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A study of several longitudinal birth cohorts and cross-sectional cohorts finds only moderate overlap in genetic variants between autism that is diagnosed earlier and that diagnosed later, so they may represent aetiologically different conditions.

Many lakes in arid, organic-poor permafrost landscapes have a negligible role in mineralizing terrestrial carbon, according to metabolic analyses of lakes in the arid Yukon Flats Basin.

Paiardini and colleagues describe a subset of lymph node HIV- and SIV-specific TOX^hiTCF1⁺CD39⁺CD8⁺ T cells that coexhibit stem- and effector-like phenotypic and transcriptional profiles and associate with reduced viral burden.

Meta-analysis of 36,760 cases and 375,188 controls identifies 54 loci associated with susceptibility to cutaneous melanoma. Further analysis combining nevus count and hair color GWAS results provide insights into the genetic architecture of melanoma.

Interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair involves proteins whose mutation results in the disorder Fanconi anaemia: here gene knockdown studies in mice show that the absence of HELQ, a protein previously implicated in ICL repair, compromises germ cell development and results in tumour predisposition due to defective recombination at damaged replication forks.

What makes us human? This question can only be approached by integrating disparate disciplines, from molecular comparisons of genetic and genomic differences in humans and close evolutionary relatives, of organ-systems changes, and by considering the influence of the environment and culture.

Wearable transdermal iontophoresis offers advantages for patient-comfort when deploying epidermal diseases treatments but current self-powered iontophoresis based on energy harvesters is limited in the support of efficient long-term operation therapeutic administration. Here, the authors propose a simplified wearable iontophoresis patch with a built-in Mg battery for efficient and controllable transdermal delivery.

By performing experiments under upper tropospheric conditions, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and ammonia can form particles synergistically, at rates orders of magnitude faster than any two of the three components.

Beben Benyamin and colleagues report a genome-wide association study to iron status, identifying variants in TMPRSS6 associated with serum iron, transferrin saturation and erythrocyte volume.

Most electrical devices must pass charges across semiconductor interfaces, yet redox-active molecular behavior obscures comprehension of these processes. Here, the authors develop a model to describe redox processes on semiconductor surfaces and gauge these interactions electrochemically.

The C-type lectin receptor MelLec recognizes DHN-melanin in conidial spores of Aspergillus fumigatus and other DHN-melanized fungi, revealing an important role for this receptor in antifungal immunity in both mice and humans.

Strong, flexible supercapacitors are desirable for miniaturized electronic devices, but realizing a combination of high energy and power density is challenging. Lee et al. address this with a demonstration of high-performance supercapacitor yarns that could be useful for electronic textiles.

The SARS-CoV-2 Assessment of Viral Evolution (SAVE) programme provides a real-time risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 variants with the potential to affect transmission, virulence and resistance to infection- and vaccine-induced immunity.

Scars are a significant problem caused by excess collagen in the skin. Here the authors develop a topical drug that reduces collagen stability and leads to improved scar appearance and stiffness in preclinical models.

Obese and dysfunctional adipose tissue is known to be hypoxic. Here the authors show that adipocyte oxygen consumption increases early after onset of high-fat diet feeding owing to activation of the mitochondrial protein ANT2 and that specific inhibition of ANT2 reduces adipose tissue hypoxia, inflammation and insulin resistance.

Jian Zhang and colleagues identify the E3 ubiquitin ligase CBLB as a major inhibitor of host defense against Candida albicans infection and show that targeting CBLB can protect mice from lethal candidiasis.

Water electrolysis offers a promising means for green hydrogen production, however current electrolysers do not provide a competitive edge over fossil fuels. Here, authors develop a capillary-fed electrolyser setup that avoids bubble formation to achieve a high-performance, cost-competitive device.

Analysis of chromatin accessibility and expression quantitative trait loci in stimulated or naïve macrophages identifies loci that constitutively alter chromatin but affect expression only after stimulation, thus indicating an effect on enhancer priming.

Marika Charalambous and colleagues show that, in mice, the fetus is the source of maternal circulating DLK1, which regulates the mother's metabolism during pregnancy. They also find that maternal circulating DLK1 levels predict embryonic weight in mice and associate with fetal growth restriction in a human cohort.

Silicon-based contaminants are ubiquitous in natural graphite, and they are thus expected to be present in exfoliated graphene. Here, the authors show that such impurities play a non-negligible role in graphene-based devices, and use high-purity parent graphite to boost the performance of graphene sensors and supercapacitor microelectrodes.

Whole genome sequencing provides a picture of Burkholderia pseudomallei dissemination and evolution.

An exciting genome-wide association study in the British population for seven common diseases. This analysis confirms previously identified loci and provides strong evidence for many novel disease susceptibility loci.

Squeezed states of light have been experimentally demonstrated to improve the performance of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in astrophysically relevant frequency regions. This enhanced performance may help to reach the sensitivity required for detecting gravitational waves.

Copy number variants (CNVs) account for a major proportion of human genetic diversity and may contribute to genetic susceptibility to disease. Here, a large, genome-wide study of association between common CNVs and eight common human diseases is presented. The study provides a wealth of technical insights that will inform future study design and analysis. The results also indicate that common CNVs that can be 'typed' on existing platforms are unlikely to contribute much to the genetic basis of common diseases.

Krina Zondervan and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for endometriosis. The authors identify a susceptibility locus on chromosome 7p15.

RNA-based therapeutics hold promise for the treatment of several diseases. This Review provides an overview of hydrogels for RNA delivery, discussing how the chemical nature and physical properties of hydrogels can be explored for tailored RNA loading and release, and highlighting the use of these materials in biomedical applications.