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The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 62 studies, including more than 4,400 participants across 21 countries, to investigate the effects of nature exposure on self-reported pain.

Stress-induced tribochemical reactions that reduce friction at sliding interfaces typically require liquid lubricants. Here, the authors discover the nanoscale tribocatalytic formation of onion-like carbon from 2D MoS₂ and nanodiamond under dry and oil-free conditions, providing superlubricity at the macroscale.

The SARS-CoV-2 main protease is an important target for the development of COVID-19 therapeutics. Here, the authors combine X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry and performed a large scale fragment screening campaign, which yielded 96 liganded structures of this essential viral protein that are of interest for further drug development efforts.

Wastewater treatment plants are important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Here, the authors analyze ARGs in a global collection of samples from wastewater treatment plants across six continents, providing insights into biotic and abiotic mechanisms that appear to control ARG diversity and distribution.

Generation and analysis of high-quality, genome assemblies from Middle Eastern trios demonstrate the utility of ancestry-matched data and assembly-based variation analysis.

Xenon difluoride is one of the most stable noble-gas fluoride compounds with a simple linear molecular structure. It has now been shown to undergo several phase transitions at high pressures to give extended solids and even a metallic phase containing XeF₈ polyhedra.

Defects are known to affect the mechanical properties of materials. Here, the authors find that sp³-type defects in graphene have a negligible effect on stiffness and cause only a slight reduction in failure strength, while vacancy-type defects are much more degrading.

Archaeological discoveries from Malta suggest that humans were present on the Maltese islands from around 8,500 years ago, providing evidence that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers made sea crossings as long as 100 km.

The accuracy of a machine-learned potential is limited by the quality and diversity of the training dataset. Here the authors propose an active learning approach to automatically construct general purpose machine-learning potentials here demonstrated for the aluminum case.

The authors employ zero-field muon spin relaxation to study time-reversal symmetry breaking (TRSB) in FeSe_1−xTe_x. For x = 0.64 with the highest superconducting transition temperature T_c = 14.5 K, which is known to host a topological surface state and Majorana zero modes within vortices, they find a TRSB superconducting state in the bulk.

A case–control study investigating the causes of recent cases of acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in 32 children identifies an association between adeno-associated virus infection and host genetics in disease susceptibility.

In this work, the authors report a system for production of short versions of a filamentous phage enables the structure to be determined by cryo-electron microscopy. Structure combined with mutagenesis allows the identification of phage domains that are important in bacterial attack and for release of new viral progeny.

Room-temperature superconductivity is observed in a photochemically synthesized ternary carbonaceous sulfur hydride system at 15 °C and 267 GPa.

An investigation using various methods reports an association between adeno-associated virus 2 and paediatric hepatitis of unknown aetiology.

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) represent a treatment option for patients with cancer. Here the authors propose a tumour-agnostic dual-virus strategy for cancer therapy by generating a vesicular stomatitis virus encoding a truncated version of HER2, combined with a vaccinia virus as a delivery platform for a HER2-targeted T-cell engager.

A climatic record from desert speleothems shows that the central Arabian interior experienced recurrent humid intervals over the past 8 million years, which likely facilitated mammalian dispersals between Africa and Eurasia.

This study tracked the initial self-assembly, oligomerization and structural conversion of α-synuclein inside neurons. Early seeding events occur on mitochondrial membranes, where oligomerization induces mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal loss.

The T cell receptor β-chain is expressed in two isoforms, TRBC1 and TRBC2, with clonally expanded mature T cell lymphomas expressing one of them exclusively, while healthy T cells randomly express either TRBC1 or TRBC2. Here authors show structure-based design of a TRBC2-specific antibody, and depletion of malignant T cells carrying TRBC1 or TRBC2 with CAR-T cells against the cognate receptor chain in murine models.

Pressure induced charge amorphisation realised in the structurally crystalline material BiNiO₃ at low temperature, provides fundamental approaches to the study of amorphisation with charge states rather than atoms or molecules.

A type Ia supernova shows the presence of helium-rich circumstellar material, as demonstrated by its spectral features, infrared emission and a radio counterpart, that probably originates from a single-degenerate system in which a white dwarf accretes material from a helium donor star.

Penicillin and other β-lactam drugs form protein adducts that can facilitate allergic and other drug-directed responses. Here, Deimel et al. describe the pharmacokinetic, immunologic and structural determinants of anti-penicillin antibodies.

Global syphilis prevalence has been increasing. Sequencing and analysis of a global collection of 726 Treponema pallidum samples reveal globally circulating lineages linked to a rapid expansion occurring since the end of the twentieth century.

New virions of Ff bacteriophages are extruded from the host cell via the channel built from phage protein pIV, homologous to bacterial secretins. Here, the authors report the structure of this channel from the f1 filamentous bacteriophage and propose its use as an adjuvant to increase the uptake and efficacy of antibiotics.

Five genome-wide approaches are integrated to give a comprehensive picture of jasmonic acid signalling networks in Arabidopsis. New genes, validated by mutant analysis, and important connections with other pathways are revealed.

The formation of cilia depends on centriole’s distal appendages. Here, the authors use correlative 3D-superresolution, electron microscopy and electron tomography to detail the architecture of distal appendages, to describe the initial stages of appendage assembly and show that appendages of mature centrioles remodel during mitosis.

Nematode infections of cash crops impact economic well-being and food security in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports a nature-based technology developed to protect yam seeds from soil-borne pathogens, increase yield and decrease post-harvest losses among smallholder farmers in Benin.

Here, the authors generated an artificial RNA molecule, or aptamer, specific for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis protein TDP-43. By interacting avidly with its target, the aptamer can be exploited to track TDP-43 phase transition in vitro and in cells.

The genomes of two fern species, Azolla filiculoides and Salvinia cucullata, are reported and provide insights into fern-specific whole-genome duplications, fern-specific insect-resistant gene evolution and fern–cyanobacterial symbiosis.

Gaining molecular-level insight into host–guest binding interactions is fundamentally important, but experimentally challenging. Here, Schröder and co-workers study CO₂–host hydrogen bonding interactions in a pair of isostructural redox-active V^III/V^IVMOFs using neutron scattering and diffraction techniques.

Electron cryo-microscopy revealed that ribosomes from microsporidian parasites were in a hibernating state, whereby the ribosomes form inactive pairs.

Structural, biochemical and cellular studies reveal JMJD7 to be a Jumonji-C oxygenase that catalyzes (3S)-lysyl hydroxylation of the translation factor family of GTPases, DRG1 and DRG2.

In East Africa the emergence of the potato cyst nematode (PCN) Globodera rostochiensis threatens potato production. Wrapping seed potatoes with a lignocellulose banana-paper matrix reduces the impact of PCN and leads to improved yields, suggesting a sustainable solution to crop root pests.

The archaellum is a molecular machine used by archaea to swim, consisting of an intracellular motor that drives the rotation of an extracellular filament composed of multiple copies of proteins named archaellins. Here, the authors use electron cryo-microscopy to elucidate the structure of an archaellum, and find that the filament is composed of two alternating archaellins.

Genetic studies of disease-relevant traits have mostly been performed on European populations. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide association study for carotid intima-media thickness, in sub-Saharan African samples, finding population-specific and sex-specific loci.

Genome wide association studies in cancer are used to understand the heritable genetic contribution to disease risk. Here, the authors perform a genome wide association study in European patients with acute myeloid leukemia and identify loci associated with risk of developing the disease.

Parallel patterning of atoms over a large surface would represent a major advance over current serial methods of single atom manipulation. Here, the authors explore a periodic instability from liquid alloy droplets for high-throughput atom printing.

The neural substrates of time perception are still unclear. Here, the authors show that as rats judged tactile stimuli, optogenetic manipulation of somatosensory cortex systematically altered perception of stimulus intensity and of duration, unveiling a multiplexed code.

Photonic quantum memories are essential to develop quantum information networks based on light. Jin et al.employ thulium-doped lithium niobate waveguides and show their suitability as memories using weak coherent pulses for two-photon interference and Bell-state measurements.

The model archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius produces several protein filaments with specialised functions, including flagellum-like archaella, Aap pili, and adhesive threads. Here, the authors describe high-resolution structures and distinct glycosylation patterns for the three filaments, and present an integrated model of the filaments in the context of the S-layer.

Early steps of HIV infection of primary human cells remain poorly understood. Here, Francis et al. show that early viral replication complexes accumulate within nuclear speckles, in reliance on viral capsid/host CPSF6 interactions, and preferentially integrate in speckle-associated genomic domains.

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of mammal teeth associated with stone tools and cut-marked bone dated to between 300,000 and 500,000 years ago reveals that, at the time of the earliest-known hominin presence, the Arabian peninsula was home to productive grasslands similar to modern-day African savannahs.

Swanton and colleagues present a clonal expression signature, ORACLE, which, in combination with clinicopathological and molecular risk factors, can predict survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and they prospectively validate its prognostic value.

Sexual dimorphism in genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome is linked to differential protein abundance from alleles of complement component 4.

The cells of many archaeal species display surface appendages that closely resemble bacterial Type IV pili (T4P). Here, Gaines et al. present a cryoEM structure of the archaeal adhesive pilus from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, showing that the structure of the component subunit follows the canonical T4P blueprint but adopts three distinct conformations within the pilus.

Many animals use their whiskers to collect information about the environment. Diamond and colleagues explain how the brain creates a neuronal representation of the location and identity of objects from sensory signals and argue that this involves integration of knowledge about the self-generated whisker motion.