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Caspase-7 cleaves and activates acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), which promotes the repair of gasdermin pores and thereby delays pore-driven lysis to allow other processes such as extrusion or apoptosis to occur before cell death.

The authors show PTEN mutations, which can cause both congenital hydrocephalus and autism spectrum disorder, disrupt CSF homeostasis and brain connectivity in mice. Reducing mTORC1 activation ameliorates ventricular enlargement and neuronal deficits.

Shifting from cattle farming to camels and goats could deliver more sustainable milk production under climate-change-induced heat stress and resource scarcity in the drylands of north sub-Saharan Africa.

Laser spectroscopy measurements of the fermium isotopic chain show a smooth trend in the nuclear size of heavy actinide elements, and diminishing shell effects on the size evolution compared with lighter nuclei.

EDI048 is a gastrointestinal-targeted Cryptosporidium PI(4)K inhibitor that undergoes a predictable metabolism and limits systemic exposure without compromising its anti-parasitic activity.

It is unclear how variation in sperm traits is maintained in nature. Here, the authors show that an inversion on the Z chromosome of zebra finches affects sperm morphology and fertilization ability and suggest that overdominance maintains the inversion polymorphism.

Human activities affect marine predators in complex ways, yet we lack spatial understanding of cumulative impacts across key habitats. Here the authors analyse distribution and movements of eight marine predators, and find that species and human impacts vary across space and overlap within marine sanctuaries.

The authors consider the future risks of warming and drying to water-sensitive anuran species. They show that increased aridity of anuran habitats and drought exposure under climate change, combined with warming, can substantially reduce anuran activity.

Animal models that naturally and spontaneously form uroliths — including domestic dogs and cats, and a variety of other captive and wild species, such as otters, dolphins and ferrets — are an underused resource in the study of human stone disease and offer many potential opportunities for improving insight into stone pathogenesis. Improved collaboration between urologists, basic scientists and veterinarians is warranted to further our understanding of how stones form and to consider possible new preventive and therapeutic treatment options.

Here, the genomes of birds representing eight populations of domestic chickens are compared with the genome of their wild ancestor, the red jungle fowl. The results reveal selective sweeps of favourable alleles and mutations that may have contributed to domestication. One selective sweep, for instance, occurred at the locus encoding the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor, which is important in metabolism and in the timing of vertebrate reproduction.

Tracking data from 17 marine predator species in the Southern Ocean are used to identify Areas of Ecological Significance, the protection of which could help to mitigate increasing pressures on Southern Ocean ecosystems.

Female naked mole rats are long lived and show little or no decline in fertility over their lifespan. Here Brieño-Enríquez et al., demonstrate that naked mole-rats establish an exceptionally large ovarian reserve and undergo postnatal oogenesis.

In most cancers, mutations that lead to oncogene activation and tumor suppressor inactivation synergize to promote tumorigenesis. However, in neuroblastomas, MYCN amplification and ATRX mutations are mutually exclusive and incompatible.

De Solis and Del Río-Martín et al. investigate the reciprocal interplay between AgRP and POMC neurocircuits that governs the precise regulation of food intake and systemic metabolic homeostasis.

Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome is characterised by congenital deafness and vestibular dysfunction, and is caused by mutations in KCNE1 or KCNQ1. Here, the authors show that gene therapy via canalostomy at early postnatal stage can preserve the morphology of inner ear and auditory and vestibular functions in a mouse model of human JLNS2.

This study presents the assembly and analysis of the genome sequence of a female domestic Duroc pig and a comparison with the genomes of wild and domestic pigs from Europe and Asia; the results shed light on the evolutionary relationship between European and Asian wild boars.

Polyandry, where females mate with several males, can be adaptive, even when males provide no material benefits. This paper shows that for an Australian marsupial, polyandry improves female lifetime fitness in nature.

Short- and long-term cultures of human stem-cell-derived neurons reveal that a pattern of restricted selection of clustered protocadherin isoforms, pre-established in pluripotent cells, distinguishes immature from mature neurons.

All natural AAV serotypes transduce murine hepatocytes more efficiently than their human counterparts in human liver chimeric mouse models. Here the authors developed a novel humanized mouse were human transduction of AAV can be studied.

The authors use long-term satellite tracking to project climate-induced shifts in whale shark distributions and understand their potential future risk of ship-strike. Under high-emission scenarios, the movement of sharks to current range-edge habitat is linked to 15,000-fold increased co-occurrence with ships.

Phytophthora infestanscaused the potato famine in the nineteenth century. Martinet al. sequence the nuclear genomes of five archival samples of the pathogen and compare these to extant specimens allowing the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of P. infestans.

Increased activity of dopamine receptor type-2 (D2R)-expressing cells in the nucleus accumbens of rats during a ‘decision’ period reflects a ‘loss’ outcome of the previous decision, and predicts a subsequent safe choice; by artificially increasing the activity of D2R neurons during the decision period, risk-seeking rats could be converted to risk-avoiding rats.

The sheep and goat were domesticated ~10,500 years ago in the same region of the Middle-East. Here, Alberto et al compare the genomes of wild Asiatic mouflon and Bezoar ibex with that of domestics from local, traditional and improved breeds and find common targets of selection related to domestication and improvement in sheep and goats.

Xiang and colleagues infer mutant alleles in 113,000 cattle to quantify the effect of these mutations on complex traits including body size, fertility and milk production, and compare these mutation sites across 100 species of vertebrates. Some sites show long term selective pressure, are heavily conserved and demonstrate hybrid vigour, whereas sites selected over shorter time periods are biased towards undesirable mutation.

Reproducibility is key to all fields of research, and in the case of animal research, this can be hampered by inconsistent reporting of animal genetics. Here the authors propose a reporting framework and guidelines designed to discuss the validation and standardise the reporting of genetic backgrounds and genetic alterations in animal models.

Analysis of 273 ancient horse genomes reveals that modern domestic horses originated in the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region.

Here, combining diagnostic imaging modalities and in vivo assays, Windfelder and colleagues established tobacco hornworm larvae Manduca sexta as an alternative high-throughput platform to study the innate immunity of the gut and host-pathogen interactions. Using the platform, the authors identify mediators of gut inflammation, differentiate pathogens from gut mutualist bacteria, and demonstrate pharmacological interventions.

The degree to which species tolerate human disturbance contributes to shape human-wildlife coexistence. Here, the authors identify key predictors of avian tolerance of humans across 842 bird species from open tropical ecosystems.

Acetylcholine regulates intestinal epithelial secretion via muscarinic Gq-coupled receptors but its role in cell differentiation is unclear. Here, the authors show that Prox1-positive endocrine cells are sensors for the cholinergic intestinal niche and can trigger increased differentiation of enteroendocrine DCLK1-positive tuft cells.

BayesR3 samples the polymorphisms affecting complex traits at reduced computational cost to predict the genetic value, breeding value, or individual risk of genotypes.

Species classified as Critically Endangered are at greatest risk of extinction, and their preservation and recovery are crucial to meeting global biodiversity aims. This Review assesses the geographical and taxonomic distribution of Critically Endangered species, their threats, current and required conservation actions, and strategies to facilitate effective, coordinated conservation.