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New measurements of the metallicities of ultraluminous infrared galaxies show that observations of underabundances of metals in these galaxies are most probably due to heavy dust obscuration, rather than intrinsic metal-poor gas accretion.

Thermal polarized emission observations of the molecular disk in Centaurus A detect that the magnetic field orientations in the plane of the sky tightly follow the kiloparsec-scale molecular warped disk and also suggest the presence of small-scale turbulent fields.

Far-infrared polarimetric observations reveal a transition parallel to the gas flow in the orientation of magnetic field lines in the Serpens South molecular cloud, allowing gravitational collapse to occur even in the presence of strong magnetic fields.

A predominance of small grains (tens of nanometres in size) over larger grains and the corresponding near- to mid-infrared excess radiation from H ii regions around massive stars and supernovae has been difficult to explain. Hoang et al. propose a radiative torque disruption method for large dust grains that fits with the observational constraints.

Wind from the most massive star in the Trapezium cluster in Orion has carved out a large and expanding cavity around the cluster, bounded by a thin, 2,600-solar-mass shell.

Human host-associated cellular products may act as induction agents for bacteriophages.

Mapping the 158 μm line of ionized carbon within the Cygnus region with the SOFIA observatory provides evidence for dynamic interactions between molecular clouds and their atomic envelopes, which trace out the assembly process of cloud complexes.

Polarimetry provides information about physical characteristics of cometary dust. Here, the authors show that the polarization of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov exceeds the typical values for comets, and this together with its polarimetrically homogenous coma suggests a more pristine nature of the object.

When, where and how galaxies form disks is an unsolved puzzle for astronomers. Wang et al. discovered a surprisingly large disk in a cosmic web node from the early Universe and studied the roles of the special cosmic environment in its formation.

Observations show that, like light solar-mass stars, heavy stars also form through episodic disk-accretion; but faster, more energetic and emitting more light.

Inflammatory skin diseases are frequently associated with dysregulation of cutaneous immunity. Here the authors perform human challenge with house dust mite allergen in patients with atopic dermatitis and explore the molecular network determining tolerance versus inflammation and identify a role for metallothioneins in the modulation of allergen induced inflammation.

Given the absence of a major river system in the Western Sahara, the source of late Quaternary fluvial sediments along the West African margin remains unclear. Here, the authors present geomorphological data that reveal the existence of a large buried paleodrainage network on the Mauritanian coast.

The authors traced back the oxygen changes of the last 27,000 years from an east Atlantic Ocean archive. They found that oxygen increase with reduced Atlantic deep circulation is related to intensified subsurface wind-driven circulation.

High-angular-resolution observations of 1.3 mm continuum and H30α recombination line emission identify a binary star system in formation, with protostars apparently separated by 180 au. The velocity difference between the two protostars constrains the orbital period and total mass of the system.

JWST observations of CH₃⁺ in a protoplanetary disk in the Orion star-forming region are reported showing that gas-phase organic chemistry in the interstellar medium is activated by ultraviolet irradiation and the methyl cation.

The hydroxyl radical OH has been detected in a planet-forming disk exposed to ultraviolet radiation and in a rovibrationally excited state. These JWST observations, when coupled with quantum calculations, reveal the ongoing photodissociation of water and its reformation in the gas phase.

The relatively unexplored southwestern region of the Large Magellanic Cloud is host to a massive, embedded star-forming complex that rivals the star-forming efficiency of 30 Doradus. Its most luminous object could be a super star cluster in formation.

Specific deletion of group 2 innate lymphoid cells in mice shows these cells have roles in the recruitment of eosinophils and in mounting immune and epithelial type 2 responses.

In the Spitzer Space Telescope’s 16 years of operation, it observed many Solar System objects and environments. In this second Review Article of a pair, Spitzer’s insight into asteroids, dust clouds and rings and the ice giant planets are summarized.

The widespread disappearance of siliceous life sustained extreme temperatures in the wake of Earth’s most severe mass extinction event.

The atmosphere of evolved star W Hya has been resolved with ALMA and shown to be shock heated. These observations provide important empirical constraints for the understanding of circumstellar structure, convection, chemistry and pulsation.

When a bubble bursts on reaching a surface, mass transfer from the liquid to the gas phase can occur—aerosol dispersion. Now, the inverse transport process is reported: submicrometre-sized oil droplets, formed during bubble-bursting, are zipped across the interface to the liquid phase.

Viral pathogen load in cancer genomes is estimated through analysis of sequencing data from 2,656 tumors across 35 cancer types using multiple pathogen-detection pipelines, identifying viruses in 382 genomic and 68 transcriptome datasets.

Early alcohol drinking confers greater risk for alcohol use disorder in women than men. Here authors show that ovarian-derived estrogen rapidly drives binge alcohol drinking via signaling with membrane-associated estrogen receptors in the extended amygdala.

The authors present a spectrophotometric and hydrodynamical study of supernova OGLE-2014-SN-073, which had remarkably high inferred ejecta mass and energy, potentially higher than can be explained with canonical core-collapse neutrino-driven explosions.

An initial draft of the human pangenome is presented and made publicly available by the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium; the draft contains 94 de novo haplotype assemblies from 47 ancestrally diverse individuals.

Perovskite solar cells can complement silicon photovoltaics in multijunction devices. Here, the authors optimize light harvesting in monolithic perovskite-on-silicon devices and fabricate a certified 23.6% efficient, 1 cm² tandem solar cell with a perovskite device that withstands damp heat tests.

A strong positive correlation between the warm and hot phases of extended filaments in massive galaxies within cooling-flow clusters supports theoretical models of active galactic nucleus feedback as the origin of these multiphase structures.

TOI-500 hosts at least four planets, the innermost of which is an Earth-sized ultra-short-period body with a density similar to Earth. The architecture of the TOI-500 system can be explained by a slow, secular, low-eccentricity migration scenario.

KBO 55636 (2002 TX₃₀₀) is one of the Kuiper belt objects — specifically, a member of the water-ice-rich Haumea KBO collisional family. Here, observations are reported of a multi-chord stellar occultation by KBO 55636. Calculations show that KBO 55636 is smaller than previously thought and, like its parent body, is highly reflective. The dynamical age implies either that it has an active resurfacing mechanism, or that fresh water-ice in the outer Solar System can persist for gigayear timescales.

Transient periods of hyperaridity in northern Arabia during the late Miocene were out of phase with those in North Africa and may have promoted unidirectional dispersal of Eurasian mammals into Africa, according to analyses of a sedimentary sequence in western Iran.

The spectral variability of the blazar CTA 102 during a recent extreme outburst could be explained by a twisted, inhomogeneous jet containing regions of different orientations that vary in time.

The surface of Hyperion has a large region of high albedo with the signature of H₂O ice and another zone of albedo about a factor of four lower. Observations of the surface in the ultraviolet and near-infrared spectral regions with two optical remote sensing instruments on the Cassini spacecraft detail that the low-albedo material has spectral similarities and compositional signatures that link it with the surface of Phoebe.

Extraterrestrial organic matter found in meteorites may hold a unique record of its synthesis, and chemical and thermal alterations in the parent body, however, the origin of such aliphatics remains enigmatic. Here, the authors propose sequential gas-phase methyl-methylene addition growth of n-C₈H₁₈ to n-C₃₂H₆₆ alkanes based on a series of sputter gas aggregation source experiments and DFT calculations.

Observations of the transient associated with the gravitational-wave event GW170817 and γ-ray burst GRB 170817A reveal a bright kilonova with fast-moving ejecta, including lanthanides synthesized by rapid neutron capture.

Cdk12 is primarily involved in the regulation of DNA damage response (DDR) gene transcription as well as mRNA processing. Here, the authors demonstrate that CDK12 suppresses intronic polyadenylation, and that inhibition of this kinase primarily affects the expression of long genes with higher numbers of polyA sites, features common to many DDR genes.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy is an element-specific and orbital-specific technique that can probe local atomic and electronic structures, without the need for long-range order. This Primer discusses the background principles, experimental methods and data analysis processes used in X-ray absorption spectroscopy to derive oxidation states, coordination and bond lengths of solids, liquids and gases.

Using asteroseismology to measure the spin axes of stars in two old open star clusters, Corsaro et al. find alignment between significant numbers of stars. It is thought that this is an imprint of the original angular momentum of the parent molecular cloud.

The material-intensive transition to low-carbon energy will impose environmental and social burdens on local and regional communities. Demand-side strategies can help to achieve higher well-being at lower levels of energy or material use, and an interdisciplinary approach in future research is essential.

In this Perspective, Vincent Merckx and colleagues discuss an important but overlooked aspect of mycorrhizal interactions, mycoheterotrophy, in the context of recent arguments about the importance of these interactions to forest functioning.