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Abstract Detection of a gravitational-wave signal of non-astrophysical origin would be a landmark discovery, potentially providing a significant clue to some of our most basic, big-picture scientific questions about the Universe. In this white paper, we survey the leading early-Universe mechanisms that may produce a detectable signal—including inflation, phase transitions, topological defects, as well as primordial black holes—and highlight the connections to fundamental physics. We review the complementarity with collider searches for new physics, and multimessenger probes of the large-scale structure of the Universe. 

A plant can be thought of as a colony comprising numerous growth buds, each developing to its own rhythm. Such lack of synchrony impedes efforts to describe core principles of plant morphogenesis, dissect the underlying mechanisms, and identify regulators. Here, we use the minimalist known angiosperm to overcome this challenge and provide a model system for plant morphogenesis. We present a detailed morphological description of the monocot Wolffia australiana, as well as high-quality genome information. Further, we developed the plant-on-chip culture system and demonstrate the application of advanced technologies such as single-nucleus RNA-sequencing, protein structure prediction, and gene editing. We provide proof-of-concept examples that illustrate how W. australiana can decipher the core regulatory mechanisms of plant morphogenesis.

 

Identification of synaptic partners is a fundamental task for systems neuroscience. To date, few reliable techniques exist for whole brain labeling of downstream synaptic partners in a cell‐type‐dependent and monosynaptic manner. Herein, we describe a novel monosynaptic anterograde tracing system based on the deletion of the geneUL6from the genome of a cre‐dependent version of the anterograde Herpes Simplex Virus 1 strain H129. Given that this knockout blocks viral genome packaging and thus viral spread, we reasoned that co‐infection of a HSV H129 ΔUL6 virus with a recombinant adeno‐associated virus expressing UL6 in a cre‐dependent manner would result in monosynaptic spread from target cre‐expressing neuronal populations. Application of this system to five nonreciprocal neural circuits resulted in labeling of neurons in expected projection areas. While some caveats may preclude certain applications, this system provides a reliable method to label postsynaptic partners in a brain‐wide fashion.