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Genetic manipulation of blastoids reveals the role of recently emerged transposable elements and genes in human development.

STED nanoscopy reveals structural and functional diversity in Neuronal MDVs including degradation and protein transport for organelle biogenesis.

Mecp2 deficiency underlies Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder presenting with chronic low-grade inflammation of unknown origin. Here, the authors show that Mecp2 is a central regulator of the onset, breadth and nature of nucleic acid immunity.

Tumour-reactive CD8⁺ T cells are enriched in functional clusters with tumour cells and/or antigen-presenting cells and can be isolated and expanded from clinical samples.

Replication fork plasticity upon genotoxic stress is modulated by nuclear architectural components by elusive mechanisms. Here the authors implicate Lamin A/C – best known for its structural support of nuclear periphery – in the control of replication fork restart throughout the nucleus, by supporting heterochromatin establishment and ADP ribosylation levels at replication factories.

The response to infectious and inflammatory challenges differs among people but the reasons for this are poorly understood. Here the authors explore the impact of variables such as age, sex, and the capacity for controlling inflammation and maintaining immunocompetence, linking this capacity to favourable health outcomes and lifespan.

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome is characterized by premature aging with cardiovascular disease being the main cause of death. Here the authors show that inhibition of the NAT10 enzyme enhances cardiac function and fitness, and reduces age-related phenotypes in a mouse model of premature aging.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) onsets in COVID-19 patients with manifestations similar to Kawasaki disease (KD). Here the author probe the peripheral blood transcriptome of MIS-C patients to find signatures related to natural killer (NK) cell activation and CD8+ T cell exhaustion that are shared with KD patients.

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.

Deinococcus radiodurans is a relatively large spherical bacterium with a multipartite genome. Here, the authors study the coordinated morphological changes at the cellular and nucleoid level as the bacteria progress through the cell cycle, showing complex nucleoid organization and dynamics.

Detailed characterizations of human lung tissue-resident natural killer (trNK) cells, which potentially regulate local immune responses, is still lacking. Here the authors show that lung CD69⁺ CD16^– NK cells express tissue-residency markers, produce effector cytokines, and are distinct, feature-wise, from lung CD8⁺ memory T cells or trNK in other tissues.

Lubricated surfaces are known to display extreme liquid repellency. Such behaviour is now confirmed to be due to the formation of a film between the surface and the repelled liquid, with a thickness profile following the Landau–Levich–Derjaguin law.

Mollusks have evolved an exquisite diversity of complex mineralized shells for protection. One such example, the blue-rayed limpet, incorporates a vivid display of blue lines, which originate from the interference of light in a nano-periodic photonic architecture buried within the animal's translucent shell.

The PSA (KLK3) genetic variant rs17632542 is associated with reduced prostate cancer risk and lower serum PSA levels, although the underlying reasons are unclear. Here, the authors show that this PSA variant reduced proteolytic activity and leads to smaller tumours, but also increases invasion and bone metastasis, indicating its dual risk association depending on tumour context; the variant is associated with both lower risk and poor clinical outcomes.

Kovalski et al. perform a genome-wide CRISPRi screen for selective MYC mRNA translation regulators and identify RBM42 as a ribosome-associated protein that modulates translation of MYC and an oncogenic mRNA programme required for pancreatic cancer growth.

Showcasing the application of scanning transmission x-ray microscopy to study the oxidation state of intranuclear iron in nigral neurons. Implications and potential future applications are discussed.

Water is ubiquitous in the atmospheres of hot and warm exoplanets. Detecting, quantifying and mapping atmospheric water has revealed a great deal about dynamical and chemical processes on distant worlds.

Trapped films of air known as plastrons are promising for underwater engineering but typically have short lifetimes. Here, aerophilic titanium alloy surfaces are developed with thermodynamically stabilized plastrons for antifouling applications.

JWST observations suggest that both pebbles and planetesimals played an important role in forming the giant exoplanet WASP-121 b beyond the H₂O ice line. They also indicate that strong vertical mixing likely drives the nightside atmospheric chemistry.

It is currently thought that visual pigments in vertebrate photoreceptors are regenerated exclusively through enzymatic cycles. Here the authors show that mammalian photoreceptors also regenerate opsin pigments in light through photoisomerization of N-ret-PE (N-retinylidene-phosphatidylethanolamine.

Upon intramuscular administration, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are primarily taken up by macrophages, in which the cellular machinery extends their poly(A) tails, thereby increasing mRNA stability and translation, providing an explanation for the efficacy of these vaccines.

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa is an uncurable monogenetic skin disease. Here, Neumayer et al. develop a cGMP-compatible CRISPR- and iPS cell-based approach that produces gene-corrected, autologous skin composite grafts for definitive treatment.

A cell-penetrating fluorescent marker is used to label cells in the metastatic tumour microenvironment, revealing a variety of cell types including parenchymal cells with lung stem-cell characteristics.

Multiple parameters are generally responsible for the reactivity of particulate catalysts, although nanoparticle proximity is often neglected. Here the authors report the impact of such structural factor using the hydrogenation of benzaldehyde over PdAu nanoparticles supported on macroporous SiO₂ as the probe reaction.

Human brain structure changes throughout the lifespan. Brouwer et al. identified genetic variants that affect rates of brain growth and atrophy. The genes are linked to early brain development and neurodegeneration and suggest involvement of metabolic processes.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

An RNA-binding protein on leukemia cells provides an effective target in mouse models.

OLED materials based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence have promising efficiency. Here, the authors investigate an organometallic multicore Cu complex as luminophore, by pump-probe X-ray techniques at three different facilities deriving a complete picture of the charge transfer in the triplet excited state.

Transancestral GWAS meta-analysis in 160,420 individuals identifies 139 loci associated with refractive error, including myopia. Newly identified genes implicate pathways involved in eye growth and light signaling cascades.

A hierarchical model of melanoma tumour growth mirrors the cellular and molecular logic of cell-fate specification and differentiation of the underlying embryonic neural crest, and suggests that the ability to support growth and metastasis are limited to distinct pools of cells.

SNURPORTIN-1, encoded by the SNUPN gene, plays a key role in the nuclear import of spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoproteins, however its physiological function remains unclear. Here the authors report that recessive SNUPN mutations cause a distinct subtype of childhood muscular dystrophy and reveal SNURPORTIN-1’s role in muscle homeostasis, offering insights for new therapeutic strategies.

The complex coupling between charge-carriers and phonons in bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) are uncovered, showing how carrier localisation is avoided and long transport lengths achieved. As a result, BiOI is revealed to be highly effective for X-ray detection.

Phase-resolved mid-infrared observations from JWST of the hot gas giant WASP-43b detect a day–night difference of 659 ± 19 K. Comparison with climate models shows that the observations are compatible with cloudy skies, at least on the nightside, and the lack of methane detection suggests the presence of disequilibrium chemistry.

Despite a wealth of knowledge on astrocytes, their contribution to cerebrovascular maturation is less known. Here, the authors identify a molecule produced by astrocytes which controls astrocyte morphology and their placement on brain blood vessels.

Combination of epidemiology, preclinical models and ultradeep DNA profiling of clinical cohorts unpicks the inflammatory mechanism by which air pollution promotes lung cancer

The brushtail possum is a treasured Australian marsupial, but also a harmful pest introduced into New Zealand. Here, using functional genomics and a new chromosome-level genome assembly of New Zealand possums, Bond et al. quantify their genome admixture and identify unique parent-specific and weaning associated gene expression.

In this genomic analysis of peripheral blood samples of the phase 3 CheckMate-067 trial of ipilimumab (IPI) versus nivolumab (NIVO) versus ipilimumab and nivolumab (IPI-NIVO) in melanoma, the status of certain mitochondrial haplogroups in patients was associated therapeutic resistance to NIVO or IPI-NIVO, a finding validated in an independent cohort.

In order to metastasize, cancer cells must migrate through basement membranes and dense stroma, and proteases are thought to be required due to the confining nature of these matrices. Here the authors use synthetic matrices to show that cells can migrate through confining matrices using force generation alone, rather than protease degradation, if the matrices exhibit mechanical plasticity.

The medium-resolution transmission spectrum of the exoplanet WASP-39b, described using observations from the Near Infrared Spectrograph G395H grating aboard JWST, shows significant absorption from CO₂ and H₂O and detection of SO₂.

Tissue chips with matured human heart, liver, bone and skin tissue niches linked by recirculating vascular flow recapitulate interdependent functions of these organs.

Steel is employed ubiquitously throughout human society thanks to its outstanding mechanical properties, however over time degradation can lead to a loss in performance. Here, the authors show that creating liquid-infused surfaces via electrodeposition of a tungstite film endows steel with a durable coating which inhibits corrosion and fouling.

Epigenetic causes of intra-tumoural heterogeneity are crucial in paediatric cancers with low mutation rates, such as hepatoblastoma. Here, the authors characterise transcriptional heterogeneity in hepatoblastoma using histology-guided RNA sequencing and functional studies in patient-derived tumoroids, and find how the embryonic biliary lineage program, Wnt, and paracrine signalling can promote tumour proliferation.

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.

Dynamic liquid exchanges in a supramolecular polymer-gel matrix with liquid-storage compartments and a thin liquid layer on top lead to self-healing properties and controllable secretion kinetics.

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) represent a treatment option for patients with cancer. Here the authors propose a tumour-agnostic dual-virus strategy for cancer therapy by generating a vesicular stomatitis virus encoding a truncated version of HER2, combined with a vaccinia virus as a delivery platform for a HER2-targeted T-cell engager.