Researchers developed MARVAL, an automated platform for measuring the shape of brain blood vessels from time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography. In more than 3,000 community participants and nearly 9,000 stroke patients with high-quality imaging, the team built an East Asian cerebrovascular template, charted age-related vascular changes, and found that small-vessel integrity and network complexity were strongly associated with disability, recurrence and mortality after ischemic stroke.

 

 Fatty streaks, one of the earliest signs of atherosclerosis, comprise lipid-laden foam cells, which are traditionally thought to be derived from circulating monocytes that have infiltrated through the leaky endothelium and from vascular smooth muscle cells that have migrated into the intima from the media. Here we demonstrate that fatty streaks can also be induced by stacked human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that these stacked HAECs form a new cellular phenotype presenting a streak/coral-like structure: “coralthelial cells”. These coralthelial cells exhibit considerable lipid accumulation and increased expression of Golgi and coat protein II markers in their nuclei. Moreover, proinflammatory mediators, including interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8, are upregulated in the coralthelial cell, potentially due to the nuclear translocation of the Golgi apparatus and an elevated expression of the ribosomal protein RPL23 in the nucleolus. To our knowledge, we demonstrate for the first time that fatty streak–like structures found in atherosclerotic plaques can also be generated from the stacked HAECs.

Over the last few decades, physical principles have been proposed to explain some biological processes and functions. However, biological principles remain elusive. A biological principle is a governing rule that guides the structure and functions of cells. Biological principles are built upon the laws of physics and chemistry, but they go beyond these laws and are unique to living matter. Here, we discuss what differentiates a biological principle from a physical principle and discuss candidates for biological principles. We review evidence from literature that regulation of cytoskeletal prestress (endogenous cytoskeletal pre-existing tensile stress) is essential for governing biological structures and functions of living cells. We propose that, in addition to the biological principles of Central Dogma and metabolism, cytoskeletal prestress homeostasis is a biological principle of a living cell across all domains of life. We propose that living cells regulate their stress and modulus to limit maximum strain on the cells. Homeostasis of endogenous energy-dependent, stress-supported systems that use cytoskeletal (CSK) prestress (the force of life) to stabilize structure represents a biological principle of a living cell that is not observed in inorganic systems, whereas other basic principles (e.g., self-assembly) are required for living systems but are also found in simpler nonliving systems. Leveraging biological principles of cells may have far-reaching implications in understanding the essence of cell life and designing effective interventions for therapeutics to advance medicine and enhance human health.

Li-rich Mn-based oxide (LRMO) cathodes represent promising candidates for high-energy-density all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs). Nonetheless, irreversible oxygen release and sluggish transport kinetics result in faded voltage and degraded cycling stability, severely impeding their practical applications in ASSLBs. Herein, a high-quality artificial interface layer was constructed on the LRMO surface via a facile sol–gel method followed by thermal treatment, yielding a Li₃ScF₆ protective layer comprising a Li₃ScF₆ surface coating region and a subsurface Sc doping region. Specifically, Li₃ScF₆ surface coating effectively suppresses continuous interfacial side reactions between the cathode and solid electrolyte, thereby improving interfacial transport kinetics; the strong Sc–O bond stabilizes the lattice oxygen framework and inhibits oxygen release, thereby enhancing the reversibility of the oxygen redox reaction. Consequently, the ASSLBs with the modified LRMO cathode exhibit remarkable fast-charging capability (136.8 mAh g⁻¹ at 1.0 C) and excellent capacity retention (83.9% after 500 cycles at 0.3 C). In addition, the ASSLBs achieve outstanding long-term cycling stability at a high areal capacity of 4.17 mAh cm⁻², retaining 81.8% of its capacity after 300 cycles at 60 °C. This study offers new insights into the rational design of high-capacity and high-voltage LRMO cathode materials for high-energy-density ASSLBs.

A new study led by XUE Chaoyou from the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with LOU Huiqiang at China Agricultural University and RAO Shuquan from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has shown that RNA-guided IS110 transposons use two mechanistically distinct pathways to mobilize DNA.

A new study developed a mineralized DNA hydrogel that combines immune regulation with sustained bone regeneration. Using tetrahedral DNA nanostructures and calcium phosphate mineralization, researchers created a scaffold that promotes healing-friendly macrophage activity while supporting bone-forming stem cells. In animal models, the material accelerated bone repair, improved tissue mineralization, and prolonged structural stability. The findings may advance next-generation biomaterials for craniofacial reconstruction, traumatic injuries, and challenging bone healing disorders worldwide.

Carbon Research has achieved a new milestone in the latest Scopus CiteScore performance, with its 2025 CiteScore Tracker rising to 19.2, up from 14.0 in the 2024 CiteScore release. The new result reflects the journal’s growing visibility, strong citation performance, and expanding role in advancing carbon science for environmental sustainability, engineering innovation, and global change research.

A new study shows how leftover lavender distillation residue can be converted into useful biochar through a science-guided process that balances product quality, energy use, and environmental impacts.

A three-year field study shows that pairing biochar with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can improve soil health, nutrient supply, microbial diversity, and maize productivity in reclaimed mining land