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Wood density is a key control on tree biomass, and understanding its spatial variation improves estimates of forest carbon stock. Sullivan et al. measure >900 forest plots to quantify wood density and produce high resolution maps of its variation across South American tropical forests.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias identifies new loci and enables generation of a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Analysis of northern elephant seal populations shows no evidence of inbreeding depression, probably because a recent extreme bottleneck purged much of the genetic load.

Doping carbon nanomaterials with heteroatoms is the most common way to change their catalytic activity. Here, the authors show that the catalytic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes can be modified by non-covalently encapsulating them within electron-accepting or electron-donating macrocycles to form rotaxane-like structures.

Time reversal symmetry breaking gives rise to magnetic circular dichroism and Faraday rotation in graphene. The authors use terahertz magneto-electro-optical spectroscopy to demonstrate that electrostatic doping at a fixed magnetic field allows inversion of magnetic circular dichroism and Faraday rotation.

Structural and single-molecule analyses show the CTPase, KorB, is a sliding DNA clamp that interacts with a clamp-locking protein KorA to inhibit gene expression over distances of more than 1 kb in the multi-drug resistance RK2 plasmid.

Polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer’s disease derived from individuals of European ancestry can show improved performance in multiancestry settings after incorporating genome-wide association summary statistics from diverse populations.

Here, the authors show that Bilophila wadsworthia uses bacterial microcompartments and anaerobic respiration of host-derived compounds to thrive in the inflamed gut, uncovering metabolic strategies that enable its colonization and links them to disease-relevant functions.

Analysis of 20 chemical and morphological plant traits at diverse sites across 6 continents shows that the transition from semi-arid to arid zones is associated with an unexpected 88% increase in trait diversity.

A study reporting the results of a clinical trial co-administering the GDF-15-blocking antibody visugromab with the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab demonstrates that neutralizing GDF-15 can overcome resistance to immune checkpoint inhibition in cancer.

Reduced fitness of the tumor microenvironment is mediated by a long non-coding RNA expressed in tumors.

A genome-wide study by the Long COVID Host Genetics Initiative identifies an association between the FOXP4 locus and long COVID, implicating altered lung function in its pathophysiology.

This study describes a pathway in fission yeast that senses nutrient levels and maintains protein homeostasis during starvation by modifying tRNAs in the anticodon loop. These modifications enhance the translation of critical AAA-rich mRNAs, promoting gene silencing and the long-term survival of quiescent cells.

The authors have developed a new inhibitor of the enzyme that degrades the endocannabinoid anandamide. This new drug does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It elevates peripheral anandamide only, which, acting on peripheral CB1 receptors, attenuates pain responses in rodents.

Latin Americans trace their ancestry to the admixture of Native Americans, Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans. Here, the authors develop a novel haplotype-based approach and analyse over 6,500 Latin Americans to infer the geographically-detailed genetic structure of this population.

The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) strongly impacts modern Southern Hemisphere climate, yet insight into its pre-industrial behaviour is lacking. Here, the authors present a high-resolution lake record and show that SAM variability coincided with major centennial-scale climate changes over the past 3,000 years.

Liu et al. demonstrate that human-driven soil contamination in natural areas mirrors that in nearby urban greenspaces globally, and highlight the potential influence that soil contaminants have on ecosystem functions.

Interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) control tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Here, authors provide spatial information on ECM organization and how it influences tumor cell invasive and metastasis properties through induction of cytoskeletal and transcriptional memory.

Ultra-high-energy gamma-ray emission from the microquasar V4641 Sagittarii is reported, suggesting that large-scale jets from microquasars could be more common than previously thought and also could be a notable source of galactic cosmic rays.

Wood density is an important plant trait. Data from 1.1 million forest inventory plots and 10,703 tree species show a latitudinal gradient in wood density, with temperature and soil moisture explaining variation at the global scale and disturbance also having a role at the local level.

Scleractinian corals are important in both shallow and deep ecosystems. Here, the authors use global spatial distribution data with a phylogenetic approach to examine directionality and speed of colonization during depth diversification, finding an offshore-onshore pattern of evolution and that depth dispersion is associated with phenotypic innovations.

Sulfonates are a major source of sulphur for soil microbes but their cellular uptake is still not fully understood. Here the authors show thatSaccharomyces cerevisiae YIL166C(SOA1)encodes for an inorganic sulphur transporter that can also function as a sulfonate and choline sulphate transporter.

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission’s impact on asteroid Dimorphos has led to various impact related features. Here, the authors show that those features result naturally from the dynamical interaction of the ejecta with the binary system and solar radiation pressure.

A population of neutrophils in the skin produces extracellular matrix, providing a defence strategy by reinforcing the barrier properties of the skin and helping to block the entry of pathogens.

Stunnenberg et al. use a model of lipopolysaccharide injection in humans to characterize the transcriptomic landscape of bone marrow and blood immune cells during the hyperinflammatory and immunosuppressed phases of systemic inflammation.

Species differences in innate immune sensing could impact nanomedicine development. Here the authors examine phagocyte recognition and show the defined molecular patterns on polymer-coated nanoparticles in different species are driven by ficolin and complement opsonisation.

G49, a dual glucagon/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, triggers an inter-organ crosstalk between adipose tissue, pancreas and liver, leading to brown fat activation with the final outcomes of increased energy expenditure and body weight loss.

The search for antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 continue due to the emergence of variants of concerns, able to escape the vaccinal humoral response. In this work, authors pre-clinically explore the potential of kinetin against SARS-CoV-2, which could be used alone or in combination with other antivirals.

The authors present a characterization of complex X-linked lncRNA loci with sex- and allele-specific epigenetic signatures that serve as a platform for the largest chromatin structures in mammals, thereby elucidating diverse phenotypes and combinatorial effects on autosomes.

Protein serial crystallography at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) is a powerful technique for structure determination. Here, authors present a device for sample delivery designed to abate challenges to non-specialists allowing for compound screening.

Jung-Garcia et al. dissect the contributions of isoforms of the inner nuclear membrane protein LAP1 to nuclear envelope blebbing, constrained migration and invasion in melanoma cells.

Protocell mimetics capable of orchestrated and adaptive functions are of interest. Here, the authors report on cytomimetic models of bone tissue calcification and decalcification, integrating enzyme-containing inorganic protocells into alginate hydrogels to produce a range of matrix-integrated prototissues.

A consensus cell type atlas for the fly brain provides both an intellectual framework and open-source toolchains for brain-scale comparative connectomics.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are traditionally viewed as the toxic by-product of cellular respiration. A new study suggests a homeostatic role for ROS in maintaining stable respiratory phenotypes across genetic variants of the mitochondrial genome.

In patient with glioblastoma, a major cause of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy is the high degree to intratumoral heterogeneity and cell plasticity. Here, the authors demonstrate that chemoradiation induces the reprograming of glioblastoma cells into an invasive and vessel co-opting state, termed VC-Resist, capable of promoting resistance to therapy.

Acylhydrazones are often found in compounds across screening databases, and numerous bioactive acylhydrazones exist. This functional group can isomerize between E and Z in response to light or upon exposure to thiols. Now, E/Z isomerization is found to impact activities of bioactive acylhydrazones and should be routinely analysed.