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The diagnosis and prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) relies on invasive renal biopsies, which can be clinically constrained. Here, the authors develop a non-invasive model using retinal images that can be used to screen for CKD and identify five common pathological types of CKD.

In this disease mapping study, the authors estimate disability-adjusted life year rates for three of the major causes of mortality for children under five 43 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. They identify significant heterogeneity at the subnational level, highlighting the need for a targeted intervention approach.

A new titanosaurian sauropod, Mansourasaurus, is the most complete terrestrial vertebrate from the post-Cenomanian Cretaceous of the African mainland. Phylogenetic analyses reveal the existence of a titanosaurian clade inhabiting both Africa and Europe at this time and a faunal connection between the two continents.

Black and white fonio are two small indigenous grain cereals grown in West Africa. Here, the authors reveal their independent domestication and cultivation histories through population genetics and demographic history analyses.

A new integration approach, nano-ridge engineering, enables electrically driven GaAs-based laser diodes to be fabricated on Si wafers in a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) pilot line, showing potential for the integration of laser diodes in a Si photonics platform.

Pooled and sex-specific genome-wide association analyses identify new risk loci for restless legs syndrome and candidates for drug repurposing. Machine learning models combining genetic and other information show improved risk prediction performance.

A pan-cancer epigenetic and transcriptomic atlas identifies epigenetic drivers associated with cancer transitions.

Studies of mouse and human IgA responses against Candida albicans and other common fungal species show that host adaptive immunity selects for fungal effectors that promote commensalism and prevent intestinal disease.

Egyptian rousette bats (ERBs) are natural reservoirs for Marburg virus (MARV), but these bats have not been linked to the MARV Angola strain that caused the largest and deadliest outbreak on record. Here, Amman et al., in a multi-institutional surveillance effort, identify and isolate Angola-like MARV in ERBs in West Africa.

Analysis of 46 newly sequenced or re-sequenced Tausch’s goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii) accessions establishes the origin of the bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) D genome from genetically and geographically discrete Ae. tauschii subpopulations.

Analysis of HbA1c and FPG levels across 117 population-based studies demonstrates regional variation in prevalence of previously undiagnosed screen-detected diabetes using one or both measures and suggests that use of elevated FPG alone could underestimate diabetes prevalence in low- and middle-income countries.

This study examines the history of North Atlantic deep-water masses, as recorded in marine sediments. Major lithological changes and increased rate of deposition reveal that stronger deep-ocean circulation initiated 3.6 million years ago.

Traditional drug discovery process use differential, Bayesian and other network based approaches. We developed a Boolean approach for building disease maps and prioritizing pre-clinical models to discover a first-in-class therapy to restore and protect the leaky gut barrier in inflammatory bowel disease.

Irisin attenuates microglial inflammation in PD via ubiquitination-autophagy pathways: PAFAH1B1-RAGE ubiquitination and TFEB-NLRP3 modulation.

A study reports single-cell RNA-sequencing profiles for more than 1.6 million cell nuclei from 101 whole mouse embryos including 22 mutant and 4 wild-type genotypes, from one experiment.

Analysis of autosomal recessive coding variants in 29,745 trios from the DDD study and GeneDx provides insights into the genetic architecture of developmental disorders across ancestrally diverse populations.

A multi-objective optimization water–energy model explores the effect of dam re-operation strategies to minimize hydrological alterations in the Lower Mekong. Dam re-operation provides a feasible opportunity for the restoration of key elements of hydrological variability without hindering hydropower production.

HITS-Bio, a high-throughput bioprinting platform, rapidly assembles spheroids to mimic native tissue architecture. Its intraoperative application in bone shows near-complete calvarial defect repair in rats and fabrication of scalable cartilage.

A cross-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci, reveals putative causal genes, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as potential drug targets, and provides cross-ancestry integrative risk prediction.

Bonapersona and colleagues describe how historical control data can be used to improve statistical power while reducing the number of animals required in experiments. They present an open-source tool, RePAIR, that can be used to apply this approach.

A benchmarking competition improves tools that predict how regulatory regions control gene expression.

A search for transient dark matter in the form of domain walls of axion-like particles finds no statistically significant signal. This places constraints on our theoretical understanding of such scenarios.

FlyWire presents a neuronal wiring diagram of the whole fly brain with annotations for cell types, classes, nerves, hemilineages and predicted neurotransmitters, with data products and an open ecosystem to facilitate exploration and browsing.

Association analyses in over 1 million individuals identify 535 new loci influencing blood pressure traits. The results provide new insights into blood pressure regulation and highlight shared genetic architecture between blood pressure and lifestyle exposures.

The TYK2 gene is associated with development of type 1 diabetes. Here the authors show that TYK2 regulates β-cell development, but at the same time TYK2 inhibition in the islets prevents IFNα responses and enhances their survival against CD8⁺ T-cell cytotoxicity; representing a potent therapeutic target to halt T1D progression.

THC acts as a pain reliever in part by engaging a receptor in peripheral tissues, CB₂. But exactly where CB₂ is and how it operates has been unclear. A new study shows that cannabinoids, acting through CB₂ on skin cells, stimulate the local release of endogenous opioids.

Ultrafast breaking of the molecular symmetry is a key process in photochemistry. Here the authors show direct observation during internal conversion of a heterocyclic molecule using Coulomb explosion imaging supported by simulations.

An apparent redundant role with EZH2 has rendered EZH1 as a secondary player in PRC2-mediated homeostasis regulation. Here, the authors report that gain- and loss-of-function variants in EZH1 cause neurodevelopmental disorders, highlighting its functional relevance.

Interaction of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide grains with exposed oxygen–aluminium atomic plane in sapphire is a more dominant factor than step-edge docking in controlling the single-crystal epitaxy of these materials.

A chromatin accessibility atlas of 240,919 cells in the adult and developing Drosophila brain reveals 95,000 enhancers, which are integrated in cell-type specific enhancer gene regulatory networks and decoded into combinations of functional transcription factor binding sites using deep learning.

African Americans have an elevated risk of developing chronic kidney disease, yet only a fraction of those with high-risk genotypes develop the disease. Here, the authors show that a missense variant in APOL1 has a strong protective effect when co-inherited with the high-risk G2 allele of APOL1, with important implications for clinical practice and translational research.

Laboratory and clinical strains of Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus use LDLR to bind and enter host cells in blood vessel organoids and mice. Infection can also occur through ApoE, possibly present on virus particles.

Understanding the emergence, evolution, and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to combat antimicrobial resistance. Here, Munk et al. analyse ARGs in hundreds of sewage samples from 101 countries and describe regional patterns, diverse genetic environments of common ARGs, and ARG-specific transmission patterns.

The electrostatic control of magnetic properties is central for future development of spintronic devices. Here, the authors show that the magnetic proximity effect induces an exchange shift in the band structure of graphene interfaced with CrSBr.