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Researchers, funders, universities and governments must work together to build scientific collaborations that are resilient to rapidly evolving international sanctions.

This study uncovered genetic associations with environmental sensitivity in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental traits in an international collaboration using data from more than 21,000 monozygotic twins—the largest genetic study of monozygotic twin differences to date.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Gender-based violence is widespread, affecting women and men worldwide. Stein et al. use a meta-analysis and the Burden of Proof methodology to evaluate associations between gender-based violence and eight health outcomes, including major depressive disorder, substance use and reproductive health.

Around the world, more than a billion children are regularly exposed to violence or neglect. Flor et al. systematically review evidence that links childhood physical violence, psychological violence and neglect to increased risks for 14 health outcomes.

The 3CL protease of SARS-CoV-2 is inhibited by PF-00835231 in vitro. Here, the authors show that the prodrug PF-07304814 has broad spectrum activity, inhibiting SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 in mice and its ADME and safety profile support clinical development.

Emerging high-plex imaging technologies are limited in resolving subcellular biomolecular features. Here, the authors propose a spatial histopathology tool that allows for high-plex protein staining and physical expansion, while retaining the lateral tissue expansion.

Analysing camera-trap data of 163 mammal species before and after the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, the authors show that responses to human activity are dependent on the degree to which the landscape is modified by humans, with carnivores being especially sensitive.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Here, the authors carry out a large meta-analysis of genetic data from individuals of European and Asian ancestry and identify 10 new loci associated with vertical cup-disc ratio, a key factor in the clinical assessment of patients with glaucoma.

The MAGIC investigators report results of a large genome-wide association study meta-analysis to identify common variants influencing fasting glucose homeostasis. They further show that several of the newly discovered loci influencing glycemic traits are also associated with risk of type 2 diabetes.

Natural killer (NK) cells control tumor growth through direct cytotoxicity and recruitment of other leukocytes. Here, using photoconversion-based labeling to track the fate of NK cells in vivo, the authors demonstrate that loss of NK cell function occurs very rapidly following their entry into tumors, but can be reversed by IL-15 administration.

Stephanie London, Martin Tobin and colleagues report meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies for forced vital capacity (FVC), a spirometric measure of pulmonary function that reflects lung volume. They identify six regions newly associated with FVC and demonstrate that candidate genes at these loci are expressed in lung tissue and primary lung cells.

Recognition of tumour antigen induces dendritic cell activation and migration to the lymph node. Here, the authors use photoconvertible mice to demonstrate that some activated dendritic cells are retained in tumours and gradually lose function, but their ability to support local anti-tumour responses can be augmented by anti-PD-L1 blockade.

A meta-analysis using the burden of proof risk function identified consistent evidence supporting harmful associations between the exposure to intimate partner violence against women and childhood sexual abuse on health outcomes.

Shlien and colleagues report on 300 patients from the SickKids Cancer Sequencing program and identify clinically actionable variants in 56% of the patients by profiling somatic and germline data at multiple clinical time points.

Confining plasma and managing disruptions in tokamak devices is a challenge. Here the authors demonstrate a method predicting and possibly preventing disruptions and macroscopic instabilities in tokamak plasma using data from JET.

Unexpected brevetoxin vectors may account for deaths long after or remote from an algal bloom.

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug proposed as a treatment for COVID19. Here the results are reported from a randomised trial testing DMF treatment in 713 patients hospitalised with COVID-19. DMF was not associated with any improvement in day 5 outcomes.

The blood-brain barrier often limits effective delivery  of treatments for glioblastoma . In this study, the authors develop transferrin-functionalized nanoparticles able to traverse the intact blood-brain barrier and deliver combination temozolomide and bromodomain inhibitor therapy to  glioma-bearing mice.

Systemic modulation of branched-chain keto acid (BCKA) metabolism alters cardiac health. Here, the authors define the major fates of BCKA in the heart and demonstrate that acute exposure to BCKA levels found in obesity activates cardiac protein synthesis and markedly alters the heart phosphoproteome.

Exome sequencing and copy number analysis are used to define genomic aberrations in early sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; among the findings are mutations in genes involved in chromatin modification and DNA damage repair, and frequent and diverse somatic aberrations in genes known as embryonic regulators of axon guidance.

The short nature of microRNAs (miRNAs) has presented unique obstacles to experimental biologists. Two research papers in this issue of Nature Methods describe solutions to some of these problems and provide high-resolution data on the expression patterns of these tiny regulatory RNAs.

Human cancers are characterized by widespread reduction in microRNA gene expression, but what role does this have in the pathobiology of the disease? A new study proves that reduction in microRNA expression does indeed promote tumorigenesis, changing the way we think about cancer.

The authors identified a pH-dependent protonated status in the miR-21 precursor, which leads to additional base pairing in its secondary structure, thus affecting Dicer processing and miR-21 maturation.

. Androgen-receptor blockade can overcome immunotherapy resistance in prostate cancer by intrinsically enhancing T cell function and IFNγ responses. 

Reduced central corneal thickness (CCT) is observed in common eye diseases as well as in rare Mendelian disorders. Here, in a cross-ancestry GWAS, the authors identify 19 novel genetic loci associated with CCT, a subset of which is involved in rare corneal or connective tissue disorders.

Sexual dimorphism in genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia, systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome is linked to differential protein abundance from alleles of complement component 4.

The most up-to-date combination of results on the properties of the Higgs boson is reported, which indicate that its properties are consistent with the standard model predictions, within the precision achieved to date.

The CMS Collaboration reports evidence for off-shell Higgs boson contributions in the production of Z boson pairs, and measures the width of the Higgs boson, which is inversely related to its lifetime.

The CMS Collaboration reports the study of three simultaneous hard interactions between quarks and gluons in proton–proton collisions. This manifests through the concurrent production of three J/ψ mesons, which consist of a charm-quark–antiquark pair.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is highly heritable, yet not well understood from a genetic perspective. Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 34,179 POAG cases, identifying 44 previously unreported risk loci and mapping effects across multiple ethnicities.