Aluminium comprises over 8% of Earth's crust and is the most abundant metallic constituent1. Historically, aluminium catalysis has predominantly exploited the inherent Lewis acidity associated with its stable +III oxidation state2. Owing to its uniquely low electronegativity (1.61)-the lowest among p-block elements-and the absence of an inert-pair effect, aluminium presents formidable intrinsic challenges for engaging in catalytic redox transformations. Here we report the redox catalytic capability of a low-valent aluminium species, carbazolylaluminylene3, which carries out a complete Al(I)/Al(III) catalytic cycle encompassing oxidative addition, double insertion, intramolecular isomerization and reductive elimination-fundamental mechanistic steps conventionally exclusive to transition-metal catalysis. Leveraging this Al(I)/Al(III) redox cycle, we achieve highly efficient and regioselective Reppe cyclotrimerization of alkynes4,5, producing diverse benzene derivatives with a turnover number of up to 2,290. Through X-ray crystallographic and quantum chemical analyses, we elucidate how the dynamic nitrogen geometry within the carbazolyl ligand framework precisely modulates the aluminium coordination environment, thereby facilitating the catalytic cycle. This work fundamentally advances the conceptual understanding of main-group redox catalysis. It further sets a compelling precedent for future catalyst design and sustainable synthetic methodologies centred on aluminium redox transformations.

Protecting qubits from noise is essential for building reliable quantum computers. Topological qubits offer a route to this goal by encoding quantum information non-locally, using pairs of Majorana zero modes. These modes form a shared fermionic state whose occupation-either even or odd-defines the fermionic parity that encodes the qubit1. Notably, this parity can only be accessed by a measurement that couples two Majoranas to each other. A promising platform for realizing such qubits is the Kitaev chain1, implemented in quantum dots coupled using superconductors2. Even the minimal two-site chain hosts a pair of Majorana modes, often called 'poor man's Majoranas', which are spatially separated but offer limited protection compared with longer chains3-5. Here we introduce a measurement technique that reads out their parity through quantum capacitance. Our method couples two Majoranas and resolves their parity in real time, visible as random telegraph switching with lifetimes exceeding a millisecond. Simultaneous charge sensing confirms that the two parity states are charge neutral and remain indistinguishable to a probe that does not couple the modes. These results establish the essential readout step for time-domain control of Majorana qubits, resolving a long-standing experimental challenge.

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) removes bulky adducts from genomic DNA and prevents the ultraviolet light-sensitivity disease xeroderma pigmentosum, cancer and premature ageing1. After initial lesion recognition by XPC in global genome repair or by stalled RNA polymerases in transcription-coupled repair, a lesion and surrounding DNA duplex are unwound by TFIIH, which includes the ATPases XPB and XPD, and additional NER factors XPA, XPF, XPG and RPA, to form a DNA bubble2 comprising around 27 nucleotides. The double strand-single strand (ds-ss) junction-specific endonucleases XPF and XPG cleave DNA on the 5' and 3' sides of the lesion, respectively. Here we report the functional steps and atomic structures of the ATPase-driven and lesion-dependent DNA bubble formation and arrangement of the complete NER factors for dual incision. The unwinding of nearly 30 base pairs of DNA depends mainly on the double strand DNA translocase XPB and the duplex dividers XPA and XPF. XPD binds the lesion strand with XPF at the 5' ds-ss junction. XPF cuts the lesion strand only after XPG binds the 3' ds-ss junction. The ERCC1 subunit of XPF facilitates DNA strand separation and recruitment of RPA to the non-lesion strand. These findings provide insights on the causes of human diseases and potential targets for enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy.

Identifying a catalyst class to optimize the enantioselectivity of a new reaction, either involving a different combination of known substrate types or an entirely unfamiliar class of compounds, is a formidable challenge. Statistical models trained on a reported set of reactions can help predict out-of-sample transformations1-5 but often face two challenges: (1) only sparse data that offer limited information on catalyst-substrate interactions are available; and (2) simple stereoelectronic parameters may fail to describe mechanistically complex transformations6,7. Here we report a descriptor generation strategy that accounts for changes in the enantiodetermining step with catalyst or substrate identity, allowing us to model reactions involving distinct ligand and substrate types. As validating case studies, we collected data on enantioselective nickel-catalysed C(sp3) couplings8 and trained statistical models with features extracted from the transition states and intermediates proposed to be involved in asymmetric induction. These models allow the optimization of poorly performing examples reported in a substrate scope and are applicable to unseen ligands and reaction partners. This approach offers the opportunity to streamline catalyst and reaction development, quantitatively transferring knowledge learned on sparse data to chemical spaces.

Caribbean reefs have experienced major human-driven changes to their coral and fish communities1-4, yet how these changes have affected trophic dynamics remains poorly understood owing to challenges in reconstructing the trophic structure of pre-human-impact reefs. Advances in fossil-bound protein nitrogen isotope (15N/14N) analysis now enable the reconstruction of ancient trophic dynamics5,6, as the 15N to 14N ratio reflects an animal's trophic position7. Here we apply this method to modern and prehistoric (7,000-year-old) fish otoliths (ear stones) and corals from Caribbean Panama and the Dominican Republic, focusing on fishes occupying low to middle trophic levels. We find that although the trophic level typically declined in high-trophic-level fishes over time, it increased or remained unchanged in low-trophic-level fishes, indicating that modern food chains are 60-70% shorter than on the prehistoric reefs in both Panama and the Dominican Republic. Furthermore, across all trophic groups, we observed a marked reduction in dietary variation, with a 20-70% lower trophic range on the modern reefs compared to the prehistoric reefs. This pattern is best explained by less dietary specialization in modern reefs, consistent with less ecological complexity than in prehistoric reefs. These differences document and quantify the trophic simplification that has occurred on modern Caribbean reefs, a change that may increase their vulnerability to ecosystem collapse.

Quantum electrodynamics (QED), the first relativistic quantum field theory, describes light-matter interactions at a fundamental level and is one of the pillars of the Standard Model (SM). Through the extraordinary precision of QED, the SM predicts the energy levels of simple systems such as the hydrogen atom with up to 13 significant digits1, making hydrogen spectroscopy an ideal test bed. The consistency of physical constants extracted from different transitions in hydrogen using QED, such as the proton charge radius rp, constitutes a test of the theory. However, values of rp from recent measurements2-7 of atomic hydrogen are partly discrepant with each other and with a more precise value from spectroscopy of muonic hydrogen8,9. This prevents a test of QED at the level of experimental uncertainties. Here we present a measurement of the 2S-6P transition in atomic hydrogen with sufficient precision to distinguish between the discrepant values of rp and enable rigorous testing of QED and the SM overall. Our result ν2S-6P = 730,690,248,610.79(48) kHz gives a value of rp = 0.8406(15) fm at least 2.5-fold more precise than from other atomic hydrogen determinations and in excellent agreement with the muonic value. The SM prediction of the transition frequency (730,690,248,610.79(23) kHz) is in excellent agreement with our result, testing the SM to 0.7 parts per trillion (ppt) and, specifically, bound-state QED corrections to 0.5 parts per million (ppm), their most precise test so far.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) makes use of the principles of quantum mechanics to enable provably secure communication1,2. One substantial challenge persists in building large-scale QKD networks with many clients over long communication distances3. Although quantum relays continue to pose practical difficulties4, existing trusted-node networks5-9, point-to-multipoint networks10,11 and wavelength-multiplexed entanglement networks12,13 encounter issues such as reliance on trusted intermediaries or limited distances. Twin-field quantum key distribution (TF-QKD) provides a compelling architecture that can overcome those issues while enhancing communication distance14. Although long-distance point-to-point TF-QKD has been achieved15-21, realizing large-scale networks requires scalable quantum devices. Here we report a proof-of-principle demonstration of an integrated-photonics TF-QKD network with exceptional scalability and reliability. This network includes 20 independent client-side QKD transmitter chips with one server-side optical microcomb chip. The microcomb generates a broad range of ultralow-noise coherent frequency combs with Hz-level linewidths, which serve as seeds and references for all client chips. Each client chip regenerates ultralow-noise light phase-locked to microcombs and prepares quantum keys. We sequentially implement pairwise QKD across 20 client chips through ten wavelength-multiplexed channels, with each surpassing the repeaterless bound at 370 km in spooled fibre, achieving a networking capability (client pairs × communication distance) of 3,700 km. We further demonstrate the wafer-scale reproducibility of both server-side microcomb chips and client-side QKD transmitter chips, together establishing system-level scalability. Combining mass-manufacturability, cost-effectiveness and high scalability of integrated photonics with long-distance quantum communication represents a viable path to large-scale quantum networks.

Metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have demonstrated excellent external quantum efficiency (EQE), easy colour tunability and low-cost processability, making them promising next-generation display techniques1-3. However, PeLEDs still underperform compared with organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with an EQE of about 40% because of insufficient charge confinement and defect-caused non-radiative recombination on the film surface. Here we report a spontaneously formed 3D/2D vertically oriented perovskite heterojunction by means of a simple one-step spin-coating method, which could effectively confine the charge carriers and shift the radiation zone away from the defect-rich surface region. Notably, the 2D perovskite on top exhibits a wrinkled surface morphology, which offers up to 45.4% light extraction efficiency. The resulting PeLEDs achieved an EQE of 42.9% for the green emission (certified 42.3%). Our work sheds light on the strategies for fabricating high-efficiency PeLEDs in the future.

Polyatomic molecules provide complex internal structures that are ideal for applications in quantum information science1, quantum simulation2-4 and precision searches for physics beyond the standard model5-9. A key feature of polyatomic molecules is the presence of parity-doublet states. These structures, which generically arise from the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom afforded by polyatomic molecules, are a powerful feature to pursue diverse quantum science applications7. Linear triatomic molecules contain ℓ-type parity-doublet states in the vibrational bending mode, which are predicted to exhibit robust coherence properties. Here we report optically trapped CaOH molecules prepared in ℓ-type parity-doublet states and realize a bare qubit coherence time of T2*=0.8(2)s , which is longer than the 0.36 s lifetime of the bending mode10,11. We suppress differential Stark shifts by cancelling ambient electric fields using molecular spectroscopy and characterize parity-dependent trap shifts, which are found to limit the coherence time. The parity-doublet coherence times achieved in this work are a defining milestone for the use of polyatomic molecules in quantum science.

Orthosteric inhibitors block enzyme active sites and prevent substrates from binding1. Enhancing their specificity through substrate dependence seems inherently unlikely, as their mechanism hinges on direct competition rather than selective recognition. Here we show that a molecular glue mechanism unexpectedly imparts substrate-dependent potency to CSN5i-3, an orthosteric inhibitor of the COP9 signalosome (CSN). We first confirm that CSN5i-3 inhibits CSN, which catalyses NEDD8 (N8) deconjugation from the cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases, by occupying the active site of its catalytic subunit, CSN5, and directly competing with the iso-peptide bond substrate. Notably, the orthosteric inhibitor binds free CSN with only micromolar affinity, yet achieves nanomolar potency in blocking its deneddylase activity. Cryogenic electron microscopy structures of the enzyme-substrate-inhibitor complex reveal that active site-engaged CSN5i-3 occludes the substrate iso-peptide linkage while simultaneously extending an N8-binding exosite of CSN5, acting as a molecular glue to cement the N8-CSN5 interaction. The cooperativity of this trimolecular CSN5i-3-N8-CSN5 assembly, in turn, sequesters CSN5i-3 at its binding site, conferring high potency to the orthosteric inhibitor despite its low affinity for the free enzyme. Together, our findings highlight the modest affinity requirements of molecule glues for individual target proteins and establish orthosteric molecular glue inhibitors as a new class of substrate-dependent enzyme antagonists.

The spin supersolid-a magnetic analogue of the supersolid that simultaneously exhibits solid and superfluid orders-has emerged as a promising sub-Kelvin refrigerant with strong low-energy fluctuations and associated entropic effects1. However, the stringent prerequisites have so far confined its presence to certain magnetic insulators. Here we report the discovery of a metallic spin supersolid in a rare-earth compound EuCo2Al9 (ECA), which is a good metal with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. The high-spin Eu2+ ions form a three-dimensional lattice with stacked triangular layers, in which the spin-supersolid state is stabilized through a mechanism involving both Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) and dipolar couplings. Neutron diffraction shows microscopic evidence of spin supersolidity, demonstrating the coexistence of out-of-plane and in-plane spin orders in this alloy. Our RKKY-dipolar model successfully captures the metallic spin-supersolid Y and V phases in ECA, along with the 1/3 magnetization plateau. The observed nonclassical magnetization behaviours within these phases point to significant quantum fluctuations, probably enhanced by the conduction electrons. The resistivity measurements provide a transport probe for the spin-supersolid transitions, because of scattering of conduction electrons from local moments. Through the adiabatic demagnetization process, ECA achieves ultralow cooling to 106 mK, exhibiting a giant magnetocaloric effect that manifests sharp anomalies in the magnetic Grüneisen ratio. ECA emerges as one of the first metallic spin supersolids, combining low cooling temperature, large magnetic entropy and ultrahigh thermal conductivity for high-performance sub-Kelvin refrigeration.

Volumetric additive manufacturing has emerged as a promising technique for the flexible production of complex structures, with diverse applications in engineering, photonics and biology1,2. However, present methods still face a trade-off between resolution and volumetric build rate, restricting efficient and flexible production of high-resolution 3D structures. Here we propose a method, called digital incoherent synthesis of holographic light fields (DISH), to generate high-resolution 3D light distributions through continuous multi-angle projections with a high-speed rotating periscope without the requirement of sample rotation. The iterative optimization of the holograms for different angles in DISH maintains 19-μm printing resolution across the 1-cm range that is far beyond the depth of field of the objective and enables high-resolution in situ 3D printing of millimetre-scale objects within only 0.6 s. Acrylate materials in a range of viscosities are used to demonstrate the general compatibility of DISH. Integrating DISH with a fluid channel, we achieved mass production of complex and diverse 3D structures within low-viscosity materials, demonstrating its potential for broad applications in diverse fields.