role of a highly

DNA topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) is essential for transcription, replication, and repair. Its function relies on two catalytic steps, DNA breakage and rejoining. Inhibitors of the second step prevent DNA rejoining and lead to persistent DNA breaks, acting as topoisomerase poisons, used as anticancer drugs. However, reliable inhibitors of the first step are not available. Here, we provide genetic and molecular

Understanding the effects of solid boundaries on turbulent fluctuations remains a long-standing challenge. Available data on mean-square fluctuations in these flows show apparent contradiction with classical scaling. We had earlier proposed an alternative model based on the principle of bounded dissipation. Despite its putative success, a conclusive outcome requires much higher Reynolds numbers than

Transport of electrons and ions at carbon surfaces immersed in electrolytes is instrumental for a wide variety of membrane processes as well as energy storage in batteries and supercapacitors. Ion transport in a nanoporous electrode strongly depends on its electronic conductance and on the interfacial capacitance with the electrolyte. In this study, we use in-plane impedance spectroscopy to disentangle

Bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is a multisubunit enzyme that copies DNA into RNA in a process known as transcription. Bacteria use σ factors to recruit RNAP to promoter regions of genes that need to be transcribed, with 60% bacteria containing at least one specialized σ factor, σ 54 . σ 54 recruits RNAP to promoters of genes associated with stress responses and forms a stable closed complex that does

Evolutionary feedbacks occur when evolution in one generation alters the environment experienced by subsequent generations and are an expected result of indirect genetic effects (IGEs). Hypotheses abound for the role of evolutionary feedbacks in climate change, agriculture, community dynamics, population persistence, social interactions, the genetic basis of evolution, and more, but evolutionary feedbacks

Although cochlear implants (CI) are the standard of care for profound sensorineural hearing loss they are technically constrained by the tendency of electrical current to spread within the fluid-filled chambers of the cochlea. This limits the resolution of individual electrodes and patients’ perceptions of complex sounds. Infrared irradiation has been proposed as an alternative to electrical stimulation

Synapses have undergone significant diversification and adaptation, contributing to the complexity of the central nervous system. Understanding their molecular architecture is essential for deciphering the brain’s functional evolution. While nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) are widely distributed across metazoan brains, their associated protein networks remain poorly characterized. Using

Pattern formation in spin systems with continuous-rotational symmetry (CRS) provides a powerful platform to study emergent complex magnetic phases and topological defects in condensed-matter physics. However, its understanding and correlation with unconventional magnetic order along with high-resolution nanoscale imaging are challenging. Here, we employ scanning nitrogen vacancy (NV) magnetometry to

Nonsense mutations are associated with numerous and diverse pathologies, yet effective treatment strategies remain elusive. A promising approach to combat these conditions involves the use of aminoglycosides, particularly in combination with stop-codon read-through enhancers, for developing drugs that can rescue the production of full-length proteins. Using X-ray crystallography and single-particle

Disease and behavior subtype identification is of significant interest in biomedical research. However, in many settings, subtype discovery is limited by a lack of robust statistical clustering methods appropriate for binary data. Here, we introduce LACE-UP [latent class analysis ensembled with UMAP (uniform manifold approximation and projection) and PCA (principal components analysis)], an ensemble

UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GlcUA) is a nucleotide sugar essential for various biological processes in many organisms, and its excess within the cell can disrupt cellular functions. In Cryptococcus , mutations in the UXS1 gene which encodes an enzyme responsible for converting UDP-GlcUA into UDP-xylose, result in excessive accumulation of UDP-GlcUA and confer resistance to the antifungal drug 5-fluorocytosine

Chronic inflammatory skin disorders are characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation and hyperactivation as well as immune cell infiltration. We investigated whether immune cell–derived acetylcholine (ACh) is a modulator of skin inflammation in mice. Here, we identify skin epithelial B cells as a key source of ACh that damps down inflammation. We used imiquimod (IMQ) to induce inflammatory skin

Protein domains of low sequence complexity are unable to fold into stable, three-dimensional structures. In test tube studies, these unusual polypeptide regions can self-associate in a manner causing phase separation from aqueous solution. This form of protein:protein interaction has been implicated in numerous examples of dynamic morphological organization within eukaryotic cells. In several cases

Glutamate-mediated neuronal hyperexcitation plays a causative role in eliciting seizures and promoting epileptogenesis. Recent data suggest that altered autophagy can contribute to the occurrence of epilepsy. We examined the role of autophagy in neuronal physiology by generating knockout mice conditionally lacking the essential autophagy protein ATG5 in glutamatergic neurons. We demonstrate that conditional

Meiotic drivers are selfish genetic elements that bias their own transmission during meiosis or gamete formation. Due to the fundamental differences between male and female meiosis in animals and plants, meiotic drivers operate through distinct mechanisms in the two sexes: In females, they exploit the asymmetry of meiosis to ensure their inclusion in the egg, whereas in males, they eliminate competing

Argonaute (AGO) proteins bind to small RNAs to induce RNA interference (RNAi), a conserved gene regulatory mechanism in animal, plant, and fungal kingdoms. Small RNAs of the fungal plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea were previously shown to translocate into plant cells and to bind to the host AGO, which induced cross-kingdom RNAi to promote infection. However, the role of pathogen AGOs during host infection

The occurrence of coinfections, where hosts are simultaneously infected by multiple pathogens, is widespread in nature and has significant negative impacts on global health. In humans, over one-sixth of the world’s population is affected by coinfections, contributing to several diseases. However, despite the broad ecological relevance and impact on global health, most biomedical research has focused

The tilt illusion—a bias in the perceived orientation of a center stimulus induced by an oriented surround—illustrates how context shapes visual perception. Although extensively studied for decades, we still lack a comprehensive account of the illusion that connects its behavioral and neural characteristics. Here, we demonstrate that the tilt illusion originates from dynamic changes in neural coding

Spontaneous rescue behavior enhances the well-being and survival of social animals, yet the neural mechanisms underlying the recognition and response to conspecifics in need remain unclear. Here, we report that observer mice experience distress when encountering anesthetized conspecifics, prompting spontaneous rescue-like behavior toward the unconscious mice. This behavior facilitates the earlier awakening

Predicting human displacements is crucial for addressing various societal challenges, including urban design, traffic congestion, epidemic management, and migration dynamics. While predictive models like deep learning and Markov models offer insights into individual mobility, they often struggle with out-of-routine behaviors. Our study introduces an approach that dynamically integrates individual and