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Birds and many other animals can sense the Earth’s magnetic field, but not human beings. Here, Melzer et al. develop a type of artificial skin based on giant magnetoresistive sensor foils with micrometre thickness, which can be stretched up to >250% without sacrifices in device performance.

Many recent experiments have stored quantum information in bosonic modes, such as photons in resonators or optical fibres. Now an adaptation of the classical spherical codes provides a framework for designing quantum error correcting codes for these platforms.

Cyclophilins are proteins found in many organisms, where they can play roles as chaperones, in signal transduction, or other functions. Here, Yadav et al. show that a cyanobacterial cyclophilin is involved in stress responses and in assembly of photosynthetic complexes, and displays unique structural features.

A foreground galaxy cluster is magnifying a more distant blazar by gravitationally bending the emitted radiation. Using such a lens, it is possible to resolve a jet close to the central supermassive black hole as being the source of the gamma rays.

Analyses of the hominin skull from Broken Hill, Zambia, place it at an earlier date than previously thought, confirming that later Middle Pleistocene Africa was home to at least three lineages of hominin.

Differences of sex development (DSDs) comprise a large group of congenital conditions of the urogenital tract and reproductive system. This Consensus Statement summarizes recommendations for clinical indications, diagnosis and management of patients with a DSD.

Magnetoelectric coupling allows switching of magnetic states via gate voltage pulses. Here the authors propose and demonstrate a purely antiferromagnetic magnetoelectric random access memory based on Cr₂O₃, reporting 50-fold reduction of writing threshold compared to ferromagnetic counterparts.

Understanding strong X-ray induced phenomena is important for applications of X-ray free-electron laser imaging. Here, the authors show time-resolved measurements of X-ray free-electron laser induced electronic decay of CH₂I₂ molecule probed with NIR pulses and identify mechanisms behind different transient states lifetimes.

To realize electronic skins for emerging technologies that require multifunctional sensing capability, intelligent design strategies are needed. Here, the authors report electronic skins with a single sensory unit that simultaneously transduces both tactile and touchless stimulations.

The determination of the three-dimensional magnetic domain structures of nanostructures is an ongoing challenge. Here, Streubel et al.use two-dimensional X-ray microscopy to reconstruct three-dimensional domain structures in ferromagnetic thin-film cylinders.

Deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment for obsessive–compulsive disorder but is rarely used. Action is needed by psychologists, psychiatrists and insurers so that patients with otherwise intractable cases can receive this therapy to improve their mental health.

ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) drives phospholipid (PL) from the plasma membrane into extracellular apolipoprotein A-I, for the production of high density lipoprotein (HDL). Here, the authors use simulations to assess the mechanism of ABCA1 function and show that ABCA1 extracts lipid from the outer face of the plasma membrane.

Magnetic field sensors, which are based on the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect and arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration, can provide an artificial magnetoreception that allows a person to orientate in an outdoor setting and manipulate objects in virtual reality.

F₁F_o ATP synthases produce ATP using proton- or sodium-motive force to drive ions through the membrane-embedded F_o complex, causing rotation of its c-ring rotor leading to ATP synthesis. The first high-resolution crystal structure of the c-ring from a proton-translocating F₁F_o-ATP synthase reveals the architecture of the proton-binding site and provides insight into the mechanism of proton transport.

Free-energy molecular dynamics simulations and high-resolution structural analysis of the c-ring of the F₁F_o ATPase rotary motor, which mediates ion translocation, suggest conformational flexibility and reversible ion binding in the c-subunits, in an environment mimicking the a-subunit.

Designing bio-inspired computational features in soft systems without centralized processing remains challenging. Here, the authors propose a passive display based on thermochromic elastomers by leveraging Joule heating of embedded liquid metal wires by changing geometry in response to deformation.

Richter et al. present a localization method to determine the 3D position and rotation axis of rotating magnetic dipoles. The authors demonstrate this method for tracking of a millimeter-scale motor in the context of vascular navigation.

Counter-rotating gases demonstrate external gas acquisition in galaxies, but their presence in blue, star-forming galaxies has not been studied systematically. Here, the authors analyse the MaNGA survey data to find a fraction of counter-rotators among blue galaxies whose central regions show ongoing growth.

Defects in kidney development can cause a wide range of disease phenotypes, from obvious renal abnormalities and Wilms tumour to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. A detailed understanding of the developmental genetics of the kidney is key to combating these diseases.

Two serendipitously detected dust-obscured galaxies are reported at z = 6.7 and 7.4, with estimates that such galaxies provide an additional 10–25% contribution to the total star formation rate density at z > 6.

In this Review, Reyes et al. provide an overview of the embryology and genetics of typical sex development, before discussing the clinical manifestations, genetic causes and phenotypic complexity of differences in sex development.

Bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasias (BAHs) are one cause of adrenocorticotropin-independent Cushing's syndrome. Until recently BAHs were relatively unknown and thought to be infrequent. This article reviews the molecular genetics of adrenocortical tumor development with an emphasis on BAHs. It also suggests a classification for BAHs that is based on their genetics and histology.

Paediatric solid tumours are known to be divergent from adult malignancies. This Review describes the molecular landscape of paediatric solid tumours, the therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be targeted and the preclinical models available to test the efficacy of investigational drugs with a view to accelerating translational progress.

Oligodendroglial tumours are characterized into three different molecular subtypes. Here, the authors use genomic data to identify a further three subgroups of 1p/19q co-deleted tumours and demonstrate an association with an aggressive phenotype.

The Renal Tumour Study Group of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP–RTSG) has developed a new protocol for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood renal tumours, the UMBRELLA SIOP–RTSG 2016 (the UMBRELLA protocol). In this Consensus Statement, members of SIOP–RTSG outline the rationale for the recommendations in the protocol.

The giant magnetoelastic effect measured in magnetic elastomers enables new energy generators for wearable and implantable electronics.

Anaplastic oligodendrogliomas are rare and incurable primary brain tumours with few treatment options. Here Labrecheet al. perform whole-exome sequencing and identify recurring mutations in transcription factor TCF12, which are associated with aggressive tumours.

Lyman-alpha emission is one of the observational probes for the high-redshift universe. Here, the authors show several Lyman-alpha emitting companion galaxies around the hot dust-obscured galaxy W0410-091 suggesting that the galaxy evolves in a very dense environment.

A study of the stellar kinematics of a large sample of early-type galaxies provides evidence that the stellar initial mass function depends on the galaxy’s stellar mass-to-light ratio and thus is strongly dependent on the galaxy’s formation history.