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Observations from the JWST of the second brightest GRB ever detected, GRB 230307A, indicate that it belongs to the class of long-duration GRBs resulting from compact object mergers, with the decay of lanthanides powering the longlasting optical and infrared emission.

The Zwicky Transient Facility has observed a transitioning white dwarf with two faces, with one side of its atmosphere dominated by hydrogen and the other by helium.

In June 2022, the IXPE satellite observed a shock passing through the jet of active galaxy Markarian 421. The rotation of the X-ray-polarized radiation over a 5-day period revealed that the jet contains a helical magnetic field.

An extreme flare has been seen from a supermassive black hole at redshift z = 2.6. First detected in 2018, it is 30 times brighter than similar events. The most likely cause is the shredding of a star of 30 solar masses or more.

Polarization measurements are reported for the blazar Mk501, revealing a degree of X-ray polarization that is more than twice the optical value and supporting the shock-accelerated energy-stratified electron population scenario.

A 51-minute-orbital-period, fully eclipsing binary system consisting of a star with a comparable temperature to that of the Sun but a 100 times greater density, accreting onto a white dwarf is reported.

In vivo experiments and clinical cohort analyses show that hypoxia-inducible factor 2 (HIF2)-induced parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) expression contributes to cachexia in the context of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The pathway can be targeted by HIF2 inhibitors, including belzutifan, which may reduce cachexia in patients with RCC.

A type Ia supernova shows the presence of helium-rich circumstellar material, as demonstrated by its spectral features, infrared emission and a radio counterpart, that probably originates from a single-degenerate system in which a white dwarf accretes material from a helium donor star.

Novae are caused by runaway thermonuclear burning in the hydrogen-rich envelopes of accreting white dwarfs, which leads to a rapid expansion of the envelope and the ejection of most of its mass^1,2. Theory has predicted the existence of a ‘fireball’ phase following directly on from the runaway fusion, which should be observable as a short, bright and soft X-ray flash before the nova becomes visible in the optical^3–5. Here we report observations of a bright and soft X-ray flash associated with the classical Galactic nova YZ Reticuli 11 h before its 9 mag optical brightening. No X-ray source was detected 4 h before and after the event, constraining the duration of the flash to shorter than 8 h. In agreement with theoretical predictions^4,6–8, the source’s spectral shape is consistent with a black-body of 3.27^+0.11_−0.33 × 10⁵ K (28.2^+0.9_−2.8 eV), or a white dwarf atmosphere, radiating at the Eddington luminosity, with a photosphere that is only slightly larger than a typical white dwarf.

Large language models can describe and classify changing objects in astronomical images with high accuracy. This enables searches for visual features using text and introduces a new way to interact with sky survey data.

The formation and circulation of Antarctic Intermediate Water has varied over glacial–interglacial timescales. A neodymium record from the Atlantic Ocean basin suggests that changes in circulation may have been driven by changes both in Antarctic Intermediate Water formation in the Southern Ocean and in the strength of North Atlantic meridional overturning.

Warming ocean water plays a significant role in accelerating Arctic sea ice melt. Here the authors present detailed observations of warm water of Pacific origin entering and diving beneath the Arctic ocean surface, and explore the dynamical processes governing its evolution.

Rewetting of seasonally dry soils induces dramatic shifts in viral biomass and diversity. Combining stable isotope probing, metagenomics, and viromics Nicolas et al. provide evidence that viral lysis contributes to microbial turnover and the associated CO₂ efflux.

Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is still not well understood. Here the authors provide patient reported outcomes from 590 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and show association of PASC with higher respiratory SARS-CoV-2 load and circulating antibody titers, and in some an elevation in circulating fibroblast growth factor 21.

Genomes and phenotypes of interspecific yeast hybrids isolated from breweries reveal hybridization between Saccharomyces species followed by adaptation to specific beer styles.

IXPE has revealed how the spin of the accreting neutron star Hercules X-1 changes in three dimensions. The spin axis of the star moves both through the star and across the sky, hinting that the crust of the star is asymmetric by almost one part in a million.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

Deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas that helps to drive the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation was vigorous during the last glacial maximum, much as it is today, and declined during deglaciation, according to neodymium isotope records.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

Computer simulations show that mantle material from Theia, a proto-planet theorized to have struck the proto-Earth in the Moon-forming giant impact, may be the source of Earth’s basal mantle anomalies.

A genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI) detects 97 BMI-associated loci, of which 56 were novel, and many loci have effects on other metabolic phenotypes; pathway analyses implicate the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and new pathways such as those related to synaptic function, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.

The gut microbiome is causally linked to body weight in preclinical models. Here, in a controlled feeding study, the authors show that greater delivery of gut-microbiome fermentable dietary substrates to the colon leads to a net negative energy balance that is accompanied by robust microbial and host responses.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern were detected early and multiple cases of virus spread not captured by clinical genomic surveillance were identified using high-resolution wastewater and clinical sequencing.

Physical characterisation of proteins is challenging. Here the authors report single-molecule microfluidic diffusional sizing (smMDS) to enable calibration-free single-molecule diffusional-sizing based monitoring of protein hydrodynamic radii even within heterogenous multicomponent mixtures.

Sustainable mariculture could increase seafood production under almost all climate-change scenarios analysed, but this would require substantial fisheries reforms, continued advances in feed technology and the establishment of effective mariculture governance and best practices.

The relative importance of the mechanisms underlying species radiation remains unclear. Here, the authors combine reference genome assembly and population genetics analyses to show that neutral forces have contributed to the radiation of the most species-rich tree genus Syzygium.

The Indian Ocean provides a unique environmental gradient to test underlying drivers of the elemental composition of particulate organic matter. Here the authors show that nutrient supply, over temperature and biodiversity changes, controls regional variation of elemental ratios in the tropical Indian Ocean.

The tumor suppressor p53 is a master regulator of cellular stress response pathways, including cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Here, the authors identify molecular mechanisms of p53 binding to high- and low-affinity p53 response elements in the genome, linked to cell cycle arrest and pro-apoptotic genes, respectively.

Cell type labelling in single-cell datasets remains a major bottleneck. Here, the authors present AnnDictionary, an open-source toolkit that enables atlas-scale analysis and provides the first benchmark of LLMs for de novo cell type annotation from marker genes, showing high accuracy at low cost.

Divalent anion/Na⁺ symporter (DASS) transporters move intermediates of the Krebs cycle across the cell membrane. Here the authors present the substrate-bound structures of VcINDY, a DASS from Vibrio cholerae, which provide insights into the underlying transport mechanism.

Semiconductor nanoplatelets emit light in narrow spectral ranges. Here, the authors establish a theoretical model showing this behavior is controlled by the inhomogeneities of the ligand layer on the nanoplatelet surface.

Extracting light from silicon is a longstanding challenge. Here, the authors report an experimental demonstration of free-electron-driven light emission from silicon nanogratings and investigates the feasibility of a compact, all-silicon tunable light source integrated with a silicon field emitter array.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses of waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index in more than 224,000 individuals identify 49 loci, 33 of which are new and many showing significant sexual dimorphism with a stronger effect in women; pathway analyses implicate adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution.

A study of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in England between September 2020 and June 2021 finds that interventions capable of containing previous variants were insufficient to stop the more transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.

The transportation sector is gradually evolving to become independent of fossil fuels. Here, the authors report a metal-based monolithic solid oxide fuel cell with a power density of 5.6 kW/L suitable for transport applications.

Ruth Loos and colleagues report results of a large genome-wide association study for body mass index. They identify 18 new loci associated with this trait, some of which map near key hypothalamic regulators of energy balance.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease. Here, Pattaro et al. conduct a meta-analysis to discover several new loci associated with variation in eGFR and find that genes associated with eGFR loci often encode proteins potentially related to kidney development.

Exome-wide analysis identifies rare and low-frequency coding variants associated with body mass index. Gene-based meta-analysis and functional studies implicate 13 genes, eight of which are novel, and neuronal pathways as factors in human obesity.