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The authors present SVclone, a computational method for inferring the cancer cell fraction of structural variants from whole-genome sequencing data.

Many tumours exhibit hypoxia (low oxygen) and hypoxic tumours often respond poorly to therapy. Here, the authors quantify hypoxia in 1188 tumours from 27 cancer types, showing elevated hypoxia links to increased mutational load, directing evolutionary trajectories.

The characterization of 4,645 whole-genome and 19,184 exome sequences, covering most types of cancer, identifies 81 single-base substitution, doublet-base substitution and small-insertion-and-deletion mutational signatures, providing a systematic overview of the mutational processes that contribute to cancer development.

Cancers evolve as they progress under differing selective pressures. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, the authors present the method TrackSig the estimates evolutionary trajectories of somatic mutational processes from single bulk tumour data.

Land surface models often use a spatially uniform air temperature threshold when partitioning rain and snow. Here Jennings et al. show that the threshold varies significantly across the Northern Hemisphere and that threshold selection is a large source of uncertainty in snowfall simulations.

Inducing coherent interactions between distinct magnon modes—collective excitations of magnetic order—has been challenging. A canted antiferromagnet has demonstrated coherent magnon upconversion induced by terahertz laser pulses.

The efficacy of cancer drugs is profiled by measuring changes in the mass of single tumor cells.

Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS) is an inherited ribosome assembly disorder that increases the risk for haematopoietic malignancies. Here, the authors analysed clonal selection and evolution in SDS by sequencing patient-derived haematopoietic stem/progenitor cell colonies and exploring the function of key drivers in model organisms.

Genome-wide association analyses based on whole-genome sequencing and imputation identify 40 new risk variants for colorectal cancer, including a strongly protective low-frequency variant at CHD1 and loci implicating signaling and immune function in disease etiology.

Inhibiting thrombosis without inducing bleeding is a major challenge for anticoagulant agents. Here the authors describe a synthetic FXIIa inhibitor able to efficiently prevent thrombosis in mice and suppress coagulation in artificial lungs in rabbits without increasing the risk of bleeding.

Determining results of asymmetric reactions can take long periods of time and consume large amounts of organic solvents during work-up and analysis. Here, the authors report a bifunctional organic probe that can bind to chiral hydroxyacids, and provide yield, enantiomeric excess and absolute configuration even with crude mixtures.

A quick technological fix is not the best response to the December tsunami.

The current FDA-approved whole blood stabilization method for circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation suffers from RNA degradation. Here the authors combine hypothermic preservation and antiplatelet strategies to stabilize whole blood up to 72 h without compromising CTC yield and RNA integrity.

Coupling molecular toroids via ferrotoroidic interactions represents an important opportunity to enhance ground state toroidicity, but is challenging to achieve. Here the authors isolate a {Cr^IIIDy^III ₆} complex with a ferrotoroidic ground state and an enhanced toroidal moment, arising solely from intramolecular dipolar interactions.

There is increasing interest in understanding the non-equilibrium phenomena in quantum fluids. Here, the authors show dissipative, viscous shock and rarefaction wave dynamics emerging from the turbulent, superfluid flow of an elongated BEC of ultracold Rb atoms driven by a quantum-mechanical piston.

A phenotypic screen led to the identification of potent inhibitors of mouse BAK-driven apoptosis. The compounds interact with VDAC2 and stabilize its interaction with BAK, blocking apoptosis at an early stage to preserve long-term cell survival.

Supersonic particle impacts can cause permanent damage to space vehicles and satellites, but how exactly remains unclear. Here, the authors visualise for the first time the high impact of single tin microparticles on a tin substrate and show erosion of ductile metallic materials is melt-driven.

By generating maps of histone modifications at promoters and enhancers in several different human cell lines, it has been possible to determine that although modification patterns at promoters are largely invariant between cell types, the patterns at most enhancers are specific to a single cell type and correlate well with cell-type-specific gene expression.

High-density lipoprotein nanodiscs loaded with immunostimulatory biomolecules can target draining lymph nodes for cancer vaccination.

African Americans have much higher colon cancer rates than rural South Africans, which is associated with dietary and metabolic differences. Here, O’Keefe et al.show that switching quantities of fat and fibre leads to reciprocal changes in gut microbiota, metabolites and cancer biomarkers.

A trapped-ion quantum simulator is used to demonstrate tunable long-range spin-spin couplings in two dimensions, relevant to studies of quantum magnetism at a scale that is intractable for classical computers.

The usefulness of semiconductor nanocrystals is severely limited by the fact that they 'blink': they turn on and off intermittently under continuous excitation. Here, ternary core/shell CdZnSe/ZnSe nanocrystals are realized, in which the transition between CdZnSe and ZnSe seems to be radially graded rather than abrupt, and which show completely non-blinking behaviour and strong photoluminescence.

Whole-genome sequencing analysis of individuals with primary immunodeficiency identifies new candidate disease-associated genes and shows how the interplay between genetic variants can explain the variable penetrance and complexity of the disease.

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.

In lung adenocarcinoma, antibodies against endogenous retroviruses promote anti-tumour activity, and expression of endogenous retroviruses can predict outcomes of immunotherapy.

A pooled analysis of longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries identifies the typical age of onset of linear growth faltering and investigates recurrent faltering in early life.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease. Here, Pattaro et al. conduct a meta-analysis to discover several new loci associated with variation in eGFR and find that genes associated with eGFR loci often encode proteins potentially related to kidney development.

PELP1 is a large scaffolding protein implicated in many cellular activities, including ribosome assembly as part of the Rix1 complex, comprising PELP1, WDR18, TEX10 and other components. Here, authors present the cryo-EM structure of PELP1 in complex with its binding partner WDR18, revealing the architecture of PELP1's numerous signaling motifs.

Using tree community data from 29 tropical and temperate sites that have experienced multi-decadal alterations in fire frequency, the authors show repeated burning generally reduces stem density and basal area, with most pronounced effects in savanna ecosystems and in sites with strong wet seasons or strong dry seasons.

By 2100, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, and enhanced weathering can contribute to removing 500 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions per year in Canada and are key to commitment under burden-sharing principles, according to an integrated assessment model analysis.

Oncolytic viruses (OV) and second mitochondrial activator of caspase (Smac)-mimetic compounds (SMC) synergistically kill cancer cells directly. Here, the authors show that SMC and OV therapies combination also synergize in vivo by promoting anticancer immunity through an increase in CD8⁺ T-cell response.

Genetic and testing data from England show that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a transmission advantage over other lineages.

Post-international travel quarantine has been widely implemented to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but the impacts of such policies are unclear. Here, the authors used linked genomic and contact tracing data to assess the impacts of a 14-day quarantine on return to England in summer 2020.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

Efficient, large-scale genomic analysis is facilitated on the cloud by a computational tool with error-diagnosing and self-healing capabilities.

Holistic indicator frameworks are needed to track food systems transformation. This Analysis shows the application of a framework recently developed by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative to all UN member states, revealing current status, data gaps and priority actions.

Phagocytic cells engulf their prey into vesicular structures called phagosomes, of which a certain proportion becomes demarcated for enhanced maturation by a process called LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). Light has now been shed on the molecular requirements of LAP, establishing a central role for the protein Rubicon in the immune response to Aspergillus fumigatus.

Analysis of whole-genome sequencing data across 2,658 tumors spanning 38 cancer types shows that chromothripsis is pervasive, with a frequency of more than 50% in several cancer types, contributing to oncogene amplification, gene inactivation and cancer genome evolution.

Analysis of mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) by using whole-genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancer samples across 38 cancer types identifies hypermutated mtDNA cases, frequent somatic nuclear transfer of mtDNA and high variability of mtDNA copy number in many cancers.

Keith Sabin et al. showed that upregulation of the AP-1 complex, composed of c-Fos and JunB, in the axolotl spinal cord promotes a pro-regenerative glial cell response. This response is impaired by inhibition of miR-200a; suggesting an important role for this microRNA in axolotl spinal cord regeneration.

This Review examines the development of micro light-emitting diodes, exploring key performance characteristics, leading manufacturing approaches and current system demonstrations, as well considering the potential future applications of the technology.