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Recent analyses have suggested that tree cover in non-forest ecosystems may be much higher than expected. Here, the authors map tree cover down to the individual tree level for the entire continent of Africa and find that almost 30% is found outside areas classified as forests.

Poly-γ-glutamate tails are a distinctive feature of folate and F₄₂₀ cofactors, but it was unclear how these tails elongate while maintaining substrate specificity. Here, the authors discover that folylpolyglutamate synthase and γ-glutamyl ligase enzymes add successive L-glutamates to the termini of the growing γ-glutamyl chain in a processive mechanism.

Quantum coherence and the nonlinear properties of atoms are highly useful in optical devices. Here the authors show quantum-optic hybrid platforms in fully integrated chip-scale atomic diffractive optical elements by embedding hot atomic Rb vapor in microfabricated structures in silicon.

The etiology of TDP-43 proteinopathy in ALS and FTD is complex. Here, the authors show that prior to disease onset in the rNLS8 mouse model, cortex neurons elicit a transient increase in protective chaperones that combat TDP-43 aggregation.

Anderson et al. show that LIF, ActA and Wnt support self-renewal in both pluripotent and endodermal cells. Upon removal of insulin, they induce differentiation of naive PSCs into extra-embryonic primitive endoderm and primed PSCs into definitive endoderm.

The secreted factor follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) becomes undetectable in the epicardium of infarcted hearts; when reconstituted using a collagen patch sutured onto an infarcted heart, FSTL1 can induce cell cycle entry and division of pre-existing cardiomyocytes, thus boosting heart function and survival in mouse and pig models of myocardial infarction.

Here, the authors imaged calcium response in the mouse olfactory bulb in vivo to show that the calcium transients in astrocytic processes—but not cell bodies—are tightly coupled to neuronal activity and precede functional hyperemia.

Chemical reactions at the interior of single crystals are likely to be highly selective, but examples of single crystal to single crystal (SC–SC) transformations are uncommon. Here, a series of SC–SC transformations are reported that involve the interchange of multiple small gaseous ligands at an iridium centre in molecular single crystals of a pincer Ir(I) complex. The single crystal remains intact during these ligand-exchange reactions, which occur within the crystal and do not require prior ligand extrusion.

Analysis of colorectal cancer bulk gene expression data at the pathway level identifies a poor-prognosis subtype associated with cell differentiation. The subtypes are reproducible in single-cell data and offer biological insights beyond existing stratification strategies.

The bicyclic azetidines, a class of potent, well-tolerated antimalarial compounds that is active against multiple stages of the Plasmodium life-cycle, has been discovered following screens against libraries of compounds reminiscent of natural products.

The splicing of the penultimate exon of the dystrophin gene is developmentally regulated. Here the authors show that the dysregulation of this exon’s splicing leads to the expression of an embryonic dystrophin form with a C-terminus distinct from the adult isoform, which leads to muscle wasting in zebrafish and mice.

A previously uncharacterized member of the I-BAR subfamily of BAR-domain proteins, Pinkbar, is expressed in epithelial cells, where it stabilizes planar membrane sheets. Structural, biochemical and mutagenesis analyses suggest a molecular mechanism for this novel membrane-deforming activity.

Virulent pathogens generally induce a stronger mucosal immunity than avirulent strains, but whether the associated inflammation is necessary for this is unclear. Here, using auxotrophic Salmonella enterica, the authors show that virulence factor function determines induction of protective IgA.

Molecular and physiological phenotypes in mouse models of myotonic dystrophy type I can be sustainably reversed by CRISPR-mediated targeting of toxic RNA repeats.

Identifying sources of quasiparticle poisoning is an active problem in superconducting quantum circuits. Here the authors show that the rate of quasiparticle bursts in a cryogenic calorimeter decreases by two orders of magnitude in a low-stress suspended state, suggesting stress as a key mechanism.

Protein kinases expressed by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum represent potentially valuable drug targets. Alam et al. identify proteins whose phosphorylation is dependent on the kinase PfPKG, revealing a regulatory network controlling parasite egress from red blood cells and calcium signalling.

Plants employing crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) have improved water-use efficiency (WUE). Diel flux balance analysis of leaf metabolic networks shows that engineering CAM into C₃ crops should increase WUE without substantial loss of yield.

Therapy-induced senescence reflects a biological effector principle that is underrecognized in lesion-focused cancer precision medicine. Here the authors utilize mouse lymphoma genetics to functionally dissect senescence and cross-species apply a novel senescence-based prognosticator to lymphoma patients.

Identifying effective combinations of control measures in different populations is important for SARS-CoV-2 control. Here, the authors show that in French Guiana, which has a relatively young population, curfews and localised lockdowns appeared to contribute to reducing transmission.

Morphology associated with reproductive strategy in animals can be difficult to isolate. Here, the authors use geometric morphometrics to study triploid hybrid Chrosomus fish that reproduce sexually and asexually, identifying morphological differences associated with reproductive strategy.

Due to a microbiota-dependent increase in intestinal permeability with age, the gut metabolite N⁶-carboxymethyllysine accumulates in the microglia of mouse and human brains. As a result, microglia display increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

G protein-coupled receptors are a major class of drug targets. Here, the authors develop a method whereby their biophysical and functional properties can be altered through directed evolution in mammalian cells, leading to variants exhibiting features such as high stability and expression, or increased allosteric coupling.

Adult kidney organoids, or tubuloids, originate from CD24⁺ epithelial cells. Tubuloids represent a functional kidney tubule and can be used to model autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and study drug response.

Using data gathered from the microphones of the Perseverance rover, the first characterization of the acoustic environment on Mars is presented, showing two distinct values for the speed of sound in CO₂-dominated atmosphere.

The cardiac vascular niche is of major importance in homeostasis and disease, but knowledge of its complexity in response to injury remains limited. Here we combine lineage tracing with single cell RNA sequencing to show alterations in fibroblasts, endothelial and mural cells in hypertrophic remodeling.

C9orf72 ALS/FTD polyGR and polyPR knock-in mice show cortical hyperexcitability and motor neuron loss accompanied by an increase in extracellular matrix proteins in the spinal cord that is conserved in patient iPS cell-derived neurons and is neuroprotective.

Mitochondria-lysosome interactions are fundamental to cellular physiology. Here, the authors describe a genetically-encoded SPLICS reporter to study short- and long-juxtapositions between mitochondria and lysosomes.

The helix–turn–helix domain of an anti-CRISPR-associated (Aca) protein represses transcription of anti-CRISPR (Acr)-encoding genes and inhibits their translation to protein via distinct binding modes to DNA and RNA, respectively.

The structure of a complex containing calcitonin gene-related peptide, the human calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor and the G_s heterotrimer, determined using Volta phase-plate cryo-electron microscopy, provides structural insight into the regulation of G-protein-coupled receptors by receptor activity modifying protein 1.

Brummitt et al. show how supply-chain disruptions can spread contagiously throughout an economy. Adaptations to frequent disruptions can lead to the emergence of a poverty trap. Implications for ‘big push’ economic development policies are discussed.

The transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis. Here authors show that trehalose, an mTOR-independent autophagy inducer, alleviates the pathological phenotypes in a mouse model of neurodegenerative disease. Trehalose acts by inhibiting Akt, which normally suppresses TFEB via an mTORC1-independent mechanism.

The evolutionary and domestication history of apricots is poorly understood. Here, the authors provide four apricot high-quality genome assemblies, the genomes of 578 accessions from natural and cultivated populations, and show that Chinese and European apricots constitute two different gene pools, resulting from independent domestication events.

How RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate gene expression via effectors of RNA processing is unclear. Here, the authors dissect the effector interface of an essential RBP, Unkempt, and investigate its contribution to translational control in cells.

DNA nanostructures hold great promise for drug delivery, but systemic administration is problematic. Here, the authors demonstrate that framework nucleic acids (FNAs) improve drug accumulation in tumours in topical application and that penetration depth is controllable through adjusting FNA size.

Here the authors report that higher levels of task-relevant motor variability predict faster learning both across individuals and across tasks in two different paradigms and that training can reshape the temporal structure of motor variability, aligning it with the trained task to improve learning. These results support the importance of action exploration, a key idea from reinforcement learning theory.

Reversible on/off switches for enzyme activity are foundational in nature but are challenging to design using tools of synthetic chemistry. Here the authors design chemical zymogens amenable for activation via biomolecular interactions.

Pixel-to-pixel variations in sCMOS cameras lead to image artifacts in widefield fluorescence microscopy, and algorithmic corrections require thorough camera characterization. Here, the authors present an open source automated pipeline for camera characterization based solely on thermally generated signal.

X-ray spectroscopic observations of the Centaurus galaxy cluster with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission satellite show that the hot gas flows along the line of sight relative to the central galaxy.

In this work light and matter have been coupled in a strong interaction between exciton resonances and topological photonic bands. The authors herein demonstrate a Z2 spin-Hall topological polaritonic phase enabling new coupling schemes in valleytronics and spintronics.

The existence and properties of tetraquark states with two heavy quarks and two light antiquarks have been widely debated. Here, the authors use a unitarized model to study the properties of an exotic narrow state compatible with a doubly charmed tetraquark.

Virus-induced senescence is a central pathogenic feature in COVID-19, and senolytics, which promote apoptosis of senescent cells, can reduce disease severity in hamsters,mice, as well as humans infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Amino acid biosynthetic pathways are an attractive alternative to treat chronic infections such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Here, the authors investigate the metabolic response to disruption of the aspartate pathway in persistent Mtb and identify essential enzymes as potential new targets for drug development.

A minimal bacterial community has been defined that provides colonization resistance to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium once established in germ-free mice to a similar extent as a conventional microbial community.

Adipocyte tissue macrophages (ATM) are recruited and activated in obesity. The authors show that adipocytes release lactate as a signal of inflammation and that this metabolite can enhance obesity associated inflammation through stimulation of ATM by direct binding with PHD2.