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The authors defined a roadmap for investigating the genetic covariance between structural or functional brain phenotypes and risk for psychiatric disorders. Their proof-of-concept study using the largest available common variant data sets for schizophrenia and volumes of several (mainly subcortical) brain structures did not find evidence of genetic overlap.

This work describes an informatic framework to identify multi-allelic markers in the genome of the malaria-causing Plasmodium vivax parasite that can inform on familial relatedness between infections. Spatial and temporal transmission patterns are demonstrated with an example marker set.

Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UCAR) is associated with various clinical outcomes such as kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Here, the authors report genome-wide meta-analysis in over 500,000 individuals and find 68 UACR loci, followed by statistical fine-mapping, gene prioritization and experimental validation in flies.

Genome-wide association analyses of intracranial and nine subcortical brain volumes in 74,898 participants of European ancestry identify 254 independent loci and yield polygenic scores accounting for brain variation across ancestries.

The affected cellular populations during Alzheimer’s disease progression remain understudied. Here the authors use a cohort of 84 donors, quantitative neuropathology and multimodal datasets from the BRAIN Initiative. Their pseudoprogression analysis revealed two disease phases.

In this work, authors combine high resolution imaging and machine learning to infer drug susceptibility in the absence of antimicrobial exposure, with the goal of their method to be transposed to diagnostics and study of the impact of any perturbation on bacterial cells.

Proliferative and effector functions of T cells are determined by T cell receptor signalling and modulated by activator and inhibitory co-receptors. Authors report here that the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR171 functions as a co-inhibitor of T cell signalling and might serve as a target for cancer immunotherapy.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become a key tool to discover genetic markers for complex traits; however, environmental factors that interact with genes are rarely considered. Here, the authors conduct a GWAS of obesity traits, and find that smoking may alter genetic susceptibilities.

Federated learning (FL) has emerged as a potential solution to train machine learning models in multiple clinical datasets while preserving patient privacy. Here, the authors develop an MRI-based FL platform for pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors—FL-PedBrain—and evaluate it on a diverse multi-center cohort.

The catalytic power of DNA polymerases for artificial genetic polymer (XNA) synthesis remains underdeveloped. Now, the evolution and structure of an α-l-threofuranosyl nucleic acid polymerase is described that achieves XNA synthesis with ∼1 nt s⁻¹ and >99% template-copying fidelity.

A large array of ferroelectric field-effect transistors with record memory windows, ON/OFF ratios and ON-current density is presented at ~80 nm channel length.

A trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of serum urate levels identifies 183 loci influencing this trait. Enrichment analyses, fine-mapping and colocalization with gene expression in 47 tissues implicate the kidney and liver as key target organs and prioritize potential causal genes.

Combined analysis of new genomic data from 116 ancient hunter-gatherer individuals together with previously published data provides insights into the genetic structure and demographic shifts of west Eurasian forager populations over a period of 30,000 years.

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations.

A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.

Auxin-driven transcriptional responses are mediated by ARF transcription factors. Here the authors characterize an F-box protein, AFF1, that regulates the accumulation, condensation, and nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning of ARF19 and ARF7.

Nanocarrier administration is often performed via intermittent bolus injection while sustained delivery platforms are rarely reported. Here the authors demonstrate that the cylinder-to-sphere transitions of self-assembled filomicelle scaffolds can be used for sustained delivery with improved resorptive capacity and biocompatibility.

Antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in commensal gut bacteria may act as a reservoir for acquisition by pathogens. Here, the authors assess the distribution and transfer potential of ARGs in gut microbiomes and find that clinically important ARGs are taxonomically restricted despite being associated with mobile plasmids

A non-volatile memory device that is based on an aluminium scandium nitride (Al_0.68Sc_0.32N) ferroelectric diode can operate at temperatures of up to 600 °C.

A genome-wide association study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 identifies genetic signals that relate to important host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage that may be targeted by repurposing drug treatments.

Rapid, visual detection of pathogens is important for point-of-care diagnostics. Here the authors present enVision, which uses enzyme-DNA complexes to detect pathogen nucleic acids and provide a rapid, smartphone compatible readout.

Nanometre-scale columnar structures in tooth enamel inspire novel nanocomposites containing layers of vertically aligned nanowires, produced by layer-by-layer fabrication and combining high values of both storage modulus and energy dissipation.

A decrease in atmospheric methane levels might have triggered the progressive rise of atmospheric oxygen about 2.4 billion years ago, but the cause of this methane decrease remains uncertain. Kurt Konhauser and colleagues report a decline in the oceanic nickel-to-iron ratio about 2.7 billion years ago, which they attribute to a reduced flux of nickel to the oceans; this decline would have stifled the activity of methane-producing organisms that require nickel to function.

Although progress in the coverage of routine measles vaccination in children in low- and middle-income countries was made during 2000–2019, many countries remain far from the goal of 80% coverage in all districts by 2019.

Twelve early-career investigators share their thoughts on the challenges faced by their teams and communities during the past year, and look ahead to new opportunities for 2022.

Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is seen as a promising method for CO₂ removal as it alters the surface carbon equilibrium, driving the transfer of CO₂ into the ocean. Here the authors computationally map the spatiotemporal efficiency of OAE to identify locations and timing for optimal OAE deployment.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is regulated by multiple post-translational modifications. Here, the authors identify the writer and reader enzymes for AR ADP-ribosylation and show how they modulate AR signaling output in prostate cancer cells.

Finding effective treatments for COVID-19 depends upon understanding genetic regulation of proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection and host response. Here, the authors identify genetic variants linked to expression of such proteins, data which could lead to the discovery of therapeutic targets.

A DNA-encoded chemical library based on regio- and stereoisomers of phenylalanine has been synthesized and used for affinity-based selections against multiple target proteins. This approach led to the isolation and validation of potent ligands capable of CAR T-cell activation and tumour targeting.

The authors used new network-analysis algorithms to examine how distributed networks of brain areas are reorganized as humans learn a new motor skill. Using fMRI, the authors found that learning induced autonomy of sensorimotor systems and that a release of cognitive control hubs predicted individual differences in learning.

Exponential growth of toxigenic Streptococcus pyogenes M1_UK lineage accounted for most of the 2022/2023 invasive infection upsurge in the UK. Authors provide evidence that M1_UK first emerged in 2008, has genetic evidence of enhanced fitness, and has disseminated to 3 continents.

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.

Spatially resolved images of M87 obtained at a wavelength of 3.5 mm in 2018 show a ring-like accretion structure, the inner (outer) edge of which connects the black hole (jet).

DNA methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL) analyses on 32,851 participants identify genetic variants associated with DNA methylation at 420,509 sites in blood, resulting in a database of >270,000 independent mQTLs.

Activity in anterior deep cerebellar nuclei reduces food consumption in mice without reducing metabolic rate, potentially identifying a therapeutic target for disorders involving excessive eating.

A study establishes a scalable approach to engineer and characterize a many-body-localized discrete time crystal phase on a superconducting quantum processor.

It is hoped that quantum computers may be faster than classical ones at solving optimization problems. Here the authors implement a quantum optimization algorithm over 23 qubits but find more limited performance when an optimization problem structure does not match the underlying hardware.

Using two different mass spectrometric platforms, authors demonstrate how metabolomic data fusion and multivariate analysis can be used to accurately identify the geographic origin and production method of salmon.

Controlled tissue fixation with polyepoxides protects protein fluorescence, antigenicity, nucleic acids and tissue architecture.