Peer Review in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
Nature Portfolio’s editorial urges reviewers to use generative AI responsibly, insisting on transparent disclosure and human validation of any AI‑generated content. It warns that uploading manuscripts to AI tools can breach confidentiality and may expose reviewers to legal risk. While AI can streamline tasks such as grammar checks or literature summarisation, it must not replace critical judgment. The publisher commits to ongoing training, policy updates, and the development of secure, purpose‑fit tools to support, not supplant, peer‑review rigor.
Why Electrodics Is Essential for Future Energy Technologies
Jelena Popovic‑Neuber’s Nature Nanotechnology comment argues that electrodics—the study of charge dynamics at electrode‑electrolyte interfaces—must receive greater emphasis to unlock advances in energy technologies. She highlights how detailed electrodic characterization can clarify ion transport in porous composite electrodes, a key...
Single Indium Atoms Shape CO2-to-Methanol Catalysis
Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory have shown that monoclinic hafnia can stabilize atomically dispersed indium atoms, creating highly active interfacial sites for CO₂ hydrogenation. The single‑atom indium catalyst delivers markedly higher methanol selectivity and operates at lower temperatures compared with...
On the Interpretation of Astrocytic Calcium Signalling with Graphene Oxide Electrodes
The authors reassess a 2024 Nature Nanotechnology claim that graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrodes can selectively trigger external calcium influx or internal calcium release in astrocytes. They argue that GO’s insulating nature and rGO’s conductivity produce...
When Quantum Fluids of Light Crystallize
Researchers Dario Gerace and Daniele Sanvitto reported the first observation of room‑temperature supersolidity in a quantum fluid of light. They integrated a single‑crystal halide perovskite with a patterned nano‑grating, creating a nonlinear optical lattice that supports polariton condensation. Measurements revealed...
Reply To: On the Interpretation of Astrocytic Calcium Signalling with Graphene Oxide Electrodes
The authors issue a formal reply to critiques of their 2024 Nature Nanotechnology study on graphene‑oxide (GO) electrodes and astrocytic calcium signaling. They reaffirm that GO electrodes reliably trigger distinct calcium transients in cultured astrocytes, and they present additional control...
Enhancing Antitumour Nanovaccine Efficacy via Integrated Cholesterol Modulation in Situ
Researchers have created a nanovaccine, NPCM‑OT, that simultaneously delivers tumor antigens and depletes cholesterol from dendritic cell membranes. The cholesterol reduction reshapes lipid microdomains, enhancing immune‑synapse formation and CD8⁺ T‑cell activation. In multiple mouse tumor models, the vaccine showed both...
Versatile Heavy Metal Ion Separation via Biological Ion-Channel-Inspired Membranes
Researchers have unveiled a polymeric membrane that mimics biological ion channels to separate heavy‑metal ions with unprecedented precision. By engineering sub‑nanometre pores and embedding metal‑binding ligands, the membrane selectively captures ions such as lead, cadmium and mercury while allowing water...
Louis E. Brus (1943–2026)
Louis E. Brus, a pioneering chemist‑physicist, died at 82, leaving a legacy that defined the field of semiconductor nanocrystals, now known as quantum dots. His early work at Bell Labs uncovered the optical properties of colloidal nanocrystals, launching a multibillion‑dollar...
Printed MoS2 Memristive Nanosheet Networks for Spiking Neurons with Multi-Order Complexity
Researchers at Northwestern University have aerosol‑jet printed graphene/MoS₂/graphene memristive networks that exhibit snap‑back negative differential resistance and volatile threshold switching. The printed devices operate on flexible substrates, delivering oscillatory neuron circuits with tunable spiking frequencies up to 20 kHz and surviving...
Giant Room-Temperature Third-Order Electrical Transport in a Thin-Film Altermagnet Candidate
Researchers report a giant third‑order electrical transport response at room temperature in (101)‑oriented RuO₂ thin films 5–9 nm thick. The third‑order Hall signal surpasses that of previously studied materials such as FeSn, MnBi₂Te₄, and Cd₃As₂, even without high magnetic fields. X‑ray...
Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions with Anion-Bridged Secondary Solvation Sheaths for Highly Efficient Zinc Metal Batteries
Researchers have introduced an anion‑bridged secondary solvation sheath in aqueous electrolytes, reshaping Zn2+ coordination and suppressing water‑induced side reactions. The engineered electrolyte delivers near‑unity Coulombic efficiency (>99.5%), supports current densities up to 5 mA cm⁻², and enables over 1,000 stable charge‑discharge cycles...
Picosecond-Scale Coherent Toggle Switching of Topological Spin Helicity
Researchers have experimentally achieved coherent toggle switching of magnetic vortex helicity in nanoscale disks within a few hundred picoseconds. The transition is triggered by a single femtosecond laser pulse combined with an out‑of‑plane magnetic field, leveraging photothermal demagnetization and subsequent...
Magnetic Circular Dichroism Imaging of Atomic-Scale Antiferromagnetic Order at a Buried Interface
Researchers led by Dongsheng Song have demonstrated magnetic circular dichroism imaging of antiferromagnetic order at atomic resolution across a buried DyFeO₃/SmFeO₃ interface using scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with electron energy‑loss spectroscopy. By optimizing convergence semi‑angle and sample thickness, they...
Prodrug-Tethered Lipid Nanoparticles for Synergistic Messenger RNA Cancer Immunotherapy
Researchers have engineered lipid nanoparticles tethered with a prodrug that releases an IDO‑1 inhibitor while simultaneously delivering mRNA encoding interleukin‑12. The dual‑action formulation, administered intratumorally, generated robust CD8⁺ T‑cell responses, mitigated T‑cell exhaustion, and produced complete tumor regressions in several...