RBM20 is a cardiac splicing regulator whose dysfunction causes severe cardiomyopathies. Here, we uncover an unexpected layer of RBM20 regulation through a previously unrecognized transcription start site located between the canonical exon 1 and exon 2. This alternative transcription start site generates a shorter, functional RBM20 isoform translated from an internal ATG in exon 2...
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy and fibrotic remodeling of the skin and internal organs. Fibrotic tissue changes are considered hardly reversible with current therapies, suggesting that new strategies are required to modulate the disease-associated molecular and cellular phenotype to enable regeneration of affected tissues. Here...
Nanoscale twin boundaries (TBs) effectively restrict the free motion of dislocations by intersecting with other TBs to realize high strength. However, the dislocations parallel to the TBs can glide along the TBs, resulting in detwinning for low strength. Herein, we present a triple-interlocked-nanotwinned (TIT) strategy for overcoming these inherent deficiencies. An Mg-9Li alloy...
This paper tracks long-distance migration on the Pacific coast that began no later than the thirteenth century AD. Genome-wide data for 21 sampled individuals from the lower and middle Chincha Valley of southern Peru show shared ancestry with groups 700 km to the north. A large-scale polity known as the Chincha Kingdom controlled the Chincha Valley from the thirteenth century...
We demonstrate that soft fluctuations of translation symmetry-breaking loop currents provide a mechanism for unconventional superconductivity in kagome metals that naturally addresses the multiple superconducting phases observed under pressure. Focusing on the rich multi-orbital character of these systems, we show that loop currents involving both vanadium and antimony orbitals...
Manifesting across all time, mass and length scales, nonlinearities lie at the core of numerous physical phenomena. Next-generation quantum applications, such as quantum sensing, require the combination of nonlinearity with non-classical correlations. This necessitates the search for an experimental platform which enables a nonlinear response at ultra-low excitation levels in a...
MINFLUX microscopy allows characterization of molecular organization and dynamics with single nanometer spatial resolution and sub-hundred microseconds temporal resolution. However, acquisition times often span minutes to hours as a single fluorophore is measured at a time. Studying live cellular processes therefore requires careful consideration of where and when to apply it...
Brown algae and other red-algae-derived organisms are major contributors to global CO2 fixation via photosynthesis. To understand the photosynthetic function of brown algae, we obtained the structure of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera photosystem I (PSI) with a fucoxanthin-chlorophyll-protein (FCP) antenna and compared it to known structures from the red-algal lineage. We...
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs), widely used in optical communications and computing, require precise post-fabrication trimming due to their high sensitivity to fabrication imperfections. Focused ion beam (FIB) carbon deposition offers a localized trimming approach with high spatial precision. Here, we demonstrate this technique for the first time to enable non-volatile post...
Most natively folded proteins exhibit a unique spatial structure, which undergoes functional motions ranging from picoseconds to seconds, governed by a hierarchically ordered, funnel-shaped free energy landscape. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack such a stable native structure, but undergo fast interconversions between many different structures. Accordingly, the...
Vision-language models trained using self-supervised learning are crucial to reduce the dependency on large volumes of labeled data. However, conventional self-supervised approaches that rely on precise image-text pairing are not always feasible for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) given its ability to visualize cardiac anatomy, physiology, and microstructure in a...
Event-based structured light systems have recently emerged as an exciting alternative to frame-based triangulation for 3D measurement of diffuse surfaces, offering high dynamic range and fast capture speed, but at the cost of reduced data quality. Existing event-based and frame-based 3D imaging systems are typically tailored to a single surface reflectance type, diffuse or...
Astrocytes maintain extracellular ion and transmitter homeostasis, with the Na⁺ inward gradient playing a crucial role. Earlier studies suggested a rather low, uniform Na⁺ distribution in astrocytes, consistent with the view that these basic homeostatic properties are well-protected. Here, we employed multi-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging to quantitatively determine...
The Atacama Desert is the most arid non-polar region on Earth, yet the timing and drivers of its hyperaridity remain debated. The earliest record of extreme aridification is preserved in the Coastal Cordillera of Northern Chile at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary. However, clast exposure ages on low-relief surfaces and supergene mineralisation ages suggest that low precipitation...
Despite rapid advances in perovskite solar cells, solvent selection remains a central determinant of safety, process robustness, and end-of-life outcomes. These constraints are multi-dimensional and involve competing trade-offs, making them challenging to resolve through experimental optimization alone. This Perspective integrates green solvent engineering with artificial...
While attention distraction alleviates pain and negative affect, the underlying neural circuits remain unclear. Here, we show that novelty exposure, a means to attract attention, significantly alleviates acute and chronic pain in mice. Using a Fos-driven viral strategy, we identified a lateral hypothalamus (LH) neuronal ensemble activated during novelty exploration. This novelty...
Tidal wetlands are critical ecosystems for coastal sustainability, yet despite growing regulatory protection, they continue to decline globally. Their long-term resilience to interacting chronic stressors and extreme events remains uncertain, in part because comprehensive, high-frequency monitoring has been lacking. While direct land-use conversion has been substantially...
From sponges to mammals, TGFβ signalling is a central regulator of body plan, cell fate and tissue homeostasis, with receptor architecture highly conserved across metazoans. Here we identify unexpected evolutionary divergence within a key receptor structure: 12 independent ligand-binding domain (LBD) duplications across three receptor classes (ACVR1, BMPR2 and TGFBR2) in diverse...
Attention distraction mitigates pain, yet its neural basis remains elusive. We established cricket hunting as an attention-demanding paradigm that alleviates acute and chronic pain in male mice. Activity tagging revealed that cricket hunting activated a subset of glutamatergic neurons in the superior colliculus (SC). Selective stimulation of these hunting-activated neurons...
Neutrophils are essential for host defense and inflammation, yet their dysfunction is a hallmark of acquired immunodeficiency in kidney disease, contributing to increased susceptibility to infections such as peritonitis, sepsis, and pneumonia. We speculated that impaired renal clearance of the metabolite soluble uric acid (sUA) accounts for neutrophil dysfunction. Indeed...
We present a modular epifluorescence tracking microscope which enables ratiometric imaging of muscles, neurons, and other structures in moving animals. The microscope is assembled entirely from commercial parts within 3 h, making the system broadly accessible. Leveraging the improved brightness and bleaching characteristics of recent genetically encoded indicators and...