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A global research network monitoring the Amazon for 30 years reports in this study that tree size increased by 3% each decade.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) frequency and risk factors vary considerably across regions and ancestries. Here, the authors conduct a multi-ancestry genome-wide association study and fine mapping study of HNSCC subsites in cohorts from multiple continents, finding susceptibility and protective loci, gene-environment interactions, and gene variants related to immune response.

Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

Rodrigues and Queiroz et al. report the discovery of Naiavirus, the largest enveloped virus, isolated from a Brazil biome. With an oval capsid and flexible tail, its giant genome holds many novel genes, underscoring the value of viral isolation studies.

Experiments under upper-tropospheric conditions map the chemical formation of isoprene oxygenated organic molecules (important molecules for new particle formation) and reveal that relative radical ratios control their composition

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

In this work, through a comprehensive proteomics approach, the authors identified host plasma protein biosignatures that could distinguish tuberculosis (TB) disease in children.

How tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning vary along climatic gradients is unclear. Here, analysing data from 15 experimental forest sites, the authors show that tree growth responses to neighbourhood species diversity are stronger in wetter climates but are unaffected by interannual climatic variation within sites.

Analysing >1,700 inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network, the authors show that the majority of Amazon tree species can occupy floodplains and that patterns of species turnover are closely linked to regional flood patterns.

Oil drilling has been proposed at the mouth of the Amazon River in one of the most protected states in the Brazilian Amazon, Amapá. If the pending project is approved, drilling is likely to go ahead in 19 other oil blocks in this region, where biodiversity and the socio-economic well-being of local populations could be at risk.

The advantage of living in cities compared with rural areas with respect to height and BMI in children and adolescents has generally become smaller globally from 1990 to 2020, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

Species’ traits and environmental conditions determine the abundance of tree species across the globe. Here, the authors find that dominant tree species are taller and have softer wood compared to rare species and that these trait differences are more strongly associated with temperature than water availability.

In this study, the authors describe SANA, a nitroalkene derivative of salicylate, as a potential activator of creatine-dependent energy expenditure and thermogenesis in adipose tissue. Preclinical and clinical data from this paper also suggest that SANA improves glucose homeostasis and promotes weight loss in mice and humans.

Polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer’s disease derived from individuals of European ancestry can show improved performance in multiancestry settings after incorporating genome-wide association summary statistics from diverse populations.

Wood density is a key control on tree biomass, and understanding its spatial variation improves estimates of forest carbon stock. Sullivan et al. measure >900 forest plots to quantify wood density and produce high resolution maps of its variation across South American tropical forests.

Fluorogenic RNA aptamers such as Mango are powerful tools for RNA imaging. An ultrabright RNA-activated fluorophore with improved photophysical performance has now been developed using a structure-informed, fragment-based screening approach. This system was studied using high-resolution crystallography and applied to image RNA in cells.

Whole-genome sequencing and mutational signature analysis of 265 head and neck cancer samples collected from eight different countries provide insight into the vital contribution of tobacco smoke in disease etiology.

Rainfall induces nanoparticle bursts within the Amazon rainforest canopy by scavenging large particles and bringing down ozone-rich air, according to aerosol, trace gas and meteorology data from the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory.

The inner surface of the heart has a meshwork of muscles called trabeculae. McGurk et al. report the genetic regulation of these complex structures across common and rare variants, revealing pathways implicated in heart development and cell fate.

The QT interval is a heritable electrocardiographic measure associated with arrhythmia risk when prolonged. Here, the authors used a series of genetic analyses to identify genetic loci, pathways, therapeutic targets, and relationships with cardiovascular disease.

Replicated bromeliad microecosystems were used to examine warming-induced community shifts and changes to tadpole gut microbiome. Tadpole growth was more strongly associated with cascading effects of warming on gut dysbiosis than with direct warming effects or indirect effects on food resources.

The relationship between fMRI-BOLD and neural activity in the brain is not well understood. Here, the authors combine calcium imaging and fMRI in the mouse brain to compare network organization derived from these imaging modalities.

Wood density is an important plant trait. Data from 1.1 million forest inventory plots and 10,703 tree species show a latitudinal gradient in wood density, with temperature and soil moisture explaining variation at the global scale and disturbance also having a role at the local level.

Alternative stable states in forests have implications for the biosphere. Here, the authors combine forest biodiversity observations and simulations revealing that leaf types across temperate regions of the NH follow a bimodal distribution suggesting signatures of alternative forest states.

The pedestrian-induced oscillation of the London Millennium Bridge is considered as an example of emerging synchronisation. Belykh et al. provide an alternative mechanism for emergence of coherent oscillatory bridge dynamics where synchrony is a consequence, not the cause, of the instability.

Analysis of ground-sourced and satellite-derived models reveals a global forest carbon potential of 226 Gt outside agricultural and urban lands, with a difference of only 12% across these modelling approaches.

Inventory data from more than 1 million trees across African, Amazonian and Southeast Asian tropical forests suggests that, despite their high diversity, just 1,053 species, representing a consistent ~2.2% of tropical tree species in each region, constitute half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees.

Carbon sequestration in mangroves has been proposed as a mitigation strategy for climate change, yet the benefits of carbon burial may be offset by methane emissions. This study shows that methane offsets are small in saline and tropical mangroves, leading to greater net carbon sequestration.

Data from a variety of sources—including satellite, climate and soil data, as well as field-collected information on plant traits—are pooled and analysed to map the functional diversity of tropical forest canopies globally.

Spin-to-charge interconversion is a foundational requirement for spin-based electronics. Herein, Victor et al explore spin-pumping in MoS₂, and reveal two spin-pumping channels arising from the metallic edge and semiconducting bulk respectively.

X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy analyses of Lettuce—a DNA mimic of GFP—bound to various fluorophores reveal previously unknown structures of DNA that rival analogous RNAs in complexity.

The authors analyse tree responses to an extreme heat and drought event across South America to understand long-term climate resistance. While no more sensitive to this than previous lesser events, forests in drier climates showed the greatest impacts and thus vulnerability to climate extremes.

Tree mortality has been shown to be the dominant control on carbon storage in Amazon forests, but little is known of how and why Amazon forest trees die. Here the authors analyse a large Amazon-wide dataset, finding that fast-growing species face greater mortality risk, but that slower-growing individuals within a species are more likely to die, regardless of size.

International maritime shipping accounts for an important proportion of global CO₂ emissions, but its role in a world with deep decarbonization has not been thoroughly examined. Through a multi-model comparison, this study reveals the necessity of reducing and stabilizing emissions from this sector in the next few decades.

Integrating bioenergetic models and global coral reef fish community surveys, the authors show that there are functional trade-offs, meaning that no community can maximize all functions, and that dominant species underpin local functions, but their identity varies geographically.

The effective conservation of soil biodiversity and ecosystem services in the face of global-change threats requires improvements in national monitoring. We outline the Global Soil Biodiversity Observatory, an initiative that aims to develop standardized indicators and enhance national monitoring capacities to support evidence-based policymaking and facilitate global assessments.

The molecular determinants of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium vivax are unclear. Here, Ngwana-Joseph et al. identify genomic loci under putative selection in a chloroquine-resistant population, with findings including an association with the ABC transporter family member, pvmrp1.

A high-throughput mutation-scanning method for interrogating sequence variation in antimicrobial peptides facilitates the understanding of sequence–structure–function relationships affecting the membrane selectivity of antimicrobial peptides.

Aircraft measurements over the Amazon show that new particle formation in the upper troposphere emerges when isoprene, emitted by forests, undergoes oxidation in the presence of nitrogen oxides produced by lightning.