2026年9月25日

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir

How not to lose the science race

Elie Dolgin

The postwar scientific boom that transformed medicine shows how the US built its edge—and could lose it

2D theoretically twistable material database

Yi Jiang, Urko Petralanda, Hanqi Pi, Grigorii Skorupskii, Qiaoling Xu, Dumitru Călugăru, Haoyu Hu, Jiaze Xie, Rose Albu Mustaf, Peter Höhn, Vicky Haase, Abdelmajid Ouahchi, Soumyajit Samal, Jiacheng Zhu, Dongyang Yang, Zuhan Geng, Garen Avedissian, Yongsong Wang, Maia G. Vergniory, Martin Claassen, Luis Elcoro, Nicolas Regnault, Miguel M. Ugeda, Jie Shan, Kin Fai Mak, Dmitri K. Efetov, Emilia Morosan, Dante M. Kennes, Angel Rubio, Lede Xian, Claudia Felser, Leslie M. Schoop, B. Andrei Bernevig

The study of twisted two-dimensional (2D) materials, in which twisting layers create moiré superlattices, has created opportunities for investigating topological phases and strongly correlated physics. The broader potential of a seemingly infinite set of twistable 2D materials remains largely unexplored. Here, we define “theoretically twistable materials” as single- or multilayer structures that allow for the construction of simple continuum models of their moiré structures. Our high-throughput algorithm systematically searches for theoretically twistable semimetals and insulators based on the Topological 2D Materials Database (2D-TQCDB). By analyzing key electronic properties, we identify thousands of candidate materials, propose representative twistable materials, and provide examples o…

Two-dimensional topological quantum chemistry and catalog of topological materials

Urko Petralanda, Yi Jiang†, Hanqi Pi, Maia G. Vergniory, B. Andrei Bernevig, Nicolas Regnault, Luis Elcoro

Two-dimensional (2D) topological materials host symmetry-protected, disorder-robust edge states central to quantum technologies. Yet they remain scarce compared with their 3D counterparts. We adapted the topological quantum chemistry formalism to layer groups and studied the band topology of 8872 entries from the computational materials databases C2DB and MC2D. We found 4073 topological or obstructed entries, including 905 topological insulators and 1003 obstructed atomic insulators, greatly expanding the library of such materials in two dimensions. Detailed electronic and topological properties of all materials have been compiled into a Topological 2D Materials Database (2D-TQCDB), and the edge states of selected new materials have been studied in detail. Our methodology has been impleme…

Neural evidence that dogs segment the speech they hear with a humanlike consonant bias

Boglárka Morvai, Kinga G. Tóth, Marianna Boros, Dorottya S. Rácz, Ivaylo Iotchev, Kitti Szabó, Attila Andics

Across many human languages, consonants carry more lexical information than vowels. During speech segmentation, humans, unlike nonhuman primates, rely more on consonant than vowel patterns, despite vowels’ greater acoustic saliency. To investigate whether this consonant bias is specific to humans or could also emerge in other species exposed to human speech, we performed noninvasive electroencephalography in humans and dogs. Intertrial coherence measures of neural entrainment and event-related potentials revealed enhanced word-level tracking for consonant- compared with vowel-structured streams in both species. This suggests that dogs, similar to humans, exhibit consonant bias when segmenting the speech they hear. Linguistic regularity–based processing biases can thus also emerge in a non…

Ceramide synthesis mediates colorectal cancer metastasis through a YAP-driven regenerative program

Swagata Goswami, Qiming Zhang, Abdullah Burak Yildiz, Upasana Das Adhikari, Akhouri Kishore Raghawan, Manon Bulliard, Sabhyata Sedhain, Odai Darawshi, Cigdem Elif Celik, Feyza Cansiz, Constantin P. Krempe, Jonas Rösler, Gabriele Allies, Sven W. Meckelmann, Chiashin Chi, Felix-Levin Hormann, Sven Heiles, Joseph Sedlak, Wesley Grace, George Eng, Ethan Reich, Chiara Alquati, Kevin J. Williams, Benjamin J. Read, Edrees H. Rashan, Zhixin Li, Anup Jnawali, Jose A. Ortiz, Chesta Jain, Charles A. Whittaker, Osman H. Yilmaz, Vikram Deshpande, Oliver J. Schmitz, Albert Sickmann, Autumn G. York, Douglas S. Kwon, Ulf Neumann, Maria Fedorova, Matthew G. Vander Heiden, Besim Ogretmen, Nilay S. Sethi, Alpaslan Tasdogan, Ömer H. Yilmaz

Mechanisms by which primary tumor cells acquire metastatic capability through metabolic and signaling adaptations are currently poorly understood. We demonstrate that tumor-intrinsic ceramide metabolism, amplified by dietary fat, initiates colorectal cancer metastasis. We observed that dietary fat exposure triggers a sustained increase in de novo ceramide biosynthesis, mediated by the dihydroceramide desaturase Degs1 . Ceramide accumulation activates yes-associated protein (YAP) through protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)–mediated dephosphorylation, promoting a durable shift toward a distinct YAP-driven regenerative (YAP-DR) program, marked by Basp1 , that promotes metastasis. Selective elimination of Basp1 high cancer cells prevented metastatic seeding. Degs1 loss reduced ceramide levels, YAP…

Mammals produce cyclo -octasulfur to suppress lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis

Uladzimir Barayeu, Seiryo Ogata, Tsuyoshi Takata, Minkyung Jung, Tetsuro Matsunaga, Masanobu Morita, Tomoaki Ida, Mike Lange, Yuka Unno, Saber Boushehri, Paulius Greicius, Akira Nishimura, Lorenzo Catti, Yuexuan Pan, Tianli Zhang, Takayuki Shimizu, Ryo Ushioda, Takakazu Nakabayashi, Seji Asamitsu, Kazuki Fusegawa, Takashi Suzuki, Takanori Ishida, Naoko Tanda, Yasuo Watanabe, Yukihiro Tsuchiya, Ryo Yamaguchi, Shintaro Noguchi, Eikan Mishima, Fumiko Yano, Mieko Arisawa, Dennis J. Stuehr, Ning Xia, Huige Li, Bernd Moosmann, Frauke Gräter, Camilo Aponte-Santamaría, James A. Olzmann, Marcus Conrad, Albert van der Vliet, Tobias P. Dick, Hozumi Motohashi, Michito Yoshizawa, Takaaki Akaike

Elemental sulfur is an evolutionarily ancient metabolite, yet its generation, storage, and function in animals have remained unclear. We show that mammals harbor elemental sulfur in the form of its most stable allotrope, cyclo -octasulfur (S 8 ). We found that S 8 accumulates to millimolar concentrations in mitochondrial membranes and in lipid droplets in both mouse and human cells. We further identified lipid droplet–associated nitric oxide synthase as a source of S 8 biosynthesis and found that S 8 accumulation in lipid droplets limits lipid peroxidation and suppresses ferroptosis. Accordingly, intra-articular injection of solubilized S 8 reduces lipid peroxidation in a mouse model of osteoarthritis. Together, these findings reveal an endogenous pool of S 8 in mammals that may protect c…

Unlocking cycle life of lithium metal batteries

Zheng Li, Chang-Xin Zhao, Yuchen Niu, Dejian Dong, Tengrui Wang, Yue Li, Nan Zhang, Yawei Chen, Pei Li, Weiran Zhang, Joseph Burke Roschella, Xilin Chen, Fu Chen, Yijie Liu, Ai-Min Li, Chunsheng Wang

Lithium-ion Coulombic efficiency (Li CE) is widely used to evaluate interfacial stability and predict cycle life in lithium-ion batteries but fails in lithium-metal batteries (LMBs), in which higher Li CE does not reliably lead to longer cycle life. Here, we reveal that electrolyte depletion caused by unstable solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs) leads to electrolyte dry-out and induces lithium compensation through anode-to-cathode cross-talk, whereby soluble anionic species formed at the anode migrate to the cathode and release Li + from electrolyte salts upon oxidation. We establish quantitative relationships among SEI quality, electrolyte consumption, and lithium compensation, enabling accurate cycle life prediction. The SEI quality–based framework derives quantitative guidelines for e…

Embracing triplet nitrenes for C-to-N replacement of complex bicyclic (hetero)aryl azides

Dong-Il Park, Johanna M. Masterson, Yuri Gelato, Jing Ke, Artem V. Tsymbal, Mark D. Levin

Despite recent proof-of-concept advances, aromatic carbon-to-nitrogen replacement reactions remain substrate specific and exhibit an overreliance on harsh oxidation methods that preclude their deployment in demanding contexts. Transformations relying on singlet nitrene valence isomerization, in particular, have suffered from competitive intersystem crossing to the triplet spin state, which does not undergo the same rearrangement. In this work, we report a reaction that productively engages triplet aryl nitrenes for carbon-to-nitrogen replacement on the benzenoid ring of a range of bicyclic heteroarenes, including naphthalenes, anthracene, indoles, benzofurans, benzothiophene, indazoles, and benzisothiazoles. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions, which enables its application to com…

Prussian blue regulates ion dynamics in perovskite solar cells

Fang Cao, Mengen Ma, Junjie Zhou, Fangwen Cheng, Zheng Dai, Linyuan Chen, Yuhao Hong, Di Tian, Shaoqi Zhan, Yu Chen, Pengfei An, Xin Li, Xinyu Lin, Zhenhuang Su, Xingyu Gao, Jianhao Yang, Xiaofeng Huang, Jun Yin, Jing Li, Hua Zhang, Xian-Kui Wei, Zhiguo Qu, Chong Liu, Chenyi Yi, Yaohua Mai, Binghui Wu, Nanfeng Zheng

Perovskite photovoltaics are limited by structural instabilities initiated during crystallization and amplified under operation. We report that a lattice-matched Prussian blue scaffold directs heterogeneous nucleation to produce highly oriented, strain-relaxed films. Its redox-active Fe–C≡N–Fe network mediates the conversion of Pb 0 and I 0 defects, and its rigid open framework suppresses A-site cation redistribution and the resulting electronic inhomogeneity under bias. This strategy yielded champion power conversion efficiencies of 26.1% (n-i-p) and 26.9% (p-i-n; 26.2% certified), scaling to 23.4% in 6-centimeter–by–6-centimeter minimodules and a certified 22.9% in 30-centimeter–by–30-centimeter submodules. Submodules with initial power conversion efficiencies ranging from 20.2 to 21.0%…

Senescence-directed nanotherapy ameliorates fibrosis and overcomes immune exclusion in cancer

Clemens Hinterleitner, Valentin J. A. Barthet, Hailey V. Goldberg, Kristen C. Vogt, Ana Marie Perea, Logan R. Hillger, Stephen Ruiz, Domhnall McHugh, Yu-Jui Ho, Almudena Chaves-Perez, Maria Skamagki, Sara Flowers, Hannah C. Styers, Natasha Rekhtman, Xueqian Zhuang, Gabriel Dessotti Barretto, Xiang Li, Jadae T. Watson, Wei Luan, Janelle Simon, Tuomas Tammela, Rui Gardner, Charles M. Rudin, Paul B. Romesser, Matthew J. Bott, Aveline Filliol, Daniel A. Heller, Scott W. Lowe

Fibrotic remodeling of tissues and tumors establishes immunosuppressive microenvironments that drive organ dysfunction and, in cancer, limit response to immunotherapy. Senescent-like cells are conserved drivers of fibrosis and therapeutic targets, yet their functional heterogeneity complicates therapeutic intervention. Here, we show that P-selectin is expressed by a subset of senescent-like cells in fibrotic tissues and tumors. Leveraging fucoidan-based nanoparticles that bind P-selectin, we developed senescence-modulating nanoparticles (SMNPs) to selectively target these disease-associated states. SMNPs exerted potent antifibrotic and immunomodulatory effects while improving the therapeutic index. Mechanistically, we identified a pathogenic, immunosuppressive macrophage population as a f…

Escape of the BC200 gene to a human poxvirus reveals its persistent transposition in primates

Pu Gao, Ellen J. Pritham, Cedric Feschotte, Cheng Sun

Transposable elements mobilize within and occasionally between genomes, including from host to virus. We identified two insertions of the human BC200 noncoding RNA gene in the poxvirus molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), which were likely acquired through long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1 or L1)–mediated retrotransposition during modern human history. Although BC200 was co-opted approximately 40 million years ago to regulate neuronal translation, we show that it never lost its mobilization capacity. Rather, BC200 functioned as a “master” source of L1-mediated germline retrotransposition events throughout anthropoid evolution, spawning hundreds of lineage-specific insertions. Additionally, BC200 has produced insertion polymorphisms segregating in the human population, including in…

Conformal oxides decouple chemical stability and energetics at NiO x /perovskite interfaces

Chenchao Xie, Shuai You, Melissa A. Davis, Ross A. Kerner, Kelly Schutt, Ryan A. DeCrescent, Tianran Liu, Manuel A. Rodriguez, Rosemary C. Bramante, Christian Velez, Mirzo Mirzokarimov, Marc J. Migliozzi, Todd Russell, Adam Lorenz, Benjia Dak Dou, Michael Owen-Bellini, Axel F. Palmstrom, Duong Nguyen Minh, Michael D. McGehee, Joseph J. Berry, Laura T. Schelhas, Kai Zhu, Joseph M. Luther

Nickel oxide (NiO x ) is a common hole transport layer (HTL) in perovskite photovoltaics, but the chemical reactivity of NiOx surfaces accelerates degradation when contacting perovskites. We developed an ultrathin, conformal tin oxide (SnO x ) interlayer to suppress interfacial reactivity between NiO x and perovskite. SnO x is typically an electron transport layer, but we show that the energy alignment can be modified for hole extraction using molecules with dipoles. This synergy yielded high efficiency in perovskite photovoltaic devices and showed an ~10x improvement in T 90 lifetime in open-circuit conditions under AM1.5G at 65°C. This structure also improves resilience to thermomechanical durability, as minimodules retained 95.7% of their initial performance after 1000 thermal cycles (…

Targeting an atypical G protein–coupled receptor signaling pathway for cardiac fibrosis therapy

Hao Zhang, Rabindra V. Shivnaraine, Lu Ren, Phung N. Thai, Remi Janicot, Wenjuan Zhu, Rihua Huang, Dirk H. Siepe, Chengyi Tu, Wenqiang Liu, Marcin Maziarz, Jonathan C. Deutsch, Yu Liu, Chun Liu, Danielle H. Shin, Hyeonyu Kim, Mark Chandy, Marian Kalocsay, Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, Mikel Garcia-Marcos, Brian K. Kobilka, Joseph C. Wu

Cardiac fibrosis independently predicts adverse outcomes in heart failure (HF), yet no Food and Drug Administration–approved therapy directly targets fibrotic remodeling in the heart. To address this unmet clinical need, we used a multidimensional drug discovery pipeline centered on a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–based platform. Through high-throughput screening, we identified CGS15943 (CGS) as the lead antifibrotic compound and validated its activity in human cardiac fibroblasts, three-dimensional engineered heart tissues, and animal models of HF. Mechanistic studies revealed an atypical adenosine receptor (AR)–dependent signaling pathway in which AR subtypes converge on Gβγ (the βγ subunits of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins) to activate phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K…

An in-body networking system for communication between wearable and implantable therapeutics

Ramy Ghanim, Yoon Jae Lee, Garan Byun, Joy Jackson, Julia Z. Ding, Jihoon Park, Markella Bibidakis, Elaine Feller, Eugene Kim, Dilay Aygun, Anika Kaushik, Alaz Cig, Sean Healy, Camille E. Cunin, Aristide Gumyusenge, Woon-Hong Yeo, Alex Abramson

Networks of bioelectronic sensors and actuators enable closed-loop therapies that connect distant, related physiological dynamics. Currently, device interactions are limited by communication methods that inefficiently penetrate tissue and require bulky components. Inspired by the ionic signaling of the nervous system, we engineered a communication platform that uses tissue as a conductive medium to transmit signals among implants and wearables through epidermal, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and gastrointestinal spaces. Devices generate transient electric fields that selectively activate other devices when receiving pulses that switch on their specific transistor circuits. Implants are syringe-injectable, require negligible power consumption in listening states, and provide >10× greater…

Bumblebees don’t mind a little plastic in their honeypots

Youthful fans of YouTube sports videos stick to the sofa

GLP-1 drugs fail to help some people lose weight — scientists are on a quest for answers

Mariana Lenharo

AI system helps lab devices ‘talk’ with each other — streamlining research

Kaia Glickman

AI agent hacks government website for first time: why this breach matters

Rachel Fieldhouse

AlphaFold 'goes viral': database adds protein complexes of common viruses

Ewen Callaway

Carbon removal projects need to get justice right

Benjamin K. Sovacool

Public support for novel carbon removal hinges on procedural and distributive fairness

Benjamin K. Sovacool

Abstract Alongside the need for rapid emissions reductions, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is emerging as a central pillar of global climate policy. Scaling up carbon removal raises pressing questions about how this can be done in an equitable and socially legitimate manner. Using vignette experiments with nationally representative surveys in six global south and global north countries ( N = 10,852 respondents across Brazil, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Norway and the UK), we examine which modes of implementing novel carbon removal methods gain public support across diverse socio-political settings. We find that support hinges on procedural and distributive fairness: opening planning processes to public and expert scrutiny, benefit sharing and not-for-profit arrangements co…

The impact of financing cost differences on global energy and industry decarbonization

Bjarne Steffen

Abstract Integrated assessment models usually neglect differences in financing conditions across countries, sectors and time. This omission could distort outcomes concerning electricity generation and also other sectors. Here we estimate and implement dynamic, country-specific cost of capital (CoC) for eight energy and industry sectors in the IMAGE integrated assessment model. Compared with assuming a uniform low-risk CoC, accounting for developing countries’ investment risks increases global mitigation costs through 2100 for staying well below +2 °C by around 9% and shifts cost-effective mitigation efforts to lower-risk regions. Sector-level analysis shows that using granular CoC estimates reduces grid investments in developing countries, shifts centralized heat production towards natura…

Experimental simulation of water formation on Earth from dry pebble rain

Anthony M. Gargano

Asymmetric Mo–Ni atom pairs enable scalable water oxidation at industrial current densities

Lizhi Zhang

Valuing regional coordination of nutrient discharge management

Meagan S. Mauter