Articles

For future optical information processing applications, including quantum computing, ever more complex quantum photonic devices are needed. Metcalf et al. present an integrated photonic device capable of three-photon quantum operation, including Hong-Ou-Mandel-type interference between three photons.

Natural populations are complex systems where interactions can lead to chaotic dynamics. This study tests how cyclic and chaotic microbial predator–prey communities synchronize, showing different phase-locking responses for cyclic and chaotic systems.

The flowering time and clock-related protein GIGANTEA has been broadly implicated in the development and physiology of plants. Kim and colleagues studyArabidopsisand find that GIGANTEA modulates salt stress via the release of the protein kinase SOS2, which is required for salt tolerance.

Porous materials are well studied for gas capture and separation technologies. Here, the authors report nitrogen-rich, nanoporous polymers, which display very high CO₂/N₂ selectivity with increasing temperature, which may be attributable to an entropically driven N₂-phobicity effect.

Atomic force microscopy provides surface topography images with atomic resolution, but a quantitative measurement of the force while imaging has been missing. Now, Platzet al. present a method based on modulating the cantilever oscillation amplitude to rapidly measure the interaction between tip and surface.

The antibiotic streptomycin increases errors in protein translation, but it is unclear how streptomycin exerts its effect on the ribosome. Demirci et al. present X-ray crystal structures that reveal conformational changes induced by streptomycin, which may inspire future efforts in antibiotics design.

The practical performance of lithium–sulphur batteries is lower than expected because of polysulphide dissolution into the electrolyte over time. Sehet al. show that a yolk–shell nanoarchitecture is able to encapsulate sulphur cathode materials efficiently and thus allows over 1,000 charge/discharge cycles.

Optical frequency combs are vital tools for precision measurements, and extending them further into the mid-infrared 'molecular fingerprint' range will open new avenues for spectroscopy. Using crystalline microresonators, Wang et al. demonstrate Kerr combs at 2.5 μm as a promising route into the mid-infrared.

Iron-based superconductors have the potential to carry higher currents and withstand higher magnetic fields than present-day superconducting cables. Using an approach developed for cuprates, Si et al. improve the high-field performance of iron-based superconductors well beyond that of conventional superconductors.

Blood clotting is caused by biopolymer-mediated aggregation of platelets and is enhanced by fast shear flows. Chen et al. find a similar process that arises during the self-assembly of polymer–colloid composites—a process that can be controlled and even reversed by flow rate and interparticle interaction.

As the electrical properties of nanostructures are strongly influenced by their surface, a thorough understanding of the surface properties is desirable. The authors demonstrate the use of charge transport in silicon nanomembranes to perform spectroscopy of the electronic structure of the surface states.

Purely organic materials are generally insulating and while charge-carrier generation can provide electrical conductivity, it is rare for single-component systems. Here, symmetric hydrogen bonding between tetrathiafulvalene-based molecules gives rise to room-temperature conductivity and low pressure metallic state transitions.

The ability to control the magnetic order in a material with an electric field will enable low-power non-volatile memories and new types of computer logic. Ryanet al. demonstrate that europium titanate under moderate strain exhibits strong magnetoelectric coupling that could be valuable to this endeavour.

To transfer cultured human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) between culture dishes, cells need to be released using mechanical, enzymatic or chemical means, which can damage cells. Zhanget al. describe a thermomodulatable hydrogel that allows gentle, reagent-free cell passaging for the long-term culture of hESCs.

Systemic infection with the fungal pathogenC. albicans is characterized by high mortality, and the precise antifungal defence mechanisms in humans are poorly defined. Using a systems approach, Smeekens et al. describe a previously unknown role for type I interferons in human anti-Candidadefence.

Lithium is commonly used to treat bipolar disorder, but it exerts side effects at doses close to the therapeutic range. Singh and colleagues screen a collection of clinical compounds and find that ebselen induces lithium-like effects on mouse models of bipolar disorder by inhibiting inositol monophosphatase.

Tree diversity is thought to benefit forest ecosystems, but evidence from large-scale studies is scarce. This study of a 400,000 km²forest area shows that higher tree species richness supports higher levels of multiple ecosystem services, and therefore also a more sustainable management of production forests.

The human germinal centre-associated lymphoma gene is expressed in germinal centre B-lymphocytes; however, its function is unknown. Here the authors show that human germinal centre-associated lymphoma activates Syk kinase, leading to lymphoid hyperplasia and systemic reactive amyloid A amyloidosis in transgenic mice.

Parental responsibilities in mice are usually carried out by the mother of the pups. In this study, the authors show that when mothers are separated from their mouse pups, they emit ultrasonic vocalizations to their male partners, who respond by administering paternal care to the pups.

Non-Abelian anyons are exotic quasiparticles envisioned to be promising candidates for solid-state quantum computation. Clarkeet al. propose a device fabricated from fractional quantum Hall states and superconductors that supports a new type of non-Abelian defect that binds parafermionic zero modes.