Selective vibrational energy transfer between molecules in the liquid phase, a difficult process hampered by weak intermolecular forces, is achieved through polaritons formed by strong coupling between cavity photon modes and donor and acceptor molecules. Using pump-probe and two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy, we found that the excitation of the upper polariton, which is composed mostly of donors, can efficiently relax to the acceptors within ~5 picoseconds. The energy-transfer efficiency can...
At low energies, the quantum wave–like nature of molecular interactions results in distinctive scattering behavior, ranging from the universal Wigner laws near 0 kelvin to the occurrence of scattering resonances at higher energies. It has proven challenging to experimentally probe the individual waves underlying these phenomena. We report measurements of state-to-state integral and differential cross sections for inelastic NO-He collisions in the 0.2 to 8.5 centimeter–1 range with 0.02 centimeter–1...
The structural complexity of composite biomaterials and biomineralized particles arises from the hierarchical ordering of inorganic building blocks over multiple scales. Although empirical observations of complex nanoassemblies are abundant, the physicochemical mechanisms leading to their geometrical complexity are still puzzling, especially for nonuniformly sized components. We report the self-assembly of hierarchically organized particles (HOPs) from polydisperse gold thiolate nanoplatelets with...
Van den Heuvel and Tauris argue that if the red giant star in the system 2MASS J05215658+4359220 has a mass of 1 solar mass (M), then its unseen companion could be a binary composed of two 0.9 M stars, making a triple system. We contend that the existing data are most consistent with a giant of mass M, implying a black hole companion of M.
Some flying animals use active sensing to perceive and avoid obstacles. Nocturnal mosquitoes exhibit a behavioral response to divert away from surfaces when vision is unavailable, indicating a short-range, mechanosensory collision-avoidance mechanism. We suggest that this behavior is mediated by perceiving modulations of their self-induced airflow patterns as they enter a ground or wall effect. We used computational fluid dynamics simulations of low-altitude and near-wall flights based on in vivo...
The near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu is thought to be a primitive carbonaceous object that contains hydrated minerals and organic molecules. We report sample collection from Ryugu’s surface by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft on 21 February 2019. Touchdown images and global observations of surface colors are used to investigate the stratigraphy of the surface around the sample location and across Ryugu. Latitudinal color variations suggest the reddening of exposed surface material by solar heating and/or...
The blood and immune systems develop in parallel during early prenatal life. Waves of hematopoiesis separated in anatomical space and time give rise to circulating and tissue-resident immune cells. Previous observations have relied on animal models, which differ from humans in both their developmental timeline and exposure to microorganisms. Decoding the composition of the human immune system is now tractable using single-cell multi-omics approaches. Large-scale single-cell genomics, imaging technologies,...
Molecules from symbiotic microorganisms pervasively infiltrate almost every organ system of a mammalian host, marking the initiation of microbial–host mutualism in utero, long before the newborn acquires its own microbiota. Starting from in utero development, when maternal microbial molecules can penetrate the placental barrier, we follow the different phases of adaptation through the life events of birth, lactation, and weaning, as the young mammal adapts to the microbes that colonize its body surfaces....
Loss-of-function mutations in the copper (Cu) transporter ATP7A cause Menkes disease. Menkes is an infantile, fatal, hereditary copper-deficiency disorder that is characterized by progressive neurological injury culminating in death, typically by 3 years of age. Severe copper deficiency leads to multiple pathologies, including impaired energy generation caused by cytochrome c oxidase dysfunction in the mitochondria. Here we report that the small molecule elesclomol escorted copper to the mitochondria...
Viral infections during pregnancy can have devastating consequences on pregnancy outcomes, fetal development, and maternal health. In this review, we examine fetal and maternal immune defense mechanisms that mediate resistance against viral infections and discuss the range of syndromes that ensue when such mechanisms fail, from fetal developmental defects to establishment of chronic infection. Further, we highlight the role of maternal immune activation, or uncontrolled inflammation triggered by...
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now become a pandemic, but there is currently very little understanding of the antigenicity of the virus. We therefore determined the crystal structure of CR3022, a neutralizing antibody previously isolated from a convalescent SARS patient, in complex with the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein at 3.1-angstrom resolution. CR3022 targets a highly...
Neonates are particularly susceptible to infection. This vulnerability occurs despite their responsiveness to most vaccines. However, current vaccines do not target the pathogens responsible for most of the severe neonatal infections, and the time it takes to induce protective pathogen-specific immunity after vaccination limits protection in the first days to weeks of life. Alternative strategies include using vaccines to broadly stimulate neonatal immunity in a pathogen-agnostic fashion or vaccinating...
Responding to an outbreak of a novel coronavirus [agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)] in December 2019, China banned travel to and from Wuhan city on 23 January 2020 and implemented a national emergency response. We investigated the spread and control of COVID-19 using a data set that included case reports, human movement, and public health interventions. The Wuhan shutdown was associated with the delayed arrival of COVID-19 in other cities by 2.91 days. Cities that implemented control...
Nature integrates complex biosynthetic and energy-converting tasks within compartments such as chloroplasts and mitochondria. Chloroplasts convert light into chemical energy, driving carbon dioxide fixation. We used microfluidics to develop a chloroplast mimic by encapsulating and operating photosynthetic membranes in cell-sized droplets. These droplets can be energized by light to power enzymes or enzyme cascades and analyzed for their catalytic properties in multiplex and real time. We demonstrate...
State-of-the-art metal 3D printers promise to revolutionize manufacturing, yet they have not reached optimal operational reliability. The challenge is to control complex laser–powder–melt pool interdependency (dependent upon each other) dynamics. We used high-fidelity simulations, coupled with synchrotron experiments, to capture fast multitransient dynamics at the meso-nanosecond scale and discovered new spatter-induced defect formation mechanisms that depend on the scan strategy and a competition...
Thompson et al. (Reports, 1 November 2019, p. 637) interpreted the unseen companion of the red giant star 2MASS J05215658+4359220 as most likely a black hole. We argue that if the red giant’s mass is ~1 solar mass, its companion can be a close binary consisting of two main-sequence stars. This would explain why no x-ray emission is detected from the system.
The newly emergent human virus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2) is resulting in high fatality rates and incapacitated health systems. Preventing further transmission is a priority. We analyzed key parameters of epidemic spread to estimate the contribution of different transmission routes and determine requirements for case isolation and contact tracing needed to stop the epidemic. Although SARS-CoV-2 is spreading too fast to be contained by manual contact tracing, it could...
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