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Biomolecular phase separation arises from collective molecular interactions and is emerging as a key theme for biological function. Here the authors propose a broadly applicable method to quantify these interactions based on compositional and energetic parameters.

Kinematic analyses of Lake Malawi cichlids reveal that algae specialists use head expansions that happen synchronously along the head. This contrasts with the wave-like pattern of piscivores and is hypothesized to increase algae feeding efficiency.

The Apelin receptor (APLNR) plays a key role during cardiovascular development. Here, authors develop genetically encoded APLNR conformation biosensors, which enable the measurement of temporally and spatially resolved APLNR activity in model cell lines and living organisms.

A study reports whole-genome sequences for 490,640 participants from the UK Biobank and combines these data with phenotypic data to provide new insights into the relationship between human variation and sequence variation.

The second messenger 3’,5’-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is important for the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis. Here, correlative single-cell profiling of cGMP dynamics and vascular cell phenotype reveals a druggable atheroprotective mechanism and suggests parallels between remodeling processes in bone and atherosclerotic arteries.

The authors use time-resolved scanning near-field optical microscopy to probe the ultrafast excitonic processes and their impact on waveguide operation in transition metal dichalcogenide crystals. They observe significant modulation of the complex index by monitoring waveguide modes on the fs time scale, and identify both coherent and incoherent manipulations of WSe₂ excitonic resonances.

Density functional theory is widely used throughout the chemical sciences, but suffers from over-emphasis on charge delocalisation. Here, the authors experimentally probe the energies of two states of a diamine cation and show how a self-interaction correction allows for the accurate prediction of both states.

A multi-ancestry genome-wide association study for age at menarche followed by fine mapping and downstream analysis implicates 665 pubertal timing genes, such as the G-protein-coupled receptor 83 (GPR83) and other genes expressed in the ovaries involved in the DNA damage response.

Routine breast MRI scans provide an opportunity to screen for thoracic aortic aneurysms, which are more fatal in women. Here, the authors show that a fully automated AI tool can screen for these aneurysms using routine breast MRI scans.

The internal textures of columnar-jointed lava flows and intrusions are poorly understood. Mattssonet al. propose a melt-migration model for Icelandic basalt driven by crystallization and volume decrease inside cooling columns, which explains the macroscopic features observed in columnar-jointed basalts.

Authors discuss the potential of conserving crop wild relatives, together with the associated communities of microorganisms, to unlock strategies for improving crop resilience and achieving food security.

Around 1 in 136 pregnancies is lost due to a pathogenic small sequence variant genotype in the fetus.

This study evaluates global water models in capturing both water fluxes and storage, identifying well-performing regions and areas of discrepancy, ultimately emphasizing the need for further model refinements to better represent human activities.

A large international panel of experts reach consensus on a new standard for reporting settings in psychedelic trials, identifying 30 key non-pharmacological factors to strengthen the rigor of psychedelic research.

An analysis involving the shotgun sequencing of more than 300 ancient genomes from Eurasia reveals a deep east–west genetic divide from the Black Sea to the Baltic, and provides insight into the distinct effects of the Neolithic transition on either side of this boundary.

Shifts in the treeline may induce changes in organic matter composition of lakes at high altitude and latitude. Here, the authors experimentally unravel effects of soil-derived DOM for lake carbon biogeochemistry and bacterial carbon use efficiency.

Little is known about how climate change impacts glacier-fed streams (GFSs) microbiomes. Here, using a modelling framework based on global GFS metagenomic, climatic and environmental data the authors predict future increases in GFS bacterial biomass and diversity, but potential loss of clades adapted to extreme conditions.

Understanding the underlying pathophysiology of obesity can help prevent this condition. Here, the authors perform a GWAS of BMI in diverse ancestries, finding four missense variants in FRS3 that affect BMI.

John Perry, Ken Ong and colleagues analyze genotype data on ∼370,000 women and identify 389 independent signals that associate with age at menarche, implicating ∼250 genes. Their analyses suggest causal inverse associations, independent of BMI, between puberty timing and risks for breast and endometrial cancers in women and prostate cancer in men.

How primordial cells could achieve inheritance of encapsulated components is still an open question. Here, the authors show that ribozymes can assemble in active forms and replicate in populations of membrane vesicles thanks to freeze-thaw cycles.

Reducing the stigma and discrimination that people living with liver conditions experience requires rethinking how diagnoses, diseases, etiologies and circumstances are perceived — a shift that begins with the language used to name and describe them.

Andreas Janecke and colleagues identify mutations in MYO5B, encoding the type Vb myosin motor protein, in individuals with microvillus inclusion disease, implicating myosin Vb as a key regulator of epithelial cell polarity.

Leveraging metabarcoding and metagenomics, a survey of bacteria in the benthic microbiome across 152 glacier-fed streams (GFSs) provides a global reference for future climate-change microbiology studies on the vanishing GFS ecosystem.

The Vertebrate Genome Project has used an optimized pipeline to generate high-quality genome assemblies for sixteen species (representing all major vertebrate classes), which have led to new biological insights.

The Atlantic herring is one of the world’s most abundant vertebrates and a typical plankton feeder of major ecological importance. This study shows that a piscivorous (fish-eating) ecotype of herring has evolved after the colonization of the brackish Baltic Sea within the last 8,000 years.

Identifying compounds in tandem mass spectrometry requires extensive databases of known compounds or computational methods to simulate spectra for samples not found in databases. Simulating tandem mass spectra is still challenging, and long-range connections in particular are difficult to model for graph neural networks. Young and colleagues use a graph transformer model to learn patterns of long-distance relations between atoms and molecules.

Schwaz, Austria, experienced SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks caused by variants of concern in early 2021 and conducted a mass vaccination campaign in response, with 70% of the adult population vaccinated after 5 days. Here, the authors show that this campaign resulted in reduced infections and hospitalisations.

Contest experiments among natural groups demonstrate that unequal sharing of contest spoils can override the effects of preexisting intergroup relations, prompting privileged individuals to choose considerably more offensive strategies, whereas disadvantaged group members resort to defensive strategies.

Physical characterisation of proteins is challenging. Here the authors report single-molecule microfluidic diffusional sizing (smMDS) to enable calibration-free single-molecule diffusional-sizing based monitoring of protein hydrodynamic radii even within heterogenous multicomponent mixtures.

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are important hormones that regulate cardiovascular physiology by increasing cGMP levels in cardiomyocytes. Here the authors use scanning ion conductance microscopy and a cGMP FRET sensor to identify a differential localisation pattern for the natriuretic peptide receptors within the heart.

An analysis of 15 ancient genomes from individuals dating to AD 1670–1950 from Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island) addresses questions about the population history of the island.

Biomolecular condensates with internal structure allow cells to further organise their processes. In this work the authors investigate how condensates can obtain an internal structure with droplets of dilute phase inside via kinetic, rather than purely thermodynamic driving forces.

FXR regulates the levels of ACE2 in tissues of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems that are affected by COVID-19, and inhibiting FXR with ursodeoxycholic acid downregulates ACE2 and reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 is over-expressed in cancer and has a role in the maintenance of stem cells. Here, the authors show that PRMT5 inhibitors can block the growth of patient derived glioblastoma stem cell cultures in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that PRMT5 inhibition may be a useful therapeutic strategy

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a potentially serious liver disease with a substantial burden worldwide. In this Consensus Statement, a global multidisciplinary group of experts develop consensus statements and recommendations addressing a broad range of topics on NAFLD to raise awareness and spur action.

Ischemic stroke, caused by sudden oxygen and substrate deprivation of the CNS, is a leading cause of disability and death. Here, the authors characterize in a rodent model the molecular signature of glial cells in response to ischemic stroke at single cell resolution.

Glacier shrinkage intensifies phosphorus limitation but alleviates carbon limitation in glacier-fed streams, according to analyses of resource stoichiometry and microbial metabolism in glacier-fed streams from mountain regions.

The study describes the molecular structure of the human histamine 2 receptor in active conformation and in complex with G_s heterotrimer, synthesized in a cell-free system and co-translationally inserted into preformed nanodiscs.

The cryosphere includes those parts of Earth where water or soil is frozen, such as snow, ice, glaciers and permafrost soils. Here, the authors present a global inventory of cryospheric microbial communities and their genetic repertoires.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is critical for normal development and metabolism. Here, the authors conduct a GWAS and suggest protective effect of higher TSH on risk of thyroid cancer and goitre.

We must mine the biodiversity in seed banks to help to overcome food shortages, urge Susan McCouch and colleagues.

Knowledge of the transcriptional programs of human kidney cell populations at homeostasis is limited. Here, the authors show sex-based differences in gene expression of kidney parenchymal cells and examine the complexity of kidney-resident immune cells using single cell RNA sequencing of healthy living kidney donors.

E2F transcription factors are regulators of cell division and cell fate decisions. Here the authors show that E2F4 is important for proliferation and survival of mouse ESCs, independent of the RB family, and that E2F4 interacts with chromatin regulators associated with gene activation.