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Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Genomic analyses of DNA from modern individuals show that, about 800 years ago, pre-European contact occurred between Polynesian individuals and Native American individuals from near present-day Colombia, while remote Pacific islands were still being settled.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) frequency and risk factors vary considerably across regions and ancestries. Here, the authors conduct a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study and fine mapping study of HNSCC subsites in cohorts from multiple continents, finding susceptibility and protective loci, gene-environment interactions, and gene variants related to immune response.

Pl@ntBERT is a language-based AI model that learned the ‘syntax’ of plant assemblages, predicting likely species and inferring habitats by modelling biotic relationships.

The quark structure of the f₀(980) hadron is still unknown after 50 years of its discovery. Here, the CMS Collaboration reports a measurement of the elliptic flow of the f₀(980) state in proton-lead collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 8.16 TeV, providing strong evidence that the state is an ordinary meson.

Sex differences are well established in the prevalence and symptoms of depression. Here, the authors identify a novel X chromosome variant, greater genetic risk, and stronger links to metabolic traits in females, highlighting the importance of sex-aware approaches.

Here the authors combine a deep generative model with structure-based drug design and prospectively validate functionally active, nanomolar, A_2A adenosine receptor ligands and solve their crystal structures to close the Artificial Intelligence Structure-Based Drug Design loop.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is key for metabolic balance. Here, the authors show that RAP250 deficiency enhances BAT activity. Under these conditions, BAT-derived neuritin-1 regulates thermogenesis and fat metabolism, showing therapeutic promise for obesity and metabolic disorders.

Cancer cells can squeeze through confined spaces and undergo nuclear deformation, leading to changes in chromatin organisation. Here, the authors show that mechanical constriction in microcapillaries reprograms melanoma cells to a tumorigenic stem cell-like state through the mechanosensor PIEZO1.

The number of individuals in a given space influences animal interactions and network dynamics. Here the authors identify general rules underlying density dependence in animal networks and reveal some fundamental differences between spatial and social dynamics.

A survey across 90 societies reveals that variation and change in everyday norms are explained by a single value dimension: the priority societies place on individualizing versus binding moral concerns.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

High atmospheric concentrations of isoprene have been observed in the Southern Ocean. The authors investigate their potential marine sources and show how these emissions impact the modelling of atmospheric processes and composition in remote environments.

In this study, the authors show that autophagy controls blood cell differentiation in a Drosophila model of hematopoiesis. Notch activation depends on the endocytic pathway and promotes crystal cell differentiation, while autophagy reduces Notch accumulation via lysosomal destruction in a nutrient-dependent manner.

Cangkrama et al. show that tumor cells from various cancer types use the mitochondrial trafficking protein MIRO2 and nanotubes to transfer mitochondria into surrounding fibroblasts, thereby inducing cancer-associated fibroblast differentiation and subsequent tumor growth.

The advantage of living in cities compared with rural areas with respect to height and BMI in children and adolescents has generally become smaller globally from 1990 to 2020, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Analysis of soundscape data from 139 globally distributed sites reveals that sounds of biological origin exhibit predictable rhythms depending on location and season, whereas sounds of anthropogenic origin are less predictable. Comparisons between paired urban–rural sites show that urban green spaces are noisier and dominated by sounds of technological origin.

Horses have lived in Iberia since the Ice Age. Using ancient genomes to study their history, Lira Garrido et al. reveal a local wild lineage lasting until Late Iron Age, and highlight the far-reaching influence of Iberian bloodlines across Europe and north Africa during the Iron Age and beyond.

The human mitochondrial helicase Twinkle is essential for maintaining mitochondrial DNA. Here, the authors combine biochemical and single-molecule approaches to show how Twinkle’s real-time kinetics are regulated by its amino and carboxyl terminal domains, revealing a key auto-regulatory mechanism.

Biological nitrogen fixation may impose stronger constraints on the carbon sink in natural terrestrial biomes and represent a larger source of agricultural nitrogen than is generally considered in analyses of the global nitrogen cycle.

This study developed a phased chromosome-level genome assembly for the African sweetpotato cultivar ‘Tanzania’, revealing the complex genome architecture of hexaploid sweetpotato and providing valuable insights into its origin.

Analysis of 2,170 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain provides insights into transmission patterns and the effects of lockdown on the emergence of new variants.

In this Consensus Statement, a consortium of microbiome scientists discuss current sequencing data sharing policies and propose the use of a Data Reuse Information (DRI) tag to promote equitable and collaborative data sharing.

Allele-preferential transcription factor binding can influence pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma risk loci function. Here, the authors show allele-specific JunB and JunD binding at chr1p36.33 and propose a role for KLHL17 in protein homeostasis by mitigating inflammation.

A comparison of alpha diversity (number of plant species) and dark diversity (species that are currently absent from a site despite being ecologically suitable) demonstrates the negative effects of regional-scale anthropogenic activity on plant diversity.

Literature produced inconsistent findings regarding the links between extreme weather events and climate policy support across regions, populations and events. This global study offers a holistic assessment of these relationships and highlights the role of subjective attribution.

Spatially resolved JWST spectroscopy of a massive, quiescent galaxy at a redshift of ~4 reveals that it formed its stars and quenched rapidly, despite being surrounded by an abundant gas reservoir and gravitationally bound to a star-bursting companion.

Here the authors apply machine learning approaches to Alzheimer’s genetics, confirm known associations and suggest novel risk loci. These methods demonstrate predictive power comparable to traditional approaches, while also offering potential new insights beyond standard genetic analyses.

Drug resistance remains a major challenge in cancer treatment. Here, the authors identify Connexin43 as target that enhances BRAF/MEKi efficacy by interfering with DNA repair pathways, overcoming drug resistance. They develop an mRNA therapy that improves efficacy and sensitizes resistant cells.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainability-related scholarly work, such as Sustainable Development Goal research, is growing. An analysis now finds that few studies actually use AI to address normative or transformative dimensions of sustainability science, limiting the potential of relevant AI applications.

Genotype and exome sequencing of 150,000 participants and whole-genome sequencing of 9,950 selected individuals recruited into the Mexico City Prospective Study constitute a valuable, publicly available resource of non-European sequencing data.

Precise surface modification of titanium dioxide is useful for numerous applications. Here, the authors report that high ion dose bombardment transforms the surface of titanium dioxide (110) into single-crystalline titanium oxide (001) thin film, unlike previous lower energy ion bombardment studies.

The polarization state of light is analogous to the spin state of electrons, enabling equivalent phenomena to be explored in optics as in the solid state. Here, the authors study directional scattering of light from nanostructured surfaces, arising from a spin-orbit coupling effect for surface plasmon waves.

Analysis of 20 chemical and morphological plant traits at diverse sites across 6 continents shows that the transition from semi-arid to arid zones is associated with an unexpected 88% increase in trait diversity.

Measurements of fission fragments for 100 fissioning systems are used to map an asymmetric fission island, providing evidence for the role played by the deformation induced by a closed 36-proton shell.

What is the state of trust in scientists around the world? To answer this question, the authors surveyed 71,922 respondents in 68 countries and found that trust in scientists is moderately high.

Understanding species’ spatiotemporal dynamics is key to predicting their responses to climate change. Here, the authors combine landscape genomics, demographic reconstructions, and species distribution models to assess lineage-specific responses to past and future climate in a migratory raptor.

Known genetic loci account for only a fraction of the genetic contribution to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors have performed a large genome-wide meta-analysis comprising 409,435 individuals to discover 6 new loci and demonstrate the efficacy of an Alzheimer’s disease polygenic risk score.

Here, the authors use paleogenomic data from the indigenous people of the Canary Islands to shed light on the Prehistory of North Africa, and on how insularity and resources availability shaped the genetic composition of this isolated population.

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 impact of herbivorous insects on biogeochemical cycling within forests. From a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests, they show that background levels of insect herbivory are sufficiently large to alter both ecosystem element cycling and influence terrestrial carbon cycling.

The topological Hall effect usually results from a static scalar spin chirality. Here, through a combination of neutron scattering and transport measurements, Baral et al. demonstrate the emergence of a room temperature topological Hall effect due to dynamic scalar spin chirality in a topologically non-trivial phase in Fe3Ga4