Reviews & Analysis

Achieving cost-competitive bio-based processes requires development of stable and selective biocatalysts. In this Perspective, the authors propose an integrated solution combining growth-coupled selection with machine learning and automated workflows to accelerate development pipelines.

Hypersonic vehicles experience extreme temperatures, high heat fluxes, and aggressive oxidizing environments. Here, the authors highlight key materials design principles for critical vehicle areas and strategies for advancing laboratory-scale materials to flight-ready components.

Plants exhibit reproducible timing of developmental events at multiple scales, from switches in cell identity to maturation of the whole plant. Using simplified models to convey key concepts, we review how timing mechanisms interact with the environment to control cyclical and progressive developmental transitions.

Hyperactivation of YAP/TAZ, the Hippo pathway downstream effectors, is common in human cancer. In this perspective, the authors review the role of the Hippo pathway in distinct tumor cell populations, discuss the impact of inhibiting Hippo output on tumor growth, and examine current developments in YAP/TAZ inhibitors.

In this Perspective, the authors discuss the importance of preventing zoonotic spillover to prevent pandemics. They highlight mechanisms by which environmental changes can enable spillover, identify ecological interventions for spillover prevention and suggest policy frameworks through which interventions can be implemented.

Engineering biology is a dynamic field that uses gene editing, synthesis, assembly, and engineering to design new or modified biological systems. Here the authors discuss the policy considerations and interventions needed to support a role for engineering biology in climate change mitigation.

Chemical recycling of plastic enables renewed production of pristine materials, but generally comes at a high energy cost. This review focuses on light-driven approaches for chemically recycling and upcycling plastic waste, with emphasis on reduced energy consumption and selective transformations of challenging to recycle backbone structures.

Despite the enormous progress in the field of giant lipid vesicles, their use for in vivo biomedical applications is limited. Here, the authors discuss red blood cells as inspiration for enhancing those vesicles, investigating the required cellular features and the corresponding technical hurdles.

This review focuses on recent advances in on-chip platforms for patient-like in vitro modeling of the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases as well as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The authors advocate for broader usage of these human-relevant models in the academic and pharmaceutical fields.

Digital quantum simulations of quantum many-body systems have emerged as one of the most promising applications of near-term quantum computing. This Perspective article provides an overview and an outlook on future developments in this field.

Reservoir Computing has shown advantageous performance in signal processing and learning tasks due to compact design and ability for fast training. Here, the authors discuss the parallel progress of mathematical theory, algorithm design and experimental realizations of Reservoir Computers, and identify emerging opportunities as well as existing challenges for their large-scale industrial adoption.

Memristors hold promise for massively-parallel computing at low power. Aguirre et al. provide a comprehensive protocol of the materials and methods for designing memristive artificial neural networks with the detailed working principles of each building block and the tools for performance evaluation.

Rejuvenation and partial reprogramming are two frontier areas in the field of aging. Here, the authors summarize advances in these fields and suggest future directions for research and therapy.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, with its multisystem effects, presents a substantial challenge to clinicians. Here, the authors show the necessity for comprehensive multidisciplinary care and the urgent need for largescale studies to validate standardised treatment protocols for improved outcomes.

The development of human cellular models of aging that surpass the limitations of animal models of aging is urgent. Here, the authors explore the opportunities and limitations of cellular reprogramming to create reliable aging in vitro models and their potential for the discovery of anti-aging compounds.

Wearable devices and exoskeletons can restore and augment the user’s capability but are not necessarily perceived them as part of their bodies. In this perspective, the authors reflect on the importance of integrating environmental, physiological, and physical information to improve the embodiment of wearable robots.

Annexins are calcium-regulated membrane binding proteins with an array of cellular activities. Here, Gerke et al. describe recent research highlighting the many functions of annexins and provide a view on directions for the future.

Optical computing via free-space-based structured optical materials allows to access optical information without the need for preprocessing or optoelectronic conversion. In this Perspective, the authors describe opportunities and challenges in their use for optical computing, information processing, computational imaging and sensing.

α,α-Disubstituted α-amino acids (α-AAs) have improved properties compared to other amino acids. Here, the authors provide an overview of the recent advancements since 2015 and discuss existing challenges for their synthesis.

Assessing the performance of self-driving labs (SDLs) is challenging due to the specificities of each experiment. In this Perspective, the authors review recent literature of SDLs for materials science and chemistry and suggest how to report SDL performance more effectively.