De novo designed proteins neutralize lethal snake venom toxins
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08393-x
Deep learning methods have been used to design proteins that can neutralize the effects of three-finger toxins found in snake venom, which could lead to the development of safer and more accessible antivenom treatments.Ensemble reactivations during brief rest drive fast learning of sequences
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08414-9
In macaques, motor cortex activity associated with motor learning tasks is reactivated during brief breaks between learning blocks and predicts subsequent performance gains.Bilayer nanographene reveals halide permeation through a benzene hole
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08299-8
Halide permeation through a single benzene-sized defect in a molecular nanographene shows the permeability of fluoride, chloride and bromide, whereas iodide is impermeable.Autoactive CNGC15 enhances root endosymbiosis in legume and wheat
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08424-7
Nuclear calcium oscillations initiate plant–arbuscular mycorrhiza and nitrogen-fixing bacteria symbioses for nutrient acquisition, with a newly discovered autoactive CNGC15 mutant enhancing these partnerships, potentially improving crop nutrition and reducing inorganic fertilizer dependence.Methane emissions from the Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08396-8
Modelling of the evolution of atmospheric methane emissions from the 2022 Nord Stream subsea pipeline leaks shows that the event emitted the largest recorded amount of methane from a single transient event.Illuminating the multidimensional contributions of small-scale fisheries
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08448-z
A study aimed at revealing the role of small-scale fisheries in sustainable development shows they provide at least 40% of the global fishing catch and affect the livelihoods of 1 in 12 people in the world, among other important contributions.Widespread occurrence and relevance of phosphate storage in foraminifera
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08431-8
Phosphate storage in foraminifera is found to be widespread, indicating that these organisms are probably relevant for marine phosphorus cycling and potentially buffer anthropogenic eutrophication in coastal environments.Elemental cryo-imaging reveals SOS1-dependent vacuolar sodium accumulation
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08403-y
This study demonstrates that cryo nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (CryoNanoSIMS) enables direct multi-elemental imaging at subcellular resolution of macro- and micronutrients or trace elements in plants and may provide insights into the in vivo roles of many transporters.Transducing chemical energy through catalysis by an artificial molecular motor
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08288-x
A cross-linked polymer gel driven by artificial molecular motors transforms chemical energy into mechanical force, achieving powered contraction and re-expansion, demonstrating a considerable advance in understanding energy transduction mechanisms and informing nanotechnology design principles.Clouds reduce downwelling longwave radiation over land in a warming climate
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08323-x
Results derived from an optimal spectral fingerprinting method applied to reanalysis and satellite datasets show that low cloud cover in warming climates caused a reduction in downwelling longwave radiation over land, which is not site specific.Joint speech and text machine translation for up to 100 languages
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08359-z
SEAMLESSM4T is a single machine translation tool that supports speech-to-speech translation, speech-to-text translation, text-to-speech translation, text-to-text translation and automatic speech recognition between up to 100 languages.Specification of claustro-amygdalar and palaeocortical neurons and circuits
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08361-5
A conserved gene regulatory network involving SOX4, SOX11 and TFAP2D shapes the development of excitatory neurons in ventrolateral pallium and their connectivity with the prefrontal cortex.Cationic peptides cause memory loss through endophilin-mediated endocytosis
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08413-w
Elucidation of the mechanism by which zeta inhibitory peptide erases memories, involving endocytosis of AMPA receptors on potentiated synapses, provides insight into more general mechanisms of memory maintenance and response to traumatic brain injury.Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08418-5
Ancient genome-wide data of 722 individuals and interdisciplinary analysis of large seventh- to eighth-century ce neighbouring cemeteries near Vienna are used to address the impact of the encounter between Eastern Asian Avars and Europeans.Women were at the centre of social networks in Iron Age Britain
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04214-3
Evidence from 2,000-year-old DNA reveals that women in Celtic society stayed in their ancestral communities after marriage, whereas men were mobile, and that the southern coast of Britain was a hotspot for cultural exchange.The road to CAR-T-cell therapy for lethal childhood brain tumours
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04156-w
A phase I clinical trial of GD2-CAR T cells (immune cells engineered to target the molecule GD2) in children and young adults with diffuse midline gliomas — incurable cancers of the central nervous system — shows promising results. Several trial participants exhibited substantial improvements, and one child’s tumour has been undetectable for more than three years.A mutation makes plant roots more welcoming to beneficial microbes
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00092-5
Promoting mutually beneficial relationships between plants and soil microbes that enhance nutrient acquisition by plants could improve crop production without increasing inorganic-fertilizer use. A mutation that causes an amino-acid substitution in a channel called CNGC15 in the plant cell’s nucleus boosts the formation of such endosymbiotic relationships.Striving for open-source and equitable speech-to-speech translation
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04095-6
US technology company Meta has produced an AI model that can directly translate speech in one language to speech in another. Two scientists discuss the technical feats and ethical questions that underpin this advance in machine translation.Imaging reveals how plants cope with salt
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04213-4
A groundbreaking imaging method for tracking salt inside plant cells has rewritten knowledge of how roots handle toxic levels of sodium ions. The findings might aid efforts to boost plant resilience to stress driven by high levels of salt.Gene drives development of brain’s emotional centre and its connections
Nature, Published online: 15 January 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-04143-1
A brain structure called the amygdala, and its connections with another region, the prefrontal cortex, shape people’s experiences and social interactions. The discovery of a key molecular mechanism that controls the development of these structures uncovers principles about how cortico-amygdala circuits form, and shows how this connectivity might be altered in neuropsychiatric disorders.