Pham et al. show that, during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, NRF2 activation in alveolar macrophages inhibits MHC II but not MHC I, leading to dampening of antigen presentation and CD4+ T cell activation. Although NRF2 promotes a cell-protective program, it unexpectedly impairs innate-adaptive crosstalk and host immunity in the lung.
Imagine a bright, sunny day suddenly turning dark as a solar eclipse sweeps across the sky. Even though humans have watched and recorded eclipses for thousands of years and now understand the science behind them, experiencing a spell of darkness during the day can still evoke awe and surprise.
A rare total eclipse in 2024, which a significant portion of North America witnessed, created an exciting opportunity for researchers to understand how zoo animals behave during a total solar eclipse. They were curious whether the sudden changes in light and temperature caused by the eclipse would trigger different reactions in various captive species.
Most zoo animals showed very little change in their behavior during the total eclipse, but a few reactions stood out. Japanese macaques, zebras, camels and some birds displayed signs of stress, such as climbing high in trees, stopping their usual activities, becoming more active and showing increased alertness as the eclipse unfolded.
A fleeting photoinduced electronic state and the subsequent formation of a photoinduced hidden state in a metal–organic framework were captured in just 30 femtoseconds by researchers at Science Tokyo, Tohoku University and Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. By combining ultrafast laser spectroscopy with theoretical analysis, the researchers found that a transient electronic state plays a key role in this process. The findings provide new insights into controlling material properties with light for future applications.
When materials absorb light, they can enter unusual states with properties that differ from their normal behavior. These photoinduced states offer scientists a way to control material properties beyond what can be achieved through heating or cooling. Understanding how such states emerge on ultrafast timescales is essential for designing future photoresponsive materials and advanced optical technologies.
However, the earliest stages of photoinduced state formation can occur on the femtosecond (fs) timescale (a millionth of a billionth of a second), making it extremely difficult to observe and understand the process. To overcome this, a research team led by Assistant Professor Tadahiko Ishikawa from the Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, along with doctoral student Samiran Banu (currently a Special Postdoctoral Researcher at RIKEN), conducted a study in collaboration with researchers from Tohoku University and Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan.
