In our latest Focus issue, we highlight the central role of orbital dynamics, spin arrangements and charge distributions in governing emergent phenomena in quantum materials. Have a look at: bit.ly/FocusSpintronics

Cells adhering to micro-curved surfaces can exhibit either complete adhesion or partial interior detachment. This is now found to be determined by the balance between the cell contractile stress and the cell–substrate adhesion stress. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Conventional quantum error correction requires repeated measurements and real-time feedback, which are technically complex. An autonomous implementation that eliminates these while beating the break-even point is demonstrated in a trapped-ion system. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Quantum teleportation is often discussed for individual quantum systems, but fault-tolerant quantum computers will encode information in multiqubit states. Now teleportation of surface code logical states has been demonstrated. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

The semimetallic regime in rhombohedral graphene has not been extensively explored. Now, correlated insulators, superconductivity and multiferroic orbital magnetic order are demonstrated in semimetallic rhombohedral hexalayer graphene. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Strong photoexcitation of phonons in a crystal can lead to a nonlinear response. Now it is shown that this breakdown of linearity can be overcome by the application of well-timed photoexcitation pulses. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Fibres are thought to emerge from a dense protein condensate ageing into a glassy state. It is now shown that protein fibres and glassy condensates may result from two competing ageing pathways. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

How superconductivity relates to the pseudogap in cuprates remains unclear. Now, time-resolved photoemission measurements show a light-induced pseudogap-like state below critical temperature, revealing a dynamic interplay with superconductivity. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Magnetic skyrmions are known to exhibit a Hall effect in the presence of an electric current. Now it is shown that liquid-crystal solitons also exhibit a Hall-like drift under shear flow. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

The mechanism for superconductivity in cuprates is still not known. Now, the observation of a relationship between the critical temperature and strength of coupling between electrons and spin fluctuations suggests the latter as a prime candidate. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

New issue out! This month, we feature a Review on non-reciprocity in quantum technologies, highlight the role of digital twins and consider the benefits of advertising conferences. Check it out at bit.ly/NPoct26

Non-reciprocity in the quantum regime promises unidirectional transport and enhanced sensing, but traditional approaches hinder device integration. This Review highlights magnet-free routes for engineering non-reciprocity in quantum systems. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Strong coupling between light and matter is typically realized in resonators. Now it is shown that this can happen in a cavity-less waveguide scenario in which the light passes through only once. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

According to the laws of thermodynamics, information can be converted into energy. An information engine that harnesses environmental memory and exhibits non-Markovian dynamics has now been realized in experiments. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Vitrimers—polymers that form covalent networks—show glassy behaviour with viscosity decoupled from structural relaxation. This decoupling is now found to originate from a competition between chemical exchange reactions and diffusion processes. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Quantum computers require simultaneous control of multiple qubits, which is challenging to achieve in nanoscale semiconductor devices. Now high-fidelity parallel operations have been demonstrated for five silicon spin qubits. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

The experimental realization of intrinsic 2D kagome materials with controllable flat bands has remained challenging. Now a van der Waals kagome material family is shown to host an isolated, gate-tunable flat band down to the monolayer limit. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

In cell monolayers with a vortex-like orientation defect, cells converge towards the core of the defect and form a highly organized three-dimensional mound. This mechanism may be relevant for morphogenesis and tumorigenesis. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Although photonic quantum skyrmions can be generated as entangled or single-photon states, a means to switch between the two is required for quantum information processing. Now, entangled skyrmions and their manipulation on chip is realized. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…

Controlling quantum chaos requires using measurement and feedback that survive noise and decoherence. Such control is now achieved in a superconducting quantum processor and reveals a critical transition between quantum and classical dynamics. nature.com/articles/s41567-0…