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Changes in salt-marsh areas around the world between 2000 and 2019 were quantified using satellite records, and the effects of these changes — collectively representing a slowing net global loss — on carbon emissions were estimated. Storm events were found to be key drivers of salt-marsh loss in the United States.
The electrolytic splitting of saline water is a highly desirable and sustainable method for the mass production of green hydrogen, but seawater contains many impurities that hinder the long-term stability of conventional electrolysis systems. A method for enabling the electrolysis of seawater has been developed that addresses previous side-reaction and corrosion problems.
A system of nine quantum bits has been used to simulate a state known as a holographic wormhole, a concept that features in attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics with the general theory of relativity.
The concept of dendrocentric learning artificial intelligence is proposed to replace synaptocentric learning, reducing the energy use requirement and removing the thermal constraint.
Abnormalities in gut bacteria can contribute to hard-to-treat illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel diseases. Efforts to harness bacterium-targeting viruses reveal a promising way to tackle these conditions.
Structural insights into a long-studied folate-transport protein provide evidence that might lead to entirely new targeted anticancer treatments, or boost the success of immunotherapy approaches to tackling tumours.
Touch signals from the skin are carried to the brain by intermingled projections of two pathways in the spinal cord. These pathways convey distinct features of tactile stimuli, and converge differentially on brainstem neurons that direct different aspects of touch to various brain regions.
The enzyme V-ATPase pumps protons into vesicles at the synaptic connections between neuronal cells, and is crucial for neuronal communication. Observations of individual V-ATPase molecules reveal that they randomly switch between proton-pumping, rest and leaking modes, which each last for several minutes, with potential implications for neurotransmission.
Radiation from a jet of ultrafast particles powered by a supermassive black hole suggests that the particles are accelerated by shock waves propagating along the jet, making them shine with the brightness of 100 billion Suns.
Mounting evidence suggests that developing neurons and metastatic cancer cells migrate through similar mechanisms. Characterization of a previously unknown complex involved in cell migration confirms this idea.
A theory shows that active agents can cooperate in the presence of disorder — a result that could inform the design of robots that organize on rough surfaces, or show how cells migrate en masse.
Crops such as maize need nitrogen to create protein, and the yield of many modern crops relies on nitrogen fertilizers. A previously unknown gene variant found in a non-domesticated maize variety enables plants to use nitrogen more efficiently and produce more protein than their modern counterparts.
Bacteria have evolved diverse immune systems to defend themselves against viral infection. Many of these systems require specific viral triggers for activation, but these triggers and their activation mechanisms remain mostly unknown. A bacterial immune system that senses a viral structural protein enables an effective immune response against viral infection.
People who carry a particular variant of the APOE gene are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It emerges that this might be due to decreased production of a fatty substance called myelin by oligodendrocyte cells.
Bacteria are frequently present in human cancers. The use of state-of-the-art methods for tumour analysis that capture spatial information and single-cell molecular profiles paves the way to clarifying the roles of these microorganisms.
Immune-related adverse events are a limiting factor in the use of cancer immunotherapies but the mechanisms and risk factors are largely unknown. T cells that recognize a heart-muscle protein mediate an immunotherapy-related condition called myocarditis.
A 30-year record of ocean-current velocities has been used to infer wind speeds during tropical cyclones. The data show that these storms have intensified over time, supporting claims that their strength will increase as the planet warms.
Existing telecommunications infrastructure could operate as a miniaturized global positioning system, offering submetre resolution in urban areas and indoors, where location information from satellites is often inaccurate.
