A new study in Science Bulletin reveals that maternal PAN2 protein is essential for early embryonic development by regulating mRNA poly(A) tail length. Using an oocyte-specific conditional knockout mouse model, researchers found that PAN2 deficiency causes embryos to arrest at the two-cell stage due to abnormal poly(A) tail elongation, maternal mRNA accumulation, and impaired zygotic genome activation. PAN2 recognizes substrates via the PAN3-PABPC1 complex, preferring tails lacking guanosine but enriched in uridine.

A comprehensive in silico scan of human respiratory viruses identified 3CLpro cleavage motifs within influenza NP and PA. Experimental validation confirmed that 3CLpro-mediated cleavage triggers rapid protein degradation and cytoplasmic mislocalization. Consequently, both ectopic 3CLpro expression and SARS-CoV-2 replication effectively inhibit replication across diverse influenza virus strains, revealing a broad-spectrum antiviral mechanism.

Photonics has the potential to transform next-generation artificial intelligence. However, most photonic computing platforms still rely on costly electro-optic conversions for data input, weight loading and storage. To overcome this, Scientists in China invented a large-scale photonic in-memory computing platform based on photo-rewritable liquid crystals, combining sensing, memory, and computing of vectorial light in the optical domain with megabyte-level nonvolatile memory. This platform will open new avenues for intelligent photonics and brain-like artificial intelligence.

A multifunctional frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR capable of high-precision ranging and multi-parameter sensing is proposed for the first time. By detecting the echo signals from both free space and optical fiber, 3D imaging and the measurements of diverse physical parameters, including environmental temperature, gas concentrations and liquid density can be measured simultaneously. The proposed multifunctional LiDAR exhibits significant application potential in fields such as new energy vehicles and spacecraft.

Dementia poses a growing global public health burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where cognitive screening coverage remains limited. Current risk estimation tools often depend on cognitive testing or biomarkers, restricting their applicability in community and primary care settings. To establish and validate a data-driven analytical framework for developing a cognitive-testing-free dementia risk estimation tool (Cog-Free) using routinely collected health examination data.

In planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), operation at high fuel utilization inevitably induces strong fuel concentration gradients along the flow direction, leading to pronounced non-uniformity in current density distribution. Here, a thickness-gradient electrolyte strategy is proposed to homogenize the current distribution by deliberately modulating the local ohmic resistance, suppressing current density in fuel-rich inlet regions while enhancing it in fuel-depleted outlet regions. A gradient YSZ electrolyte with a thickness ranging from 5 to 13 µm was successfully fabricated on a 10 cm × 10 cm single cell via a wet-spraying process, together with a dense 1.8 µm gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) barrier layer formed by in situ hydrothermal self-crystallization. Compared with conventional uniform-thickness electrolytes, the gradient electrolyte effectively reduces current density gradients and achieves improved current distribution uniformity under comparable fuel utilization conditions. Combined experimental characterization and multiphysics simulations demonstrate that the proposed gradient-electrolyte design significantly alleviates both current density non-uniformity and the associated thermal gradients in SOFCs operating at high fuel utilization. Overall, this work establishes a simple and scalable design strategy for regulating internal physical fields in SOFCs, offering a promising pathway toward improved conversion efficiency and enhanced durability under practically relevant operating conditions.