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The International Space Station is a unique habitat for humans and microbes. Here, Mora et al. analyze microbial communities from several areas aboard, finding similarities with those of ground-based indoor environments, as well as adaptations towards biofilm formation but not necessarily relevant to human health.

The ancestry of the European bison (wisent) remains a mystery. Here, Cooper and colleagues examine ancient DNA from fossil remains of extinct bison, and reveal the wisent originated through the hybridization of the extinct Steppe bison and ancestors of modern cattle.

Seagrass meadows are important but one of the most threatened ecosystems globally. Here the authors analyse data about extent and density of seagrasses in Europe from 1869 to 2016, and find evidence of recent trend reversal for declining European seagrass meadows.

Analysis of metagenomes from across the globe reveals the spectrum of soil microbial functional diversity based on community aggregated traits.

Phage engineered with tail fibers and CRISPR–Cas reduce Escherichia coli load in animals.

Despite its clinical relevance, direct electrical stimulation (DES) of the human brain is surprisingly poorly understood. Karnath and colleagues discuss the complex local and remote effects of DES on physiology and behaviour, and conclude that DES cannot be regarded as the gold standard for inferring causality between neuronal activity and behaviour.

Immunoglobulin class-switch recombination can be induced by the secreted factors BAFF and APRIL. Cerutti and colleagues show that the receptor TACI conveys such signals via the adaptor MyD88 to induce class-switch recombination.

The authors report genome-wide data from 34 ancient individuals spanning the Holocene, from what is now Brazil, illuminating connections and disjoints between Sambaqui shellmound societies and preceding and later peoples.

A subset of oestrogen-sensitive neurons integrate melanocortin and oestrogen signalling to rebalance energy allocation in female mice leading to reduced sedentary behaviour and decreasing obesity in oestrogen-depleted female mice

A study reports the distribution, replication and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 throughout the human body including in the brain at autopsy from acute infection to more than seven months following symptom onset.

Production of a safe and manufacturable material to mimic anabolic bone for tissue engineering has been hard to achieve to date. Here the authors use a mesenchymal stem cell line generated from induced pluripotent stem cells to produce osteogenic cell-matrix, displaying significant healing properties in mice.

Global warming will affect food-web structure and species persistence, and real world data is needed for better prediction. Combining species counts and temperature data from rock pools with dynamic modelling predicts biodiversity increases in arctic to temperate regions and declines in the tropics.

Using metatranscriptomics of diatom-associated viruses and quantification of extracellular viruses in coastal water samples, the authors link silicon limitation to increased virus-induced mortality of diatoms, which could have implications for marine biogeochemical cycling.

CD40 agonists have been investigated as a strategy to awaken the immune system against cancers. Here, the authors use a virus encoding CD40L and tumour-associated antigens to enhance innate and adaptive immunity that together with tumour targeting antibodies controls the growth of tumours in mice.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes are important mediators of joint pathology in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here the authors show that Lasp1 is epigenetically regulated and highly expressed by these cells in RA and its deletion can limit joint pathology in a mouse model of inflammatory arthritis.

The chromosomal kinase JIL-1 is responsible for interphase histone H3S10 phosphorylation and has been proposed to protect active chromatin from heterochromatinisation. Here, the authors show that JIL-1 is stabilized and anchored to active genes and telomeric transposons by JASPer, which binds to H3K36me3 nucleosomes via its PWWP domain.

Chromosome arm-level aneuploidies (CAAs) are frequently observed in cancer. Here, the authors analyse CAA landscapes across different tumour types, relating these chromosome arm gains and losses to tumour evolution, metastasis, patient survival and response to a range of anti-cancer therapies.

Berkane et al. investigated the activation process of selective autophagy of the ER. They show that that phosphorylation of FAM134 proteins by CK2 is a prerequisite for the formation of large micro-clusters of high-density at the ER membrane.

Land-based mitigation for meeting the Paris climate target must consider the carbon cycle impacts of land-use change. Here the authors show that when bioenergy crops replace high carbon content ecosystems, forest-based mitigation could be more effective for CO₂ removal than bioenergy crops with carbon capture and storage.

The crust beneath the InSight lander on Mars is altered or fractured to 8–11 km depth and may bear volatiles, according to an analysis of seismic noise and wave scattering recorded by InSight’s seismometer.

Signalling is often fine-tuned by the exo-endocytic cycling of cell surface receptors. Here, the authors show that the endocytic adaptor protein Stonin1 is important for the endocytosis of NG2, a co-receptor for extracellular matrix and growth factors, and that loss of Stonin1 alters cell motility.

A meta-analysis reveals that the presence of exotic species has a modest but significantly negative impact on the ecological properties of native marine communities and identifies the exotic species that exert the most harmful effects.

The authors show that loss-of-interaction with the nuclear importer, TNPO3, causes cytoplasmic mislocalization of RBM20 variants linked to severe cases of dilated cardiomyopathy. Restoring their nuclear localization alleviates the disease phenotype.

The first operation of the European X-ray free-electron laser facility accelerator based on superconducting technology is reported. The maximum electron energy is 17.5 GeV. A laser average power of 6 W is achieved at a photon energy of 9.3 keV.

Multi-omics analyses of gut microbiome, liver and blood samples from patients with hepatitis C infection before and after removal of the virus reveal metabolic dysregulation along the gut–liver axis.

Trapped films of air known as plastrons are promising for underwater engineering but typically have short lifetimes. Here, aerophilic titanium alloy surfaces are developed with thermodynamically stabilized plastrons for antifouling applications.

Denervation of muscle fibres induces muscle atrophy, via mechanisms that remain unclear. Here, the authors show that binding of acetylcoline to its receptor at the neuromuscular junction represses the expression of connexins 43 and 45, which promote atrophy, and is sufficient to prevent denervation-induced loss of myofibre mass.

Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis in 26,699 people with seizures and 492,324 controls to identify 25 genome-wide significant copy-number variants. The discovered loci point to known disease genes and associations with clinical annotations.

The regulatory role of calcitonin in bone homeostasis is well studied, yet its molecular activity is poorly understood. The authors show that calcitonin regulates bone cells function by inhibiting the osteoclast secretion of sphingosine 1-phosphate, a lipid mediator of osteoclast–osteoblast crosstalk.

Macroalgae can be transported across the open ocean, and substantial amounts can reach the seafloor at 4,000 m depth, according to analyses of metagenome data from global expeditions. Macroalgae are a potentially important oceanic carbon sink globally.

Only about 15% of water cycle diagrams include human interaction with water, although human freshwater appropriation amounts to about half of global river discharge, according to an analysis of 464 water cycle diagrams and a synthesis of the global water cycle.

Fossiomanus sinensis and Jueconodon cheni, a newly described Early Cretaceous tritylodontid and eutriconodotan, respectively, show convergence on a fossorial body plan and provide insights into the evolution of the axial skeleton in mammaliamorphs.

Myelodyplastic hematopoietic stem cells (MDS HSC) have eluded in vivo modeling. Here the authors present a highly efficient MDS patient-derived xenotransplantation model in cytokine-humanized mice with replication of the donors’ genetic complexity and myeloid, erythroid, and megakaryocytic lineage dysplasia.

The last deglaciation was interrupted by the Antarctic Cold Reversal. Proxy records and climate modelling suggest that a redistribution of oceanic and atmospheric heat caused changes in temperature and hydrology across the Southern Hemisphere.

Compounds that contain alkyl-difluoromethyl moieties are of interest for medicinal chemistry, but their synthesis is challenging. Here, the authors report a copper-catalyzed radical relay approach for the carbodifluoromethylation of alkenes that simultaneously introduces CF₂H groups and complex alkyl or aryl groups into alkenes.