Disorder-assisted real–momentum topological photonic crystal
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08632-9
A real–momentum topological photonic crystal that harnesses real-space disorder is used to generate a Pancharatnam–Berry phase while preserving momentum-space topology.Latitudinal scaling of aggregation with abundance and coexistence in forests
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08604-z
A unified framework is presented that integrates observed spatial patterns of individual trees in forests with ecological processes into a novel coexistence theory.Rare disease gene association discovery in the 100,000 Genomes Project
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08623-w
A rare variant burden analytical framework for Mendelian diseases was developed and applied to data from the 100,000 Genomes Project, identifying 69 probable new disease–gene associations.A systems-level, semi-quantitative landscape of metabolic flux in <i>C. elegans</i>
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08635-6
A strategy is introduced that infers whole-animal metabolic flux wiring from transcriptional phenotypes in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and several features in its adult metabolism are discovered that are validated by stable isotope tracing.Hardware-efficient quantum error correction via concatenated bosonic qubits
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08642-7
Bosonic qubits can be engineered to feature intrinsic protection against certain kinds of errors, which makes quantum error correction across many bosonic qubits possible with less overhead.A travelling-wave strategy for plant–fungal trade
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08614-x
Symbiotic fungi control network-level structure and flows to meet trade demands.Extensive mutual influences of SMC complexes shape 3D genome folding
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08638-3
Orthogonal acute inducible degradation cell lines are used to delineate the mechanisms of how extrusive cohesin, cohesive cohesin and condensin interact to remodel chromosome architecture from interphase to mitosis.Evolutionary flexibility to gain or lose tooth complexity sparks fish diversification
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00541-1
Why are some species more likely to diversify than others? For the largest group of vertebrates, ray-finned fishes, the ability to evolve by transitioning back and forth between simple and complex teeth fuelled their diversification.Superelastic titanium alloy has potential for space missions
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00301-1
Metallurgists have designed an extraordinary titanium alloy that is light, strong and flexible, and which recovers its original shape after large amounts of deformation — even when as cold as liquid helium or hotter than boiling water.Nursing-home residents’ skin is a source of transmitted harmful and drug-resistant microbes
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00306-w
Genomic sequencing has revealed that individual strains of life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and Candida auris fungi reside on human skin and can be commonly transmitted between residents of nursing homes.Iconic ocean-current system is safe from climate collapse ― for now
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00551-z
But even a weaking of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation could have grave consequences worldwide.‘Slime’ keeps the brain safe ― and could guard against ageing
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00554-w
Slippery proteins in the brain’s blood vessels form a protective barrier that breaks break down with age, studies in mice show.Computational workflow limits need to ‘guess and check’ in the synthesis of complex molecules
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00573-7
For decades, chemists have tried to train computers to predict how different molecules can be synthesized, but existing approaches use ‘shortcut’ algorithms that are unreliable when the target is complex. Adding quantum-mechanical and statistical modelling at weak points in the algorithms can provide feedback to reroute the predictions towards successful chemical syntheses.How blowing the whistle on the Theranos scandal transformed Erika Cheung’s career
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00366-y
Cheung, a laboratory assistant straight from university, raised the alarm over dodgy science and a duplicitous boss.Revealing how fungi build planet-altering ‘road’ networks
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00307-9
Fungi made Earth’s land liveable by building networks that released nutrients locked in primordial rock and supplied those nutrients to plant roots. An imaging study now sheds light on how these fungal networks are constructed.NIH turmoil sparks anxiety over future of its global grants
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00595-1
Researchers are concerned about whether the US National Institutes of Health will continue to fund international projects.Atlantic circulation could be more resilient to global warming than was thought
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00300-2
A system of ocean currents called the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation strongly affects climate, but is showing signs of shutting down. An analysis now suggests that total collapse is unlikely this century.Choice
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00571-9
Selective pressure.Can AI help beat poverty? Researchers test ways to aid the poorest people
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00565-7
Measuring poverty is the first step to delivering support, but it has long been a costly, time-intensive and contentious endeavour.Combine AI with citizen science to fight poverty
Nature, Published online: 26 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00561-x
Artificial-intelligence tools and community science can help in places where data are scarce, so long as funding for data collection does not falter in the future.