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Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

In patients with advanced cancer, the development of brain metastasis (BM) often signals a worsening prognosis with limited therapeutic options. Here, the authors assemble a large, open-source neuroimaging dataset of BM and perform spatial and morphological analysis which they use to develop a framework for function-sparing brain radiotherapy design.

Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. Here, the authors find that dominant tree species are taller and have softer wood compared to rare species and that these trait differences are more strongly associated with temperature than water availability.

Nitrogen and phosphorus limitations are both key to spatial patterns and temporal trends in primary production. This global analysis indicates that phosphorus limitation on terrestrial primary productivity has become stronger and is increasing more rapidly than nitrogen limitation.

Genome-wide data from 400 individuals indicate that the initial spread of the Beaker archaeological complex between Iberia and central Europe was propelled by cultural diffusion, but that its spread into Britain involved a large-scale migration that permanently replaced about ninety per cent of the ancestry in the previously resident population.

Levantine Phoenicians made little genetic contribution to Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean between the sixth and second centuries bce; instead, the Punic people derived most of their ancestry from a genetic profile similar to that of Sicily and the Aegean, with notable contributions from North Africa as well.

At equilibrium, the ferroelectric polarization is proportional to the strain. At ultrafast timescales, an above-bandgap laser excitation decouples strain and polarization, which, out of equilibrium, is mainly determined by the photoexcited electrons.

Here authors reveal a method to predict key information on phenotypes - their direction. This is achievable even for phenotypes with incomplete genotype-to-phenotype mapping, and applicable for individuals from the same family or population, as well as between species.

Managing power exhaust in fusion reactors is a key challenge, especially in compact designs for cost-effective commercial energy. This study shows how alternative divertor configurations improve exhaust control, enhance stability, absorb transients and enable independent plasma regulation.

Species synchrony is considered a major mechanism of biodiversity–ecosystem stability relationships. Here, by combining theory, modelling and empirical work, the authors show that with time series length species synchrony decreases and its relationship with diversity switches from positive to negative.

Genome-wide sequencing of 180 ancient individuals shows a continuous gradient of ancestry in Early-to-Mid-Holocene hunter-gatherers from the Baltic to the Transbaikal region and distinct contemporaneous groups in Northeast Siberia, and provides insights into the origins of modern Uralic and Yeniseian speakers.

Analysis of DNA from ancient individuals of the Near East documents the extreme substructure among the populations which transitioned to farming, a structure that was maintained throughout the transition from hunter–gatherer to farmer but that broke down over the next five thousand years.

Genome-wide ancient DNA data from 225 individuals who lived in southeastern Europe between 12000 and 500 bc reveals that the region acted as a genetic crossroads before and after the arrival of farming.

Indigenous populations, including in those in Mexico are underrepresented in genetic studies. Here, the authors perform a population genetics study of indigenous peoples in Mexico to explore demographic histories of the region in the context of geography and cultural influences.

A combination of metagenomic data from experimental and natural warming with microbial culturing experiments shows that warming increases the potential of evolution of antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria.

Pastoralism spread through cultural diffusion into the Green Sahara, where an isolated, distinct North African ancestry persisted.

A genomic study of 125 individuals from the Carpathian Basin (4800–3900 BCE) reveals different kinship systems in nearby Copper Age communities, and highlights both genetic continuity and contrasting patterns of social organization.

John Storey, David Blei and colleagues present a method, TeraStructure, for estimating population structure from human genomic data sets on a scale not possible with current methods. TeraStructure is able to analyze data from the Human Genome Diversity Panel and the 1000 Genomes Project in less than three hours.

Analysis of ancient genomic data of 51 humans from Eurasia dating from 45,000 to 7,000 years ago provides insight into the population history of pre-Neolithic Europe and support for recurring migration and population turnover in Europe during this period.

Deep whole-genome sequencing of 300 individuals from 142 diverse populations provides insights into key population genetic parameters, shows that all modern human ancestry outside of Africa including in Australasians is consistent with descending from a single founding population, and suggests a higher rate of accumulation of mutations in non-Africans compared to Africans since divergence.

Wood density is an important plant trait. Data from 1.1 million forest inventory plots and 10,703 tree species show a latitudinal gradient in wood density, with temperature and soil moisture explaining variation at the global scale and disturbance also having a role at the local level.

Here, the authors present paleogenomics, dental histology, geochemistry, radiocarbon dating, and bioarchaeological analysis of an Upper Palaeolithic infant from Grotta delle Mura (southern Italy). These data depict the health and development of the individual and point to regional population turnover at the time.

Ancient DNA from the eastern Maghreb (Tunisia and Algeria) dating between 15,000 and 6,000 years ago shows that this region was far less affected by external gene flow than the rest of the Neolithic Mediterranean, including not only Europe but also the western Maghreb (Morocco).

Ancient DNA reveals how the explosive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists began with a small community north of the Black Sea speaking ancestral Indo-European, and detects genetic links with Anatolian speakers, stemming from a common Indo-Anatolian homeland in the North Caucasus–lower Volga region.

The history of human populations in the islands of the central and western Mediterranean is poorly understood. Here, the authors generate ancient-DNA data from the Balearic Islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and estimate the level and timing of steppe pastoralist, Iranian and North African ancestries in these populations.

The molecular mechanisms that underlie associations in GWAS, incl. chronic kidney disease (CKD), are largely unknown. Here, the authors perform an integrative analysis of genetic, transcriptomic and epigenomic data from human kidney to pinpoint plausible molecular pathways of CKD genetic associations.

Archaeogenetic study of ancient DNA from medieval northwestern Europeans reveals substantial increase of continental northern European ancestry in Britain, suggesting mass migration across the North Sea during the Early Middle Ages.

Montserrat Garcia-Closas and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for bladder cancer. They identify three new susceptibility loci on chromosomes 22q13.1, 19q12 and 2q37.1.

Hunter-gatherer populations in Africa preserve unique information about human history, but genetic sub-structures of these populations remain unclear. Using newly designed microarray and statistical methods, these authors analyse genetic compositions of southern African populations and reveal an ancient link between southern and eastern Africa.

Mathieson et al. carried out a genome-wide association study of reproductive success (number of children born) in humans, revealing the importance of diverse neuro-endocrine and behavioural factors.

Christopher Haiman, Bogdan Pasaniuc, David Reich and colleagues report a major role for low-frequency variation in the risk for prostate cancer. They show that alleles with >1% minor allele frequency contribute an order of magnitude more to risk for prostate cancer than these alleles do to overall genetic variation.

An investigation using various methods reports an association between adeno-associated virus 2 and paediatric hepatitis of unknown aetiology.

The Late Chalcolithic material culture in the southern Levant has unique attributes that suggest spread of people or culture. Here, the authors use genome-wide ancient DNA data from 22 individuals from a Chalcolithic site and show evidence of complex population movements and turnovers.

Analysis of ground-sourced and satellite-derived models reveals a global forest carbon potential of 226 Gt outside agricultural and urban lands, with a difference of only 12% across these modelling approaches.

Whole-genome sequencing analysis of 81 prehistoric individuals reveals how the genetic makeup of people from the North Pontic region was influenced by waves of migration during the Eneolithic period and Early Bronze Age.

David Reich and colleagues report evidence for accelerated genetic drift on the X chromosome, on the basis of population genetic analyses comparing patterns of genetic variation on the X chromosome and the autosomes in West African, North European and East Asian datasets.

The high-quality genome sequence of a 45,000-year-old modern human from Siberia reveals that gene flow from Neanderthals into the ancestors of this individual had already occurred about 7,000 to 13,000 years earlier; genomic comparisons show that he belonged to a population that lived close in time to the separation of populations in east and west Eurasia and that may represent an early modern human radiation out of Africa that has no direct descendants today.

ancIBD identifies identity-by-descent regions in ancient DNA using a hidden Markov model optimized for these low-coverage data. Analysis of 4,248 individuals demonstrates that ancIBD can identify up to sixth-degree relatives and provides genealogical insights into ancient populations.