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Pooling participant-level genetic data into a single analysis can result in variance stratification, reducing statistical performance. Here, the authors develop variant-specific inflation factors to assess variance stratification and apply this to pooled individual-level data from whole genome sequencing.

Optical observations of Dimorphos, a satellite of the asteroid 65803 Didymos, before, during and after the impact of the DART spacecraft, from a network of citizen science telescopes across the world are reported.

A pan-Amazon study of forests shows large variations in drought tolerance traits and finds that forests in regions of pronounced climate change are losing biomass and may be operating beyond their hydraulic limits.

Kinetic modulatory profiling identifies regulators of ferroptosis, including the FDA-approved drug bazedoxifene, which acts in an off-target manner as a radical trapping antioxidant while mTOR inhibitors increased resistance to ferroptosis.

Pupariation in Drosophila is triggered by the steroid-hormone ecdysone and requires coordination between associated behavioral and body-reshaping motor subprograms. The authors show that coordination requires ecdysone-dependent Dilp8-Lgr3 signaling between the cuticle epidermis and interneurons.

Mutations provide the genetic variability required for evolutionary change. Here, using pedigree-based whole genome sequencing, the authors determine that the Epaulette shark appears to have the lowest mutation rate identified in a vertebrate, providing a potential explanation for slow evolution in the shark lineage.

Data from 42 chronosequence sites show a geater abundance of legumes in seasonally dry forests than in wet forests, particularly during early secondary succession, probably owing to legumes’ nitrogen-fixing ability and reduced leaflet size.

The mammalian transcription factors Oct4 and Pou2 are implicated in germ cell pluripotency induction and maintenance. Tapia and colleagues find that axolotl Pou2 and Oct4 reprogram mouse and human fibroblasts to a pluripotent state, suggesting ancestral Oct4 and Pou2 gene function is evolutionarily conserved.

Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic genomes from western Europe and the Caucasus reveal a previously undescribed strand of Eurasian ancestry with a deep divergence from other hunter-gatherer genomes. This had a profound impact on ancient and modern populations from the Atlantic to Central Asia.

Analysis of 97,691 high-coverage human blood DNA-derived whole-genome sequences enabled simultaneous identification of germline and somatic mutations that predispose individuals to clonal expansion of haematopoietic stem cells, indicating that both inherited and acquired mutations are linked to age-related cancers and coronary heart disease.

M. pneumoniae, a model organism for a minimal cell, has a dedicated protein, namely P116, to specifically extract essential lipids. The structure of P116 has a previously unseen fold, resembling a left-handed baseball glove forming a huge hydrophobic cavity.

Folgueira et al. show that dopamine signalling in the lateral hypothalamic area and the zona incerta reduces body weight and increases energy expenditure by increasing brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in rodents. Weight loss and increased energy expenditure were also observed in patients treated with a dopamine receptor 2 agonist.

Defects can significantly alter the physical properties of materials. A detailed experimental analysis of defects in carbon nanotubes enables the relationship between the atomic response and the broadly available macrosopic behaviour to be captured.

A method that exploits the double-stranded DNA-targeting capability of the bacterial toxin-derived cytosine deaminase, DddA, can map DNA–protein interactions in bacteria in vivo at genome-wide scale.

Combination of epidemiology, preclinical models and ultradeep DNA profiling of clinical cohorts unpicks the inflammatory mechanism by which air pollution promotes lung cancer

The role of non-coding somatic mutations in ovarian cancer is unclear. Here, the authors integrate genomic and epigenomic data from patient samples to show that these mutations frequently converge on the PAX8 transcriptional network.

Deforestation is often driven by land conversion for growing commodity crops. This study finds that, between 2000 and 2019, most soybean expansion in South America was on pastures converted originally for cattle production, especially in the Brazilian Amazon. More soy-driven deforestation occurred in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Unwanted uptake in the liver and limited accumulation in target organs is a major obstacle to targeted drug delivery. Here, the authors report on the hitchhiking of nanocarriers on red blood cells and the targeted upstream delivery to different target organs in mice, pigs and ex vivo human lungs.

Although the common genetic variants contributing to blood lipid levels have been studied, the contribution of rare variants is less understood. Here, the authors perform a rare coding and noncoding variant association study of blood lipid levels using whole genome sequencing data.

Xyloglucans are polysaccharides found in plant cell walls. Here, the authors describe the xyloglucan depolymerization machinery of phytopathogenic Xanthomonas bacteria, and show that sugars released by this system induce the expression of key virulence factors driving pathogenesis.

Some follicular B cell lymphomas harbour activating mutations in RRAGC, activator of the nutrient sensor mTORC1. Here the authors show that these mutations confer insensitivity to nutrient deprivation and synergize with paracrine cues from the supportive T cell microenvironment to accelerate lymphomagenesis, but impose vulnerability to inhibition of mTORC1.

Three key axes of variation of ecosystem functional changes and their underlying causes are identified from a dataset of surface gas exchange measurements across major terrestrial biomes and climate zones.

Neutrophils are the first responders in acute inflammatory events such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and tend to home to lung capillaries during acute inflammation, where they can cause tissue damage by diapedesis and secretion of specific molecules. Here the authors show that nanoparticles coated with agglutinated proteins selectively target activated neutrophils in inflamed lungs and can be used for imaging and therapeutic purposes.

The work harnesses principles of spatial state tomography to fully characterise an optical beam in space, time, spectrum, and polarisation. Analysis of the output of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser illustrates the technique’s capabilities.

Analyses of the TRACERx study unveil the relationship between tissue morphology, the underlying evolutionary genomic landscape, and clinical and anatomical relapse risk of lung adenocarcinomas.

Results of the TRACERx study shed new light into the association between body composition and body weight with survival in individuals with non-small cell lung cancer, and delineate potential biological processes and mediators contributing to the development of cancer-associated cachexia.

In the interactive model of communication, information is exchanged bidirectionally between a sender and receiver. Here, the authors realise interactive communication between two artificial nanoparticles, which relay information between each other in the form of chemical messengers and enzymatic reactions.

We find that massive genome expansion seems to be related to a reduction of PIWI-interacting RNAs and C2H2 zinc-finger and KRAB-domain protein genes that suppress transposable element expansion, and lungfish chromosomes still conservatively reflect the ur-tetrapod karyotype.

The authors report on a temperate Earth-sized planet orbiting the cool M6 dwarf LP 791-18 with a radius of 1.03 ± 0.04 R_⊕ and an equilibrium temperature of 300–400 K, with the permanent night side plausibly allowing for water condensation.

The influence of X chromosome genetic variation on blood lipids and coronary heart disease (CHD) is not well understood. Here, the authors analyse X chromosome sequencing data across 65,322 multi-ancestry individuals, identifying associations of the Xq23 locus with lipid changes and reduced risk of CHD and diabetes mellitus.

The elucidation of general principles for designing β-barrels enables the de novo creation of fluorescent proteins.

Extracting central information from ever-growing data generated in our lives calls for new data mining methods. Ferreira et al. show a simple model, called chronnets, that can capture frequent patterns, spatial changes, outliers, and spatiotemporal clusters.

Recent studies have shown that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) can capture and kill bacteria but may also contribute to chronic inflammation. The mechanisms that trigger NET formation are not yet fully elucidated. Marcos et al. now report that stimulation of the chemokine receptor CXCR, induces NET formation and that NETs are present in airway fluids of individuals with cystic fibrosis. Blocking CXCR2 activation in the lung reduced NET formation and improved lung function in a mouse model of cystic fibrosis.

Soil carbon content is positively related with plant diversity in global grasslands, and this relationship is particularly strong in warm and arid climates. Plant diversity is related to soil carbon via the quality of organic matter.

Analysis of naturally hybridizing swordtail fish species reveals a mitonuclear genetic incompatibility among three genes that encode components of mitochondrial respiratory complex I, providing insights into the emergence of hybrid incompatibilities and reproductive barriers.

Genetic mechanisms of sex determination are still unknown in most amphibians. This study elucidates a mechanism behind amphibian sex determination by uncovering a sex-determining locus (bod1l gene and a Y-specific non-coding RNA, ncRNA-Y) in European green toads (Bufo(tes) viridis) which initiates male development.

Unrestrained Src signalling can be toxic for cancer cells. Wilkinson, Frame and colleagues show that active Src is sequestered in autophagosomes in cancer cells. Inhibition of autophagy induces cancer cell death.

The mechanisms underlying resistance to immunotherapy are still poorly understood. Here, the authors show that BMP7, a molecule part of the TGF-beta superfamily, suppresses proinflammatory antitumor responses and may represent a target for overcoming resistance to PD1 inhibitors.

Analysis of the spread of the 20E (EU1) variant of SARS-CoV-2 through Europe suggests that international travel and insufficient containment, rather than increased transmissibility, led to a resurgence of infections.

The homeobox NKX2 family of transcriptional factors has been shown to regulate fundamental developmental processes. Here, the authors show that NKX2-3 is a bona fideoncogenic driver in marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma and that it promotes lymphomagenesis by shaping lymphocyte dynamics and promoting BCR signalling.

Snakebite envenoming is a leading cause of mortality among neglected tropical diseases. Here, the authors analyze a global data repository and estimate that snakebite envenoming caused over 63,000 deaths in 2019, primarily concentrated in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.