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Palaeoproteomics offers an opportunity to resolve molecular phylogenies especially in contexts where ancient DNA does not preserve. Here collagen sequences resolve sloth phylogenies differently from morphology-based estimates, illuminating the utility of proteomics in systematics.

Here the authors identify differences in cortical DNA methylation associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology, and profiling nuclei from specific cell-types, find that most of these differences reflect variation occurring in non-neuronal cells.

Allura Red AC is a dye used in food products. Here the authors report that chronic, long-term exposure to Allura Red AC increases susceptibility to experimental colitis in mice dependent on the serotonin biosynthetic enzyme TPH1, while intermittent exposure more typical for the human setting did not increase susceptibility to experimental colitis.

Combining genome-wide CRISPR–Cas9-mediated base editors with temporally resolved phosphoproteomics enables the functional screening of thousands of post-translational modification sites involved in T cell activation.

A wearable array of microneedle-based sensors can be used to wirelessly measure the levels of glucose simultaneously with those of alcohol or lactate in the interstitial fluid of volunteers performing common daily activities.

Anterior Uveitis is a common inflammatory eye disease that can result in vision loss. Here, the authors perform GWAS and whole-exome analyses of Anterior Uveitis to identify the underlying genetics of HLA-B*27 positive and negative forms of the disease.

Arachnoid cuff exit points create openings in the arachnoid barrier enabling the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid and exchange of molecules and cells between the dura and the subarachnoid space, therefore physically connecting the brain and the dura.

Layered boron compounds attract enormous interest in applications. This work reports first-principles calculations coupled with global optimization to show that the outer boron surface in MgB₂ nanosheets undergo disordering and clustering, which is experimentally confirmed in synthesized MgB₂ nanosheets.

The success of hematopoietic cell transplants is predicted by profiling minor histocompatibility antigens.

Serial Lift-Out creates a series of lamellae from one lift-out volume for cryo-ET, increasing the ease and throughput of cryo-lift-out and enabling the study of molecular anatomy in multicellular systems including C. elegans larvae.

Motor units in the superior colliculus of mice exhibit poorly defined representation of static visual fields and instead rely largely on kinetic visual features to link visual inputs to behavioural outcomes.

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.

The terabit-per-second rates of optical fibres exceed the capability of electronics, but all-optical switches are needed to alleviate the bottleneck in these networks. Here, Born et al.describe such a switch using dielectric spheres, yielding femtojoule switching energy and femtosecond switching times.

VVD-133214, a clinical-stage, covalent allosteric inhibitor of the helicase WRN, was well tolerated in mice and led to robust tumour regression in multiple microsatellite-instability-high colorectal cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models.

Impaired liver metabolic function is related to mortality in severely malnourished children. Here the authors report a role for the tryptophan-NAD + pathway in reduced hepatic mitochondrial function and liver steatosis in a mouse model of severe malnutrition.

Characterization of bacterial auxin degradation loci and their regulators reveals two distinct types across plant microbiome species, where only one, exemplified in Variovorax species, can interfere with root growth inhibition in a complex synthetic microbial community.

Mutations near the ORMDL3 gene have been associated with childhood asthma. Here, in yeast, Orm proteins are shown to function in sphingolipid homeostasis; alterations in this control result in misregulation of sphingolipid production and accumulation of toxic metabolites. This raises the testable hypothesis that misregulation of sphingolipids may directly contribute to the development of asthma.

A cross-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) including 29,612 patients with ALS and 122,656 controls identifies 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology.

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier transports adenine nucleotides. Here, authors identify the residues involved in substrate binding. One set forms the central substrate binding site and two asparagine/arginine pairs help to guide the substrates during the transport cycle.

Heart failure is a complex syndrome that is associated with many different underlying risk factors. Here, to increase power, the authors jointly analyse cases of heart failure of different aetiologies in a genome-wide association study and identify 11 loci of which ten had not been previously reported.

Widespread differences in H3K27ac, a key histone modification, are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. H3K27ac differences were enriched in genomic regions containing loci involved in the progression of Aβ and tau pathology.

Date palm is an important fruit crop in the Middle East and North Africa. Here, the authors report an improved genome assembly of this species and perform GWAS mapping of sex determining region and 21 fruit traits using high density SNP data generated from re-sequencing of the mapping population.

New and existing age data show active arc processes in Southern California during the beginning of the Laramide orogeny, which require a two-stage process and challenge the oceanic plateau collision paradigm.

The competition between grassland vegetation and microbes for phosphorus controls how plant productivity responds to elevated CO₂, according to free-air CO₂ enrichment experiments on phosphorus-limited grasslands.

A cell-culture method involving decellularized tissue scaffolds enables the spontaneous formation of cell colonies that phenotypically recapitulate in vivo organ-specific cancer metastases.

How do liberals and conservatives differ in their expression of compassion and moral concern? The authors show that conservatives tend to express concern toward smaller, more well-defined, and less permeable social circles, while liberals express concern toward larger, less well-defined, and more permeable social circles.

Some plants produce toxic isothiocyanates that protect them against pathogens. Here, Chen et al. show that the plant pathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum converts isothiocyanates into non-toxic compounds via glutathione conjugation and, more effectively, via hydrolysis to amines using an isothiocyanate hydrolase.

There are widespread genetic effects on DNA methylation in the developing brain. Fetal brain mQTLs are enriched in regulatory domains, overlapping with variants influencing gene expression. Most are developmentally stable, but some are fetal specific. These mQTLs are enriched in genomic regions associated with schizophrenia, a neuropsychiatric disorder with neurodevelopmental origins.

Vaccination is effective in protecting from COVID-19. Here the authors report immune responses and breakthrough infections in twice-vaccinated patients receiving anti-TNF treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, and find dampened vaccine responses that implicate the need of adapted vaccination schedules for these patients.

Retinal pigment epithelial cells are identified as a local source of insulin in the retina, which is stimulated by phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments and starvation and has the potential to influence retinal physiology and disease.

Duarte et al. report that common genetic variants linked to psychiatric disorders influence the regulation of ancient retroviruses integrated into the genome. This suggests ancient viruses acquired millions of years ago may have shaped modern human brain function.

A multi-cohort genome-wide association study of tau PET, a brain imaging-based marker of Alzheimer’s disease, identifies a CYP1B1-RMDN2 locus as associated with higher tau and faster cognitive decline. These results suggest a new genetic contribution to cerebral tau and target for Alzheimer’s disease research.

DNA methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL) analyses on 32,851 participants identify genetic variants associated with DNA methylation at 420,509 sites in blood, resulting in a database of >270,000 independent mQTLs.

Analysing camera-trap data of 163 mammal species before and after the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, the authors show that responses to human activity are dependent on the degree to which the landscape is modified by humans, with carnivores being especially sensitive.

Liquefied gas electrolytes (LGE) can enable the operation of electrochemical devices in cold conditions but their high vapour pressure poses safety concerns. Here, the authors show that the nano-confinement effect of metal-organic framework allows battery with LGE to work at low temperature and reduced pressure.

Efficient repair of demyelinated CNS lesions involves the resolution of inflammation and induction of remyelination. Berghoff et al. show that sterol synthesis in microglia is key to both processes, which can be supported by squalene therapy.