Search

Observations of the super-massive Neptune-sized transiting planet TOI-1853 b show a mass almost twice that of any other Neptune-sized planet known so far and a bulk density implying that heavy elements dominate its mass.

Comprehensive mapping of binary protein-protein interactions requires to combine several complementary assays. Here, the authors show that complete coverage could be reached with a minimal number of assays as long as they explore various experimental conditions.

In some cases, hydrogen adsorption close to its boiling temperature shows unusually high monolayer capacities, but the microscopic nature of this adsorbate phase is not well understood. Now, H₂ adsorbed on a well-ordered mesoporous silica surface has been shown to form a 2D monolayer with very short H₂···H₂ intermolecular distances and a density more than twice that of bulk-solid H_2.

The incoherent component of the fluorescence from a single two-level atom is investigated after rejecting the coherent component. Contrary to intuition, its photon statistics experimentally shows strong photon bunching. This result suggests that the atom does in fact simultaneously scatter two photons.

Low total energy expenditure (TEE) has been a hypothesized risk factor for weight gain, but longitudinal repeatability of TEE is incompletely understood. Here the authors report that TEE is repeatable for adults, but not for children, and increases in TEE (adjusted for fat-free mass, fat mass, age and sex) are not associated with body composition changes in short-term longitudinal analyses.

Genome-wide data from 400 individuals indicate that the initial spread of the Beaker archaeological complex between Iberia and central Europe was propelled by cultural diffusion, but that its spread into Britain involved a large-scale migration that permanently replaced about ninety per cent of the ancestry in the previously resident population.

Biases in adult sex ratio (ASR) are common, yet their causes and consequences are not well understood. Here, the authors analyse data from >6000 individuals of five shorebird species, showing that sex differences in juvenile survival drive ASR variation and biased ASR is associated with uniparental care.

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.

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

Using a gas-filled anti-resonant-reflection photonic-crystal fibre, a high-brightness table-top source of coherent carrier-envelope-phase-stable waveforms is demonstrated across seven octaves (340 nm to 40,000 nm) with ultraviolet peak powers up to 2.5 MW and terahertz peak powers of 1.8 MW, without the need for changing nonlinear crystals.

SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in multiple outbreaks in hospitals, but identifying transmission events is challenging. Here, the authors combine whole genome sequencing and epidemiological data from the first two waves of the pandemic at a UK hospital trust and characterise transmission chains.

A prerequisite to exploiting soil microbes for sustainable crop production is the identification of the plant genes shaping microbiota composition in the rhizosphere. Here, the authors report QTLs and the associated candidate genes underlying rhizosphere microbiome composition in barley.

Transition metal complexes that display slow magnetic relaxation show promise for information storage, but our mechanistic understanding of the magnetic relaxation of such compounds remains limited. Here, the authors spectroscopically and computationally characterize the strength of spin–phonon couplings, which play an important role in the relaxation process.

A fibre-laser-pumped optical parametric amplifier for high-harmonic generation has been used to realize a megahertz-repetition-rate source of extreme-ultraviolet continua, with evidence of isolated attosecond pulses at 0.6 MHz. This technique could potentially enable a vast array of new applications, such as attosecond-resolution coincidence and photoelectron spectroscopy.

Glucocorticoids reprogram the mitochondrial metabolism of macrophages, resulting in increased and sustained production of the anti-inflammatory metabolite itaconate and, as a consequence, inhibition of the inflammatory response.

Many bacterial pathogens use a type III secretion system (T3SS) to inject effector proteins into host cells. Here, Wimmi et al. show that the external pH regulates the assembly of T3SS cytosolic components in intestinal pathogens, thus preventing T3SS activity in the stomach and allowing T3SS reactivation in the intestine.

A combination of shRNA- and CRISPR-Cas9-based gene editing screens, corroborated by a metabolite suppression experiment identifies the pyrimidine biosynthesis enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) as the target of the broad-spectrum antiviral compound GSK983.

The goal of the 1000 Genomes Project is to provide in-depth information on variation in human genome sequences. In the pilot phase reported here, different strategies for genome-wide sequencing, using high-throughput sequencing platforms, were developed and compared. The resulting data set includes more than 95% of the currently accessible variants found in any individual, and can be used to inform association and functional studies.

Prioritized Single-Cell ProtEomics (pSCoPE) introduces the concept of using priority levels that define the temporal order of peptide analysis for single-cell proteomic analysis. Prioritized data acquisition aims to simultaneously optimize the consistency, sensitivity, depth and accuracy of protein quantification.

Field measurements of fires burning over winter at 20 sites in the Northwest Territories of Canada and in Alaska find that such fires occur in both peatlands and upland forests, and provide information on the ecological conditions and effects of such fires compared to single-season burns.

1000 Genomes imputation can increase the power of genome-wide association studies to detect genetic variants associated with human traits and diseases. Here, the authors develop a method to integrate and analyse low-coverage sequence data and SNP array data, and show that it improves imputation performance.

In a prespecified secondary analysis of the STEP-HFpEF trial, semagludtide treatment was associated with improvements in KCCQ-CSS and body weight, as well as trial secondary endpoints, across the spectrum of obesity classes, with the magnitude of beneficial effects being proportional to the extent of weight loss.

Globally, new particle formation represents a major source of cloud condensation nuclei. Here, the authors present evidence of frequent occurrence of new particle formation in the upper part of remote marine boundary layer following cold front passages.

The LITMUS consortium provides a resource of rodent MASLD models benchmarked against metabolic, histologic and transcriptomic features that are relevant for human MASLD. The work is useful for selecting relevant rodent models for studying this common disease.

In a multinational trial, empagliflozin has clinical benefit when administered to hospitalized patients with acute heart failure, extending the reach of SGLT2 inhibitor therapy to this patient population.

Carbon dioxide enrichment of a mature forest resulted in the emission of the excess carbon back into the atmosphere via enhanced ecosystem respiration, suggesting that mature forests may be limited in their capacity to mitigate climate change.

Marine sedimentary records and the proxies within play a central role in unlocking our understanding of past climates, yet interpreting the signals they contain can be complex. Here, the authors reveal and discuss the complex effects of hydrodynamics on carbon accumulation in the sediments off the Iberian margin.

Results for the final phase of the 1000 Genomes Project are presented including whole-genome sequencing, targeted exome sequencing, and genotyping on high-density SNP arrays for 2,504 individuals across 26 populations, providing a global reference data set to support biomedical genetics.

Carbon uptake by the ocean has increased alongside rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, but with substantial variability. This Review examines trends in ocean CO₂ uptake and the internal and external factors driving its variability, finding an ocean uptake of –2.7 ± 0.3 Pg C year^–1 for the period 1990 through 2019.

Understanding the effect of vaccination on emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern is of increasing importance. Here, James et al. report that two doses of vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine induce more robust immune responses to the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 lineages than does natural infection.

Salvage logging has become a common practice to gain economic returns from naturally disturbed forests, but it could have considerable negative effects on biodiversity. Here the authors use a recently developed statistical method to estimate that ca. 75% of the naturally disturbed forest should be left unlogged to maintain 90% of the species unique to the area.

Here, Tain et al. describe the genetic interaction between 4E-BP, an inhibitor of translation, with Parkinson's disease–associated park and Pink1 in Drosophila, where the manipulation of 4E-BP reduced the pathologic phenotypes, including degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, in park and Pink1 mutant flies.

A longstanding mystery in condensed-matter physics involves the appearance of a 'hidden order' state in URu₂Si₂ at low temperature — an unexpected phase change that is accompanied by a sharp change in the bulk properties of the material. The problem is related to the appearance of a 'heavy fermion' state. Here, scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy have been used to image the electronic structure of URu₂Si₂ at sub-atomic resolution, revealing how the hidden order state evolves with decreasing temperature.

Ancient diets have been reconstructed from archaeological pottery based on lipid remains, but these can lack specificity. Here, Hendy and colleagues analyze ancient proteins from ceramic vessels up to 8000 years old to produce a more nuanced understanding of ancient food processing and diet.

Animals can obtain information on predation risk directly from observing predators or indirectly from the alarm calls of others. Here, the authors show that red-breasted nuthatches encode information on risk in their own alarm calls differently depending on the source of the information.

Super-resolution imaging of multiple target proteins in the same sample can provide important information of cellular nanostructure, but has not been routinely achieved. Here, the authors present a fully automated 3D STORM approach using a re-staining protocol to image 15 targets in single cells and 16 targets in neuronal tissue.

Ageing phenotypes are of great interest but are difficult to study genetically, partly due to the sample sizes required. Here, the authors present a multivariate framework to combine GWAS summary statistics and increase statistical power, identifying additional loci enriched for aging.

Analysis of whole-genome doubling (WGD) by using cancer sequencing data combined with simulations of tumor evolution suggests that there is negative selection against homozygous loss of essential genes before WGD but not after.