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Animals developing at high elevation experience a suite of environmental challenges, most notably the low partial pressure of oxygen ( P O 2 ) in ambient air. In low P O 2 , bird species with high-elevation ancestry consistently demonstrate higher hatching success than lowland counterparts, suggesting highland birds are adapted to restricted O 2 (hypoxia) in early development. Haemoglobin (Hb), the critical oxygen-transport protein, is a likely target of P O 2 -related selection across ontogeny since Hb isoforms expressed at distinct developmental stages demonstrate different O 2 affinities. To test if Hb function is under P O 2 -related selection at different ontogenetic stages, we sampled a songbird, the hooded siskin ( Spinus magellanicus ), across two approximately 4000 m elevational transects. We sequenced all of the loci that encode avian Hb isoforms, and tested for signatures of spatially varying selection by comparing divergence patterns in Hb loci to other loci sampled across the genome. We found strong signatures of diversifying selection at non-synonymous sites in loci that contribute to embryonic ( α π , β H ) and definitive ( β A ) Hb isoforms. This is the first evidence for selection on embryonic haemoglobin in high-elevation Neoaves. We conclude that selection on Hb function at brief, but critical stages of ontogeny may be a vital component to high elevation adaptation in birds. 

Abstract Andean glaciers have melted rapidly since the 1960s. While some melting is likely due to anthropogenic climate change driven by increasing greenhouse gases, deposition of light-absorbing particles such as black carbon (BC) may also play a role. We hypothesize that BC from fires in the Amazon Basin and elsewhere may be deposited on Andean glaciers, reducing the surface albedo and inducing further melting. Here we investigate the role of BC deposition on albedo changes in the Andes for 2014–2019 by combining atmospheric chemistry modeling with observations of BC in snow or ice at four mountain sites in Peru (Quelccaya, Huascarán, Yanapaccha, and Shallap) and at one site in Bolivia (Illimani). We find that annual mean ice BC concentrations simulated by the chemical transport model GEOS-Chem for 2014–2019 are roughly consistent with those observed at the site with the longest record, Huascarán, with overestimates of 15%–40%. Smoke from fires account for 20%–70% of total wet and dry deposition fluxes, depending on the site. The rest of BC deposited comes from fossil fuel combustion. Using a snow albedo model, we find that the annual mean radiative forcing from the deposition of smoke BC alone on snow ranges from +0.1 to +3.2 W m −2 under clear-sky conditions, with corresponding average albedo reductions of 0.04%–1.1%. These ranges are dependent on site and snow grain size. This result implies a potentially significant climate impact of biomass burning in the Amazon on radiative forcing in the Andes. 

We report a measurement of the branching fraction for the leptonic decay $B^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu }$ . This work presents the first $B^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu }$ result using Belle II data, an updated Belle measurement that supersedes the previous result, and their combination, which yields the most precise search to date. The analysis is based on $1076{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV with the Belle and Belle II detectors at the KEKB and SuperKEKB colliders, respectively. We measure $\mathcal{B}(B^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu })=(4.4\pm 1.9\pm 1.0)\times {10}^{-7}$ , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The observed significance relative to the background-only hypothesis is 2.4 standard deviations. We set a 90% confidence level upper limit of $\mathcal{B}(B^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu })<6.7\times {10}^{-7}$ using a frequentist approach and a 90% credibility level upper limit of $\mathcal{B}(B^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu })<7.2\times {10}^{-7}$ using a Bayesian approach. These are the most stringent limits to date. The result is interpreted as an exclusion region in the parameter space of type II and type III two-Higgs-doublet models. We search for stable sterile neutrinos with masses $m_N\in [0,1.5]\mathrm{GeV}$ . No signal is observed, and the resulting exclusion on the squared mixing parameter $|U_{\mu N}{|}^2$ provides improvement over previous limits. We report a measurement of the partial branching fraction of semileptonic $B\to X_u\ell {\nu }_{\ell }$ decays with $p_{\mu }^B>2.2\mathrm{GeV}$ , obtaining $\mathrm{\Delta }\mathcal{B}(B\to X_u\ell {\nu }_{\ell })=(2.72\pm 0.05\pm 0.29)\times {10}^{-4}$ . We present a model-dependent study of weak annihilation decays using the muon momentum spectrum. We observe a signal of 2.4 standard deviations above the background-only hypothesis in regions where the distribution resembles that of $B\to X_u\ell {\nu }_{\ell }$ decays. 

We report the first search for the flavor-changing neutral-current decays $B\to X_s\nu \overline{\nu }$ , where $X_s$ is a hadronic system with strangeness equal to 1, in data collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collider. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $365{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ collected at the $\mathrm{\Upsilon }\left(4S\right)$ resonance and $43{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ collected at a center-of-mass energy 60 MeV below resonance for estimation of $e^{+}{e}^{-}\to q\overline{q}$ continuum background. One of the $B$ mesons from the $\mathrm{\Upsilon }\left(4S\right)\to B\overline{B}$ decay is fully reconstructed in a hadronic decay mode. The $B\to X_s\nu \overline{\nu }$ decay is reconstructed with a sum-of-exclusives approach that uses 30 $X_s$ decay modes. This approach provides high sensitivity to the inclusive decay, despite the presence of two undetected neutrinos. The search is performed in three regions of the $X_s$ mass, $M_{X_s}^{\mathrm{true}}$ , chosen to separate contributions from $K$ , $K^{*}\left(892\right)$ , and heavier strange final states. We do not observe a significant signal and set upper limits at 90% confidence level on the partial branching fractions for the regions $0.0<M_{X_s}^{\mathrm{true}}<0.6\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ , $0.6<M_{X_s}^{\mathrm{true}}<1.0\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ , and $1.0\mathrm{GeV}/c^2<M_{X_s}^{\mathrm{true}}$ of $2.2\times {10}^{-5}$ , $9.3\times {10}^{-5}$ , and $30.9\times {10}^{-5}$ , respectively. Combining the three mass regions, we obtain the upper limit on the branching fraction, $B(B\to X_s\nu \overline{\nu })<3.3\times {10}^{-4}$ . 

A<sc>bstract</sc> Using data samples collected by the Belle and Belle II experiments at the Υ(4S) resonance with integrated luminosities of 571 fb⁻¹and 365 fb⁻¹, respectively, we measure the pseudoscalarB-meson mass difference to bem(B⁰) −m(B⁺) = (0.495 ± 0.024 ± 0.005) MeV/c². The results are based on a simultaneous fit to the variable$${\overline{M} }_{bc}$$, which is related to theBmomentum, forB⁰andB⁺candidates; and to the energy dependence of$$\mathcal{R}=\sigma ({e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {B}^{0}{\overline{B} }^{0}) / \sigma ({e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {B}^{+}{B}^{-})$$, which is measured using changes in the average center-of-mass energy over the data taking periods. The phase-space hypothesis$$\mathcal{R}={({p}_{{B}^{0}} /{p}_{{B}^{+}})}^{3}$$, upon which previous measurements rely, is strongly disfavored by our fit; the measured mass-difference value for the phase-space hypothesis also differs significantly from our measurement. We constrain$$\mathcal{R}$$in a broader energy range than covered by the direct measurement and extract the energy dependence of$$\mathcal{R}$$in the range from the$$B\overline{B }$$threshold up to 10.59 GeV. We interpret the results using a phenomenological model and constrain the parameters of the$$B\overline{B }$$potential in the isovector channel. 

We measure the time- and phase-space-integrated $CP$ asymmetry ${\mathcal{A}}_{CP}$ in $D^0\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\pi }^0$ decays reconstructed in $e^{+}{e}^{-}\to c\overline{c}$ events collected by the Belle II experiment from 2019 to 2022. This sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $428{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ . We require $D^0$ mesons to be produced in $D^{*+}\to D^0{\pi }^{+}$ decays to determine their flavor at production. Control samples of $D^0\to K^{-}{\pi }^{+}$ decays are used to correct for reconstruction-induced asymmetries. The result, ${\mathcal{A}}_{CP}\left(D^0\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}{\pi }^0\right)=(0.29\pm 0.27\pm 0.13)\%$ , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, is the most precise result to date and is consistent with $CP$ conservation. 

We report decay-rate $CP$ asymmetries of the singly-Cabibbo-suppressed decays ${\mathrm{\Xi }}_c^{+}\to {\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}{h}^{+}{h}^{-}$ and ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}\to p{h}^{+}{h}^{-}$ , with $h=K$ , $\pi$ , measured using $428{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collisions collected by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider. The results, $A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Xi }}_c^{+}\to {\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}{K}^{+}{K}^{-})=(3.7\pm 6.6\pm 0.6)\%$ , $A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Xi }}_c^{+}\to {\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-})=(9.5\pm 6.8\pm 0.5)\%$ , $A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}\to p{K}^{+}{K}^{-})=(3.9\pm 1.7\pm 0.7)\%$ , $A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}\to p{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-})=(0.3\pm 1.0\pm 0.2)\%$ , where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic, agree with $CP$ symmetry. From these results we derive the sums $A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Xi }}_c^{+}\to {\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-})+A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}\to p{K}^{+}{K}^{-})=(13.4\pm 7.0\pm 0.9)\%$ , $A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Xi }}_c^{+}\to {\mathrm{\Sigma }}^{+}{K}^{+}{K}^{-})+A_{CP}({\mathrm{\Lambda }}_c^{+}\to p{\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-})=(4.0\pm 6.6\pm 0.7)\%$ , which are consistent with the $U$ -spin symmetry prediction of zero. These are the first measurements of $CP$ asymmetries for individual hadronic three-body charmed-baryon decays. 

A sample of $365{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}{e}^{-}\to \mathrm{\Upsilon }\left(4S\right)\to B\overline{B}$ data collected by the Belle II experiment is used to measure the partial branching fractions of charmless semileptonic $B$ meson decays and determine the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix element $V_{ub}$ . Events containing a signal electron or muon $\ell$ and a fully reconstructed hadronic $B$ decay that constrains the signal kinematics are selected, while the rest of the event defines the hadronic system $X_u$ associated with the signal. To discriminate the signal from the 50-times larger background originating from CKM-favored semileptonic $B$ decays, a template fit is performed in both signal and control regions after applying an optimized selection. The partial branching fraction measured for lepton energies greater than 1 GeV in the signal $B$ meson rest frame is $\mathrm{\Delta }\mathcal{B}\left(B\to X_u\ell \nu \right)=(1.54\pm 0.08\left(\mathrm{stat}\right)\pm 0.12\left(\mathrm{syst}\right))\times {10}^{-3}$ . From this measurement, using the Gambino, Giordano, Ossola, Uraltsev theoretical framework, $\left|V_{ub}\right|=(4.01\pm 0.19_{-0.08}^{+0.07})\times {10}^{-3}$ is determined, where the uncertainties are experimental and theoretical, respectively. This value is consistent with the world average obtained from previous inclusive measurements. Different theoretical predictions and partial branching fractions measured in other phase-space regions, defined by additional selections on the $X_u$ and leptonic system masses, are also used to determine $\left|V_{ub}\right|$ . This allows for a comparison of the resulting values across theoretical frameworks and phase-space regions.