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The Pacific trade winds have strengthened since the late 1990s, and there has been related strengthening of the atmospheric Walker circulation. Although the impacts of these changes are becoming known, their cause has not been identified. This study, using observations and models, shows that warming of the Atlantic sea surface and corresponding displacement of atmospheric pressure centres are key drivers.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Kevin Campbell and colleagues identify mutations in ISPD as a cause of Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) using a complementation assay in fibroblasts derived from affected individuals and targeted sequencing. They find that loss-of-function mutations in ISPD disrupt dystroglycan O-mannosylation, suggesting a new disease mechanism.

African ancestry is a known risk factor for prostate cancer development, but the genetic determinants of this are incompletely understood. Here, the authors identify 172 potentially pathogenic variants which are enriched in an African population.

The authors report a meta-analysis of methylome-wide association studies, identifying 15 significant CpG sites linked to major depression, revealing associations with inflammatory markers and suggesting potential causal relationships through Mendelian randomization analysis.

Polygenic scores for body mass index and obesity constructed using data from 5 million people with different ancestries were associated with distinct weight gain trajectories from early childhood to adulthood.

Antibiotic resistance poses a critical global health threat. Here, the authors identify a carbapenem resistant clone of uropathogenic Escherichia coli with atypical virulence features as an increasing cause of urinary tract infection

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

There are currently no licensed vaccines to prevent Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections. In this study, the authors evaluate the immune response and preclinical efficacy of a multicomponent mRNA lipid-nanoparticle vaccine against GAS.

Structural and biochemical studies of the RAD51B–RAD51C–RAD51D–XRCC2 complex reveal that it uses coupled RAD51B and RAD51C ATPase activities to promote the nucleation and extension of RAD51 nucleoprotein filaments.

The largest harmonized proteomic dataset of plasma, serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples across major neurodegenerative diseases reveals both disease-specific and transdiagnostic proteomic signatures, including a robust plasma profile associated with the APOEε4 genotype.

Using a large cosmological sample of FRBs, Connor et al. have located many of the Universe’s unseen baryons, finding that most reside in the diffuse intergalactic medium, not galaxies—confirming the strong astrophysical feedback seen in simulations.

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.

Characterization of the conformation landscape of the bacterial ABC transporter CydDC reveals that this heterodimeric protein complex is a long-sought heme transporter essential for the functional maturation of bd-type cytochromes.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Using well-calibrated statistical methods the authors jointly analyze Undiagnosed Diseases Network genomes, identifying known and novel disease genes. Software is publicly available to support future cross-cohort rare disease discovery efforts.

A large language model designed for health monitoring provides personalized sleep and fitness predictions, insights and advice.

A cryo-EM structure of a membrane-embedded core complex of the ESX-3/type VII secretion system from Mycobacterium smegmatis is reported, providing insights into the mechanisms by which virulence factors are secreted by these bacteria.

Genome-wide analyses identify 30 independent loci associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder, highlighting genetic overlap with other psychiatric disorders and implicating putative effector genes and cell types contributing to its etiology.

Voxelated soft matter is designed and fabricated using multimaterial multinozzle three-dimensional printing, which switches between different viscoelastic inks along the same print filament to print multiple materials simultaneously.

With the generation of large pan-cancer whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing projects, a question remains about how comparable these datasets are. Here, using The Cancer Genome Atlas samples analysed as part of the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes project, the authors explore the concordance of mutations called by whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing techniques.

What is the state of trust in scientists around the world? To answer this question, the authors surveyed 71,922 respondents in 68 countries and found that trust in scientists is moderately high.

Here, the authors perform large trans-ancestry fine-mapping analyses identifying large numbers of association signals and putative target genes for colorectal cancer risk, advancing our understanding of the genetic and biological basis of this cancer.

Palaeoproxy evidence shows that the sea-surface-temperature gradient across the tropical Pacific Ocean strengthened during the Medieval Warm Period but weakens in model-projected future warming; this is because solar radiation induces greater precipitation for the same temperature change than greenhouse gases.

The final step in an ECF transporters transport cycle involves the expulsion of the membrane embedded substrate binding protein (the S-component) from the motor (the ECF module). Here the authors show how the motor uses ATP binding to load a molecular spring, and adjusts the shape of the membrane, to achieve this step.

Cortex morphology varies with age, cognitive function, and in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here the authors report 160 genome-wide significant associations with thickness, surface area and volume of the total cortex and 34 cortical regions from a GWAS meta-analysis in 22,824 adults.

A genome-wide association meta-analysis study of blood lipid levels in roughly 1.6 million individuals demonstrates the gain of power attained when diverse ancestries are included to improve fine-mapping and polygenic score generation, with gains in locus discovery related to sample size.

Data collected from more than 2,000 taxa provide an unparalleled opportunity to quantify how extreme wildfires affect biodiversity, revealing that the largest effects on plants and animals were in areas with frequent or recent past fires and within extensively burnt areas.

Topological phases are unusual states of matter whose properties are robust against small perturbations. Using a photonic quantum walk system, Kitagawaet al. simulate one-dimensional topological phases and reveal novel topological phenomena far from the static or adiabatic regimes.