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After a decade and a half in orbit, the famous telescope could be nearing retirement.

Hubble observations of the TRAPPIST-1 system exclude the presence of H₂-dominated cloud-free atmospheres for the three planets within or around the system’s habitable zone. This result supports the hypothesis that these planets are terrestrial in nature.

Cocchi and coauthors report that continuous theta burst stimulation of the frontal pole shows no difference from sham in reducing symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder or frontostriatal connectivity.

The proposed cancellation of NASA's latest space telescope shows the difficulties ahead. But there is a solution, says Michael S. Turner.

The viral Protein Kinase-1 (PK-1) phosphorylates the regulatory protein p6.9, which facilitates baculoviral genome release. Here, the authors combine X-ray crystallography with biophysical and biochemical analyses as well as molecular dynamics simulations to characterize Cydia pomenella granulovirus PK-1, which forms a dimer with a parallel side-to-side arrangement of the kinase domains and furthermore, they provide insights into its catalytic mechanism and evolutionary relationships with other kinases.

Breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers varies depending on other genetic factors. Here, the authors perform a case-only genome-wide association study and highlight novel loci associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has identified a nearby, bright, quiescent M dwarf star that hosts two sub-Neptune-sized planets and one super-Earth-sized planet. The system is eminently suitable for follow-up studies of transit timing variations, radial velocity measurements and transmission spectroscopy.

Environmental influences during prenatal development may have implications for health and disease later in life. Here, Czamara et al. assess DNA methylation in cord blood from new-born under various models including environmental and genetic effects individually and their additive or interaction effects.

Funding agencies may be paying out duplicate grants, according to an analysis by Harold R. Garner, Lauren J. McIver and Michael B. Waitzkin.

Kemi Oloyede reflects on the importance of having LGBTQ+ STEM events, and their role in combatting inertia in the scientific community.

Contact electrification is a widely observed phenomenon in nature and in materials. Here, the authors use molecular dynamics simulations to show the importance of thermodynamic driving forces in contact electrification in insulating materials.

The Arctic lowlands are characterized by a large number of lakes that cover a substantial part of the surface in some regions. Here, the authors apply a machine learning approach to satellite data to show that permafrost thaw since 2000 has caused a decline in surface water in these regions.

FXR regulates the levels of ACE2 in tissues of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems that are affected by COVID-19, and inhibiting FXR with ursodeoxycholic acid downregulates ACE2 and reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

This Registered Report presents evidence from 87 countries and regions showing that brief emotion-regulation interventions consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boyle et al. show that ROCK upregulates PERK signalling in epithelia of breast cancer, thereby enhancing recruitment and function of cancer-associated fibroblasts through CRELD2 to promote tumourigenesis.

Relatives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have an unexpectedly high incidence of schizophrenia. Here, the authors show a genetic link between the two conditions, suggesting shared neurobiological mechanisms.

A region on chromosome 19p13 is associated with the risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. Here, the authors genotyped SNPs in this region in thousands of breast and ovarian cancer patients and identified SNPs associated with three genes, which were analysed with functional studies.

Genome-wide association analyses, functionally informed fine-mapping and complementary gene prioritization approaches identify new risk loci and candidate effector genes for CAD.

Last year, three Earth-sized planets were discovered to be orbiting the nearby Jupiter-sized star TRAPPIST-1; now, follow-up photometric observations from the ground and from space show that there are at least seven Earth-sized planets in this star system, and that they might be the right temperature to harbour liquid water on their surfaces.

Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of fetal liver, skin, kidney and yolk sac reveals the differentiation trajectories of human haematopoietic stem cells and multipotent progenitors, which are validated to produce an integrated map of fetal liver haematopoiesis.

Neuroscientists are taking advantage of powerful new tools for fluorescence imaging that enable detailed visualization of the structure and activity of neuronal circuits within the living brain.

In this study, the authors document how SIRPα, a cell-adhesion molecule, participates in the late maturation of hippocampal excitatory synapses. They find that in response to activity, SIRPα sheds its ectodomain, which acts presynaptically to promote maturation in a process that requires CaM kinase, matrix metalloproteinases and the presynaptic receptor CD47.

Using a sample of more than 1 million individuals, Hatoum et al. identify genomic loci associated with general and substance-specific addiction risk.

Phytoplankton respond to phosphorous limitation with a decrease in cellular phosphorous content. Using the populations in the oligotrophic Saragossa Sea as an example, it is now shown that phytoplankton, but not heterotrophic bacteria, substitute their membrane phospholipids with lipid classes containing sulphur and nitrogen, which may provide them with a competitive advantage in these environments.

NOTUM from Apc-mutant cells acts as a key mediator during the early stages of mutation fixation and drives the formation of intestinal adenomas.

Linterman and colleagues examine germinal center formation in older individuals. They find that aged T_FH cells have dysregulated CXCR4 expression, which causes spatial mislocalization of these cells in germinal centers, impairing their ability to provide help to B cells and to promote antibody production.

Genome-wide association analyses identify risk loci for spontaneous coronary artery dissection and implicate arterial integrity and tissue-mediated coagulation in the disease etiology. Several risk variants show opposite effects on coronary artery disease risk.

Previous studies identified an association between the 2q35 locus and breast cancer. Here, the authors show that a SNP at 2q35, rs4442975, is associated with oestrogen receptor positive disease and suggest that this effect is mediated through the downregulation of a known breast cancer gene, IGFBP5.

Single-cell transcriptomics and protein expression analyses of salivary glands and gingiva, along with the detection of infectious virus and virus-specific antibodies in saliva from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, support a potential role for the oral cavity in COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Schizophrenia is a highly heritable genetic disorder, however, identification of specific genetic risk variants has proven difficult because of its complex polygenic nature—a large multi-stage genome-wide association study identifies 128 independent associations in over 100 loci (83 of which are new); key findings include identification of genes involved in glutamergic neurotransmission and support for a link between the immune system and schizophrenia.

The circadian clock involves daily variations in transcription of a set of core genes. Here, the authors show that oscillations in free calcium concentration, read by calmodulin-like proteins, regulate the clock and are part of this complex mechanism.

Previous work has identified several genes where mutations lead to breast cancer, but other genetic and environmental factors must still be accounted for. A large study of genetic association with breast cancer points to four novel genes and many more genetic markers that should be pursued for their link to cancer susceptibility.

The authors use modelling to show that the network of trading routes known as the Silk Road emerged from hundreds of years of interactions between pastoralists as they moved their herds and flocks between higher and lower elevations in generally mountainous regions.

Cyanobacterial nitrogen fixation supplies bioavailable nitrogen to marine ecosystems, but the mechanisms governing iron and phosphorus co-limitation in elevated CO₂remain unknown. Here, the authors show a complex cellular response to co-limitation characterized by changes in growth, cell size, and the proteome.

The cyanobacterium Trichodesmium fixes nitrogen exclusively during the day to reduce glycogen ballast and remain buoyant in the surface ocean, where it occupies a specialized niche based on colony formation, high-light adaptation and mineral-dust utilization.

Through structural and functional analyses, this work defines the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of the insulin receptor (IR) involving multisite insulin binding, paving the way for the eventual therapeutic intervention for diseases caused by aberrant activation of IR.