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Available wheat genomes are annotated by projecting Chinese Spring gene models across the new assemblies. Here, the authors generate de novo gene annotations for the 9 wheat genomes, identify core and dispensable transcriptome, and reveal conservation and divergence of gene expression balance across homoeologous subgenomes.

An operational satellite-based monitoring system using NASA/USGS and ESA imagery enables rapid tracking of global land change, with the area of conversion due to direct human action and fire equaling the size of California in 2023.

The Southern Ocean seasonal ice zone can be divided into 3 dynamical regimes based on the magnitude and sign of the mean submesoscale vertical heat flux using instrumented seal data.

Cities are becoming hotter and brighter. Using satellite data on 428 Northern Hemisphere cities, this study found that artifical night lights outweighed hotter temperatures in lengthening urban growing seasons, with important implications for management.

The antibiotic polymyxin B requires bacterial metabolic activity to cause sufficient damage to the outer membrane to access the inner membrane, which it permeabilizes via an energy-independent mechanism to kill the cell.

Regulations on the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances allowed in drinking water are getting more and more stringent, and detecting small amounts is challenging. A sensing platform based on a remote gate field-effect transistor allows a sensitivity higher than that required by the US Environmental Protection Agency to be reached.

McCreery, Stubb et al. show that mechano-osmotic changes in the nucleus induce general transcriptional repression and prime chromatin for cell fate transitions by relieving repression of specific differentiation genes.

Deep stratospheric ozone intrusions can elevate western US ground-level ozone to unhealthy concentrations, but the factors driving interannual variability are poorly understood. Here, the authors combine observations and numerical simulations showing a link between intrusion events and strong La Niña winters.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

A global warming hiatus occurred during 1998 and 2012 but its effects on phenology are unclear. Here the authors examine the trends in spring and autumn phenology in the northern hemisphere and the effects of the warming hiatus and show that phenology change rate in the northern hemisphere slowed down during the warming hiatus.

Nutrient-induced soil carbon gains in grasslands can persist for decades after fertilization stops as long as the soil remains untilled, according to a multidecadal field experiment on retired agricultural fields with sandy soils.

Widespread but contrasting delayed responses of ecosystem productivity to spring warmth across northern ecosystems is inferred from satellite data, with higher areal fractions of adverse effects than beneficial effects.

Al-Hilal, Chrysovergi et al. identify a role for durotaxis in lung fibrosis and metastatic pancreatic cancer, mediated by the FAK–paxillin mechanosensor complex, and demonstrate therapeutic targeting of this pathway using the small molecule JP-153.

Rising CO₂ levels have been thought to potentially increase plant growth due to improved fertilization, but such a general effect is spatially and temporally affected by precipitation. Grassland experiments show constraints and increases in the fertilization effect due to seasonal-based precipitation, inferring that any potential plant growth could be mitigated by natural rainfall changes.

Nonoxidizing organic superacid treatments of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides have been shown to drastically boost their electrical and optical characteristics while passivating and repairing defects. Here, the authors demonstrate that these treatments can also be leveraged to boost the mechanical reliability and atomic-scale electronic uniformity of MoS₂ monolayers.

For parents, sons are more evolutionarily lucrative than daughters if sons get more chances to breed (and vice versa). Kahn et al. find that mosquitofish take advantage of this: they anticipate the future mating prospects of their offspring and bias production towards the sex with greater opportunities.

A wireless, battery-free soft robot system uses radio wave beamforming to actuate and power shape memory polymer actuators via LCE and liquid metal transducers-offering fast, remote control in confined spaces for rescue, teleoperation, and more.

Changes in Arctic sea ice volume are difficult to quantify. Five years of satellite data reveal a reduction in autumn sea ice volume in 2010–2012, but a sharp increase in 2013 and 2014, suggesting that ice volume can recover quickly.

Bats harbor diverse coronaviruses but temporal dynamics are less well studied. Here, the authors analyzed coronaviruses in Australian flying foxes over 3 years showing peak shedding and co-infections in juveniles and subadults and providing evidence of historical and contemporary recombination between viral clades.

The Perseverance rover detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons preserved within sulfates in the fan and floor of Jezero crater on Mars, offering new insights into past habitability and the preservation of organic matter on Mars.

The causative agent of sea star wasting disease has been elusive. This study used genetic datasets and experimental exposures to demonstrate that a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida caused disease and mortality in sea stars.

This study provides evidence that agricultural irrigation artificially recharges the groundwater in the Po Plain, highlighting the importance of irrigation inefficiencies for groundwater recharge.

Safely opening university campuses has been a major challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, the authors describe a program of public health measures employed at a university in the United States which, combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, allowed the university to stay open in fall 2020 with limited evidence of transmission.

Analysis of soundscape data from 139 globally distributed sites reveals that sounds of biological origin exhibit predictable rhythms depending on location and season, whereas sounds of anthropogenic origin are less predictable. Comparisons between paired urban–rural sites show that urban green spaces are noisier and dominated by sounds of technological origin.

Extended growing seasons due to climate warming might counter rises in CO₂ by increasing photosynthesis. However, in eastern North America, earlier springs over 30 years have reduced nitrogen availability to forest trees by increasing demand, limiting carbon sequestration.

Crop models suggest that early sowing and slower-developing cultivars could maintain Australian wheat yields despite less-favourable climatic conditions. Field trials now confirm the potential of this adaptation for wheat production across Australia.

The timing of life-history events has a strong impact on ecosystems. Now, analysis of the phenology of temperate forests in the eastern US indicates that in the case of an earlier spring and a later autumn, carbon uptake (photosynthesis) increases considerably more than carbon release (respiration).

In recent years, rivers and slush fields have often developed on top of near-impermeable ice slabs in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Measurements of superimposed ice formation and melting reveal that ice slabs are both hotspots of refreezing and emerging zones of runoff.

Adoption is an altruistic behaviour that incurs parental costs. Gorrellet al. examined more than 2,000 squirrel litters and showed that red squirrels adopt only their kin, resulting in an increase in their inclusive fitness. These data provide support for Hamilton's rule of altruism.

Data from 143 weather radars provide an estimate of biomass flows from nocturnal migrating birds across the continental United States, providing a picture of survival rates for species with different life-history and migratory strategies.

Friction consolidation transforms brittle Sm–Co powders into dense magnets via shear-driven redox reactions and localized heating, enabling phase-selective refinement and enhanced magnetization in a single-step, low-temperature process.

2D semiconductors are attracting attention as a potential alternative for post-silicon electronics, but the fabrication of high-performance 2D p-type transistors remains a challenge. Here, the authors report the realization of bilayer WSe₂ p-type transistor arrays with on-state currents up to 421 μA/μm, on/off ratios exceeding 10⁷ and subthreshold swings as low as 75 mV/decade.

Comparison of multiple genome assemblies from wheat reveals extensive diversity that results from the complex breeding history of wheat and provides a basis for further potential improvements to this important food crop.

Hot and dry climate extremes in Australia are linked to stratospheric polar vortex weakening, with potential implications for their predictability, according to statistical analyses of observational data from the past 40 years.

Coastal upwelling sustains some of the most productive ocean regions. Here, the authors find that spatial patterns and temporal changes in nutrient supply explain marine microbial community structure and diversity in the Southern California Current region.

Baleen whales migrate from high latitude feeding grounds to subtropical reproductive winter grounds, translocating limiting nutrients across ecosystems. This study estimates the latitudinal movement of nutrients from carcasses, placentas and urea for four species of baleen whales that exhibit annual migrations.

Climate oscillations affect weather on different temporal-spatial scales, which poses difficulty in understanding how they influence tree reproduction. Here Ascoli et al. show relationships between low- and high-frequency components of the NAO and masting in two European tree species across multiple decades.

The changing climate threatens water quality in lakes, particularly oxygen levels. Here the authors present evidence for northern lakes of rapidly reducing oxygen levels, mainly driven by longer stratification in the warm season, with implications for lake ecosystems.

Wind changes the surface of the Earth, but the surface characteristics of the planet also impact the winds above it. Here, the authors propose a feedback process in which wind erosion in the western Gobi Desert alters the thermal properties of the surface, which in turn increases near-surface winds.

The magnetic exchange interaction of MnBi₂Te₄—an intrinsic magnetic topological insulator—can be tuned by intercalating ferromagnetic layers of MnTe.

The El Niño - Southern Oscillation can have global impacts, therefore assessing its future occurrence is needed. Here, the authors project that El Niño will grow at a faster rate, persist longer over the eastern and far eastern Pacific, and have stronger and distinct remote impacts in the 21st Century

A freeform multimaterial assembly process (FMAP) is demonstrated, synchronizing laser induction with 3D printing for seamlessly integrating multimaterials into 3D objects, enabling streamlined, flexible, and precise electronic device fabrication.