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The transcription factor ATF4 and its effector lipocalin 2 (LCN2) have a key role in immune evasion and tumour progression, and targeting the ATF4–LCN2 axis might provide a way to treat several types of solid tumour by increasing anti-cancer immunity.

Chemical language models trained on known metabolites can identify previously unknown metabolites from mass spectrometry-based metabolomics data with high accuracy.

BiG-SCAPE and BiG-SLiCE are computational tools that enable exploring the diversity of metabolic gene clusters across microbial genomes. Here, the authors present major updates to these tools, providing essential infrastructure for studying the diversity of microbial metabolism.

The combination of within-species variation in pathogen load, the shape of the relationship between pathogen load and infectiousness, and vector feeding preferences shape transmission of multi-host vector-borne pathogens. Here, the authors use experimental and wild bird infection data to characterize the role of 17 host bird species in avian malaria transmission in Hawaii.

Engineering motif-specific 'hot spots' into an antibody scaffold yields antibodies with high affinity to targets containing phosphoserine, phosphothreonine or phosphotyrosine.

Boosting mitochondrial metabolism in neurons in central memory circuits by enhancing Ca²⁺ retention in the mitochondrial matrix is shown to improve long-term memory formation in flies and mice.

Compiling data on floral introductions and European colonial history of regions worldwide, the authors find that compositional similarity of floras is higher than expected among regions once occupied by the same empire and similarity increases with the length of time the region was occupied by that empire.

A wearable that continuously measures the concentration of a drug is demonstrated in humans.

When senescent cells accumulate during adulthood they negatively influence lifespan and promote age-dependent changes in several organs; clearance of these cells delayed tumorigenesis in mice and attenuated age-related deterioration of several organs without overt side effects, suggesting that the therapeutic removal of senescent cells may be able to extend healthy lifespan.

Metals shortage threatens climate goals by affecting adoption of key technologies for the energy transition. Optimizing technology mixes is now shown to limit the supply-constrained energy transition metals to only copper, lithium, and vanadium, though economy-wide resource sobriety remains urgent.

Decentralized natural resource governance is thought to aid conservation and reduce poverty, but its heterogeneous local effects are under-explored. A study in Nepal shows that forest governance decentralization reduces poverty but the benefits are greater for dominant ethnic and caste groups compared with minority ones.

Biennial survey looks at goals and challenges of today’s junior researchers.

An ecosystem energetics approach, quantifying trophic energy flows across species, offers a unified framework for linking animal biodiversity loss to changes in ecosystem function and Earth system processes.

Magnet-free J-oscillators use internal spin-spin couplings in molecules and digital feedback to generate continuous, ultra-stable zero-field NMR signals, reaching up to 100x narrower linewidths for sharper molecular fingerprints.

This study shows that spatial contexts with more reliable brain representations better support memory for future experiences within them, revealing how stable neural maps help the brain organize and recall life events.

DNA methylation and gene expression data integration identify aging-related genes in blood that predict health outcomes, offering new insights into aging biology and potential therapeutic targets.

Chen et al. developed a self-powered smart magnetoelastic stent for real-time hemodynamic monitoring and stenosis detection.

An analysis documents the cumulative income hit mothers incur — as well as the extent to which state aid can offset the loss.

Targeting neurons that regulate energy balance may offer new approaches for obesity treatment. Here, authors show that chemogenetic and pharmacological manipulation of GABAergic neurons in the DRN/vlPAG increases adaptive thermogenesis and reduces weight gain in mice fed a highfat diet.

It remains unknown why only some sickle cell disease (SCD) patients develop lung thrombosis. Here, the authors show that an extracellular vesicle-dependent mechanism prevents lung thrombosis in SCD and how a CD39 polymorphism impairs this protection to promote lung thrombosis in subset of patients.

Pyramidal neuron-driven mechanisms actively promote the survival and terminal differentiation of their associated interneuron subtypes.

Eileen Faucher found that her curiosity about the drug-development landscape was better suited to advising companies than to working inside them.

Misfolded α-synuclein in the gut contributes to Parkinsons’s disease pathogenesis and gut symptoms. Gut macrophages clear α-synuclein via C1q–complement pathways; loss of this response worsens neuropathology and improves gut function, implicating neuroimmune crosstalk.

During development of eutherian females, one of the X-chromosomes is silenced. Here, authors show that alleles on the inactive X-chromosome are dynamically expressed along neural differentiation enhancing resilience of female neural tissue.

Beatrix Potter's meticulous artistry served mycology and entomology as well as children's fiction, reveals Linda Lear.

Nickel-catalysed cross-coupling reactions generally use Ni(II) or Ni(0) precatalysts. Here the authors report thermally stable dinuclear Ni(I) complexes with commercial isocyanide ligands for the efficient catalysis in Kumada, Suzuki–Miyaura and Buchwald–Hartwig cross-coupling reactions.

Bruijns et al. present a modeling tool that enables the tracking of learning dynamics across subjects to reveal how behaviors emerge and adapt. Applying the tool to a decision-making task in mice uncovers similarities and differences across individuals.

In the adrenal cortex, cholesterol used for steroid production is stored in lipid droplets. The authors demonstrate here the importance of the transcription factor HHEX in maintaining glucocorticoid levels and protecting lipid droplets from androgen-induced lipid depletion.

Prenatal Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure can lead to a spectrum of developmental issues, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here the authors show that prenatal ZIKV exposure in macaques disrupts neurodevelopment, causing prolonged maternal attachment and visual deficits at 3 months that normalize by 12 months, independent of sensory function.

Although natural-killer-cell therapies are safer than T-cell therapies and offer other advantages, they require upgrades to overcome their limited lifespan and susceptibility to immunosuppression.

Using two-photon microscopy with a panoramic virtual reality setup, how head direction cells in larval zebrafish integrate visual landmarks and optic flow to track orientation is revealed.

Previous research on visual memory often relies on image recognition as a test, and the exact nature of memory when freely recalling information is not clear. Here, Bainbridge and colleagues develop a drawing-based memory recall task, and show detailed-rich, quantifiable information diagnostic of previously encountered visual scenes.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 also reduced circulation of endemic viruses which may have led to immune waning. Here, the authors use multiplex serology data from King County, Washington, US to characterise age-specific changes in antibody levels to a range of endemic viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A scientific paper today is inspired by more disciplines than ever before, shows a new analysis marking the journal’s 150th anniversary.

A meta-analysis of 168 studies reveals that economic inequality is not significantly associated with subjective well-being or mental health.

Inventor Josh Miele says that accelerating change requires uprooting social attitudes about blindness and other disabilities.

Optical neuromorphic systems promise significant advantages in terms of bandwidth, power efficiency, and speed. Here, authors demonstrate how networks of spiking photonic crystal nanolasers can be trained to perform Bayesian inference through sampling from multivariate probability distributions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly improve healthcare delivery and outcomes, but potential embedded biases can affect fairness in clinical deployment. Here, the authors develop a simulation-based approach to explore which formalisations of AI algorithmic fairness translate into long-term outcome fairness, with a focus on breast cancer.

Data heterogeneity presents a challenge in distributed artificial intelligence (AI) for medical imaging across diverse clinical settings. Here, the authors develop HeteroSync Learning, a privacy-preserving distributed learning framework that mitigates data heterogeneity and outperforms classical, state-of-the-art, and foundation models.

Here, the authors generated and analyzed run-on sequencing data to observe transcription in species across the tree of life to uncover the origins of the promoter-proximal pause.

A broad systems-level approach is necessary to understand the intricate etiology of clinical complications from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Here, the authors reconstruct a causal network of circulating proteins and identify subnetworks linked to future risk of myocardial infarction and other cardiometabolic traits.

Omnivores like bears can switch between plant and animal diets, potentially helping them respond to changing conditions. By combining modern and fossil data, this study shows that bears shift toward carnivory in harsher climates and toward herbivory in more productive environments.

The evolution of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) remains poorly understood. Here, the authors employ multi-omics and multi-scale analyses to explore the genetic evolution of keratinocytes to cSCC, finding key pathogenic mutations that break the resistance to ultraviolet radiation as well as spatial heterogeneity patterns.