Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03141-y
Máté Farkas, Jurij Volčič, Sigurd A. L. Storgaard, Ranyiliu Chen, Laura Mančinska
Many scientific and security protocols rely on sources of unpredictable and private random numbers. Device-independent quantum random number generation is a framework that makes use of the intrinsic randomness of quantum processes to generate numbers that are fundamentally unpredictable according to our current understanding of physics. However, the difficulty of controlling quantum systems makes it challenging to carry out device-independent protocols in practice. It is, therefore, desirable to harness the full power of the quantum degrees of freedom that one can control. It is known that no more than 2 log(d) bits of private device-independent randomness can be extracted from a quantum system of local dimension d. Here we demonstrate that this bound can be achieved for all d by providing a family of explicit protocols. To obtain our result, we develop certification techniques that may be of wider interest in device-independent applications for scenarios in which complete certification by self-testing is impossible or impractical. The laws of quantum mechanics make it possible to design device-independent security protocols that do not need trusted equipment. Now, explicit protocols are provided that achieve the optimal rate of device-independent random number generation.
{"title":"Maximal device-independent randomness in every dimension","authors":"Máté Farkas, Jurij Volčič, Sigurd A. L. Storgaard, Ranyiliu Chen, Laura Mančinska","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03141-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03141-y","url":null,"abstract":"Many scientific and security protocols rely on sources of unpredictable and private random numbers. Device-independent quantum random number generation is a framework that makes use of the intrinsic randomness of quantum processes to generate numbers that are fundamentally unpredictable according to our current understanding of physics. However, the difficulty of controlling quantum systems makes it challenging to carry out device-independent protocols in practice. It is, therefore, desirable to harness the full power of the quantum degrees of freedom that one can control. It is known that no more than 2 log(d) bits of private device-independent randomness can be extracted from a quantum system of local dimension d. Here we demonstrate that this bound can be achieved for all d by providing a family of explicit protocols. To obtain our result, we develop certification techniques that may be of wider interest in device-independent applications for scenarios in which complete certification by self-testing is impossible or impractical. The laws of quantum mechanics make it possible to design device-independent security protocols that do not need trusted equipment. Now, explicit protocols are provided that achieve the optimal rate of device-independent random number generation.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 2","pages":"319-324"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03145-8
Yijing Huang, Nick Abboud, Yinchuan Lv, Penghao Zhu, Azel Murzabekova, Changjun Lee, Emma A. Pappas, Dominic Petruzzi, Jason Y. Yan, Dipanjan Chaudhuri, Peter Abbamonte, Daniel P. Shoemaker, Rafael M. Fernandes, Jorge Noronha, Fahad Mahmood
In systems of charged chiral fermions out of equilibrium, an electric current parallel to a magnetic field can generate a dynamic instability that amplifies electromagnetic waves. Whether this mechanism also operates in chiral solid-state systems has remained uncertain. Here we observe signatures of a dynamic magneto-chiral instability in elemental tellurium, a structurally chiral crystal, using time-domain terahertz emission spectroscopy. Under transient photoexcitation in a moderate magnetic field, we observe terahertz radiation with coherent modes that grow in amplitude over time. We present a theoretical model that describes this behaviour based on a dynamic instability of electromagnetic waves interacting with infrared-active oscillators of acceptor states in tellurium, giving rise to an amplifying polariton. These results demonstrate that magneto-chiral instabilities can emerge in solid-state systems and establish a mechanism for terahertz-wave amplification in chiral materials. Instabilities in chiral plasmas can amplify electromagnetic waves, raising the question of whether chiral solids behave similarly. Now a magneto-chiral instability is demonstrated in tellurium, observed as growing terahertz emission after photoexcitation.
{"title":"Dynamic magneto-chiral instability in photoexcited tellurium","authors":"Yijing Huang, Nick Abboud, Yinchuan Lv, Penghao Zhu, Azel Murzabekova, Changjun Lee, Emma A. Pappas, Dominic Petruzzi, Jason Y. Yan, Dipanjan Chaudhuri, Peter Abbamonte, Daniel P. Shoemaker, Rafael M. Fernandes, Jorge Noronha, Fahad Mahmood","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03145-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03145-8","url":null,"abstract":"In systems of charged chiral fermions out of equilibrium, an electric current parallel to a magnetic field can generate a dynamic instability that amplifies electromagnetic waves. Whether this mechanism also operates in chiral solid-state systems has remained uncertain. Here we observe signatures of a dynamic magneto-chiral instability in elemental tellurium, a structurally chiral crystal, using time-domain terahertz emission spectroscopy. Under transient photoexcitation in a moderate magnetic field, we observe terahertz radiation with coherent modes that grow in amplitude over time. We present a theoretical model that describes this behaviour based on a dynamic instability of electromagnetic waves interacting with infrared-active oscillators of acceptor states in tellurium, giving rise to an amplifying polariton. These results demonstrate that magneto-chiral instabilities can emerge in solid-state systems and establish a mechanism for terahertz-wave amplification in chiral materials. Instabilities in chiral plasmas can amplify electromagnetic waves, raising the question of whether chiral solids behave similarly. Now a magneto-chiral instability is demonstrated in tellurium, observed as growing terahertz emission after photoexcitation.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 2","pages":"202-208"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03103-4
Robert G. Endres
Bacteria appear to be masters of chemotaxis, but it is unclear how well they process chemical information. A study now argues that cells squander most sensory information, making chemotaxis far less efficient than established physical limits allow.
{"title":"Bacteria may not be good at chemotaxis","authors":"Robert G. Endres","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03103-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03103-4","url":null,"abstract":"Bacteria appear to be masters of chemotaxis, but it is unclear how well they process chemical information. A study now argues that cells squander most sensory information, making chemotaxis far less efficient than established physical limits allow.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"8-9"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145937524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03111-4
Henry H. Mattingly, Keita Kamino, Jude Ong, Rafaela Kottou, Thierry Emonet, Benjamin B. Machta
Organisms use specialized sensors to measure their environments, but the principles governing their accuracy are unknown. The bacterium Escherichia coli climbs chemical gradients at speeds bounded by the amount of information it receives from its environment. However, it remains unclear what prevents E. coli cells from acquiring more information. Past work argued that chemosensing by E. coli is limited by the stochastic arrival of molecules at their receptors by diffusion, without providing direct evidence. Here we show instead that E. coli encode two orders of magnitude less information than this physical limit. We develop an information-theoretic approach to quantify how accurately chemical signals can be estimated from observations of molecule arrivals as the physical limit and of chemotaxis signalling activity for E. coli cells, and then we measure the associated information rates in single-cell experiments. Our findings demonstrate that E. coli chemosensing is limited by internal noise in signal processing rather than molecule arrival noise, motivating investigations of the physical and biological constraints that shaped the evolution of this prototypical sensory system. The chemosensing accuracy of E. coli cells is shown to be limited by internal noise in signal processing, rather than the stochasticity of molecule arrivals at their receptors, contrary to long-held understanding in the field.
{"title":"E. coli chemosensing accuracy is not limited by stochastic molecule arrivals","authors":"Henry H. Mattingly, Keita Kamino, Jude Ong, Rafaela Kottou, Thierry Emonet, Benjamin B. Machta","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03111-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03111-4","url":null,"abstract":"Organisms use specialized sensors to measure their environments, but the principles governing their accuracy are unknown. The bacterium Escherichia coli climbs chemical gradients at speeds bounded by the amount of information it receives from its environment. However, it remains unclear what prevents E. coli cells from acquiring more information. Past work argued that chemosensing by E. coli is limited by the stochastic arrival of molecules at their receptors by diffusion, without providing direct evidence. Here we show instead that E. coli encode two orders of magnitude less information than this physical limit. We develop an information-theoretic approach to quantify how accurately chemical signals can be estimated from observations of molecule arrivals as the physical limit and of chemotaxis signalling activity for E. coli cells, and then we measure the associated information rates in single-cell experiments. Our findings demonstrate that E. coli chemosensing is limited by internal noise in signal processing rather than molecule arrival noise, motivating investigations of the physical and biological constraints that shaped the evolution of this prototypical sensory system. The chemosensing accuracy of E. coli cells is shown to be limited by internal noise in signal processing, rather than the stochasticity of molecule arrivals at their receptors, contrary to long-held understanding in the field.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"123-130"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-03111-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145919917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03120-3
Maximilian C. Hübl, Thomas E. Videbæk, Daichi Hayakawa, W. Benjamin Rogers, Carl P. Goodrich
Modern experimental methods in programmable self-assembly make it possible to precisely design particle concentrations, shapes and interactions. However, more physical insight is needed before we can take full advantage of this vast design space to assemble nanostructures with complex form and function. Here we show how a substantial part of this design space can be quickly and comprehensively understood by identifying a class of thermodynamic constraints that act on it. These thermodynamic constraints form a high-dimensional convex polyhedron that determines which nanostructures can be assembled at high equilibrium yield and reveals limitations that govern the coexistence of structures. We validate our predictions through detailed, quantitative assembly experiments of nanoscale particles synthesized using DNA origami. Our results uncover physical relationships underpinning many-component programmable self-assembly in equilibrium and form the basis for robust inverse design, applicable to various systems from biological protein complexes to synthetic nanomachines. Programmable self-assembly can help construct complex nanostructures. Now a mathematical framework can identify if and how a particular structure can be assembled.
{"title":"A polyhedral structure controls programmable self-assembly","authors":"Maximilian C. Hübl, Thomas E. Videbæk, Daichi Hayakawa, W. Benjamin Rogers, Carl P. Goodrich","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03120-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03120-3","url":null,"abstract":"Modern experimental methods in programmable self-assembly make it possible to precisely design particle concentrations, shapes and interactions. However, more physical insight is needed before we can take full advantage of this vast design space to assemble nanostructures with complex form and function. Here we show how a substantial part of this design space can be quickly and comprehensively understood by identifying a class of thermodynamic constraints that act on it. These thermodynamic constraints form a high-dimensional convex polyhedron that determines which nanostructures can be assembled at high equilibrium yield and reveals limitations that govern the coexistence of structures. We validate our predictions through detailed, quantitative assembly experiments of nanoscale particles synthesized using DNA origami. Our results uncover physical relationships underpinning many-component programmable self-assembly in equilibrium and form the basis for robust inverse design, applicable to various systems from biological protein complexes to synthetic nanomachines. Programmable self-assembly can help construct complex nanostructures. Now a mathematical framework can identify if and how a particular structure can be assembled.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 2","pages":"294-301"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-03120-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145919916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03125-y
Bacterial motors respond to chemical signals with high sensitivity to control cell swimming behaviour. However, the established model that describes how this sensitivity arises is an equilibrium model, which is inconsistent with experimental findings. A model is now proposed in which high sensitivity results from non-equilibrium mechanical interactions within the motor.
{"title":"A non-equilibrium model for ultrasensitive switching in bacterial flagellar motors","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03125-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03125-y","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial motors respond to chemical signals with high sensitivity to control cell swimming behaviour. However, the established model that describes how this sensitivity arises is an equilibrium model, which is inconsistent with experimental findings. A model is now proposed in which high sensitivity results from non-equilibrium mechanical interactions within the motor.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"19-20"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03105-2
Henry H. Mattingly, Yuhai Tu
Flagellar motors enable bacteria to navigate their environments by switching rotation direction in response to external cues with high sensitivity. Previous work indicated that the ultrasensitivity of the flagellar motor originates from conformational spread, in which subunits of the switching complex are strongly coupled to their neighbours as in an equilibrium Ising model. However, dynamic single-motor measurements indicated that rotation switching is driven out of equilibrium, and the mechanism for this dissipative driving remains unknown. Here we propose that local mechanical torques on motor subunits can affect their conformation dynamics, based on recent structures observed with cryo-electron microscopy. This gives rise to a tug of war between stator-associated subunits that produces cooperative, non-equilibrium switching responses without requiring nearest-neighbour interactions. Our model predicts that the motor response cooperativity grows with the number of stators driving rotation, which is consistent with published experimental results. Finally, we show that operating out of equilibrium enables motors to achieve high cooperativity with faster responses compared with equilibrium motors. Our results indicate a general role for mechanics in sensitive chemical regulation. Bacterial flagellar motors switch rotation direction with high sensitivity to environmental inputs. A theoretical model explains how torque-dependent non-equilibrium switching contributes to ultrasensitivity.
{"title":"Mechanical origin for non-equilibrium ultrasensitivity in the bacterial flagellar motor","authors":"Henry H. Mattingly, Yuhai Tu","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03105-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03105-2","url":null,"abstract":"Flagellar motors enable bacteria to navigate their environments by switching rotation direction in response to external cues with high sensitivity. Previous work indicated that the ultrasensitivity of the flagellar motor originates from conformational spread, in which subunits of the switching complex are strongly coupled to their neighbours as in an equilibrium Ising model. However, dynamic single-motor measurements indicated that rotation switching is driven out of equilibrium, and the mechanism for this dissipative driving remains unknown. Here we propose that local mechanical torques on motor subunits can affect their conformation dynamics, based on recent structures observed with cryo-electron microscopy. This gives rise to a tug of war between stator-associated subunits that produces cooperative, non-equilibrium switching responses without requiring nearest-neighbour interactions. Our model predicts that the motor response cooperativity grows with the number of stators driving rotation, which is consistent with published experimental results. Finally, we show that operating out of equilibrium enables motors to achieve high cooperativity with faster responses compared with equilibrium motors. Our results indicate a general role for mechanics in sensitive chemical regulation. Bacterial flagellar motors switch rotation direction with high sensitivity to environmental inputs. A theoretical model explains how torque-dependent non-equilibrium switching contributes to ultrasensitivity.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"131-138"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Flat bands in twisted graphene structures host various strongly correlated and topological phenomena. Optically probing and controlling them can reveal important information such as symmetry and dynamics, but this has been challenging due to the small energy gap compared with optical wavelengths. Here we report on the near-infrared optical control of orbital magnetism and associated anomalous Hall effects in a magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene on a monolayer WSe2 device. We demonstrate control over the hysteresis and amplitude of the anomalous Hall effect near integer moiré fillings using circularly polarized light. By modulating the light helicity, we observe periodic modulation of the transverse resistance in a wide range of fillings, indicating light-induced orbital magnetization through a large inverse Faraday effect. At the transition between metallic and anomalous Hall effect regimes, we also reveal large and random switching of the Hall resistivity, which we attribute to the light-tuned percolating cluster of magnetic domains. Our results demonstrate the potential of the optical manipulation of correlation and topology in moiré structures. Strong correlations and topology have been seen in moiré graphene, but their optical control has not been shown yet. Now, the optical manipulation of orbital magnetism and anomalous Hall effects is demonstrated in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene.
{"title":"Optical control of orbital magnetism in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene","authors":"Eylon Persky, Léonie Parisot, Minhao He, Jiaqi Cai, Takashi Taniguchi, Kenji Watanabe, Julian May-Mann, Xiaodong Xu, Aharon Kapitulnik","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03117-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03117-y","url":null,"abstract":"Flat bands in twisted graphene structures host various strongly correlated and topological phenomena. Optically probing and controlling them can reveal important information such as symmetry and dynamics, but this has been challenging due to the small energy gap compared with optical wavelengths. Here we report on the near-infrared optical control of orbital magnetism and associated anomalous Hall effects in a magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene on a monolayer WSe2 device. We demonstrate control over the hysteresis and amplitude of the anomalous Hall effect near integer moiré fillings using circularly polarized light. By modulating the light helicity, we observe periodic modulation of the transverse resistance in a wide range of fillings, indicating light-induced orbital magnetization through a large inverse Faraday effect. At the transition between metallic and anomalous Hall effect regimes, we also reveal large and random switching of the Hall resistivity, which we attribute to the light-tuned percolating cluster of magnetic domains. Our results demonstrate the potential of the optical manipulation of correlation and topology in moiré structures. Strong correlations and topology have been seen in moiré graphene, but their optical control has not been shown yet. Now, the optical manipulation of orbital magnetism and anomalous Hall effects is demonstrated in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"39-46"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1038/s41567-025-03136-9
Jeremy Sallé, Nicolas Minc
The geometry of the zebrafish egg is shown to generate a gradient in cell size upon successive cell divisions. This gradient specifies stereotyped patterns of cell-cycle progression, zygotic genome activation and cell-fate specification.
{"title":"Embryo geometry sets the tempo","authors":"Jeremy Sallé, Nicolas Minc","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03136-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03136-9","url":null,"abstract":"The geometry of the zebrafish egg is shown to generate a gradient in cell size upon successive cell divisions. This gradient specifies stereotyped patterns of cell-cycle progression, zygotic genome activation and cell-fate specification.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"10-11"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Early embryo geometry is one of the most invariant species-specific traits, yet its role in ensuring developmental reproducibility and robustness remains underexplored. Here we show that in zebrafish, the geometry of the fertilized egg—specifically its curvature and volume—serves as a critical initial condition triggering a cascade of events that influence development. The embryo geometry guides patterned asymmetric cell divisions in the blastoderm, generating radial gradients of cell volume and nucleocytoplasmic ratio. These gradients generate mitotic phase waves, with the nucleocytoplasmic ratio determining individual cell cycle periods independently of other cells. We demonstrate that reducing cell autonomy reshapes these waves, emphasizing the instructive role of geometry-derived volume patterns in setting the intrinsic period of the cell cycle oscillator. In addition to organizing cell cycles, early embryo geometry spatially patterns zygotic genome activation at the midblastula transition, a key step in establishing embryonic autonomy. Disrupting the embryo shape alters the zygotic genome activation pattern and causes ectopic germ layer specification, underscoring the developmental significance of geometry. Together, our findings reveal a symmetry-breaking function of early embryo geometry in coordinating cell cycle and transcriptional patterning. Many different biochemical and mechanical signals control morphogenesis. Now it is shown that the geometry of the fertilized egg helps orchestrate spatial and temporal patterning during embryogenesis.
{"title":"Geometry-driven asymmetric cell divisions pattern cell cycles and zygotic genome activation in the zebrafish embryo","authors":"Nikhil Mishra, Yuting Irene Li, Edouard Hannezo, Carl-Philipp Heisenberg","doi":"10.1038/s41567-025-03122-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41567-025-03122-1","url":null,"abstract":"Early embryo geometry is one of the most invariant species-specific traits, yet its role in ensuring developmental reproducibility and robustness remains underexplored. Here we show that in zebrafish, the geometry of the fertilized egg—specifically its curvature and volume—serves as a critical initial condition triggering a cascade of events that influence development. The embryo geometry guides patterned asymmetric cell divisions in the blastoderm, generating radial gradients of cell volume and nucleocytoplasmic ratio. These gradients generate mitotic phase waves, with the nucleocytoplasmic ratio determining individual cell cycle periods independently of other cells. We demonstrate that reducing cell autonomy reshapes these waves, emphasizing the instructive role of geometry-derived volume patterns in setting the intrinsic period of the cell cycle oscillator. In addition to organizing cell cycles, early embryo geometry spatially patterns zygotic genome activation at the midblastula transition, a key step in establishing embryonic autonomy. Disrupting the embryo shape alters the zygotic genome activation pattern and causes ectopic germ layer specification, underscoring the developmental significance of geometry. Together, our findings reveal a symmetry-breaking function of early embryo geometry in coordinating cell cycle and transcriptional patterning. Many different biochemical and mechanical signals control morphogenesis. Now it is shown that the geometry of the fertilized egg helps orchestrate spatial and temporal patterning during embryogenesis.","PeriodicalId":19100,"journal":{"name":"Nature Physics","volume":"22 1","pages":"139-150"},"PeriodicalIF":18.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-03122-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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