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Reservoir computing designs recurrent networks that simultaneously buffer inputs and form nonlinear features. Here, authors propose a configurable scheme with better scaling where memory buffer and nonlinear features are in separate circuits. It can be efficiently implemented in neuromorphic hardware.

A region on chromosome 19p13 is associated with the risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. Here, the authors genotyped SNPs in this region in thousands of breast and ovarian cancer patients and identified SNPs associated with three genes, which were analysed with functional studies.

Cratonavis zhui, a bird from the Early Cretaceous of China, preserves a combination of non-avialan theropod skull features and a bird-like post-cranial skeleton.

Alzheimer’s disease has been associated with increased structural brain aging. Here the authors describe a model that predicts brain aging from resting state functional connectivity data, and demonstrate this is accelerated in individuals with pre-clinical familial Alzheimer’s disease.

Applications of laser-plasma accelerated protons in fundamental, applied and medical sciences crucially depend on the creation of stable collimated beams with high repetition rates. Here the authors demonstrate the generation of multi-MeV protons at 5 Hz, with low (degree-level) proton beam divergence from a laser pulse focused onto a water sheet target, potentially mitigating the need for beam capturing techniques.

In this largest whole-exome sequencing study of epilepsies to date, the Epi25 Collaborative identified extremely rare variants that confer risk for diverse epilepsy subtypes, highlighting roles in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability.

Laser-produced plasma can be used for particle acceleration in different schemes. Here the authors demonstrate proton acceleration from the intense ultrashort laser pulse interaction with micron-sized cryogenic hydrogen jet.

One-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures can realize atomically thin transistor junctions. Here, the authors study electron transfer in such layered structures using ultrafast diffraction and spectroscopy as well as theoretical simulations.

Shaping particle beams generated from laser-plasma accelerators is challenging. Here the authors demonstrate an all-optical method to structure the accelerated proton beam by modulating and imprinting the spatial laser profile onto the proton beam.

Thomas Kaye et al. use Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence and fossil evidence from the oldest known bird, Archaeopteryx, to document the oldest record of molting, demonstrating that a sophisticated molting strategy developed unexpectedly early on in the evolution of avian flight. This discovery provides important insights into the flight capabilities of the earliest birds and predates other major flight adaptations.

Studying the spatial mutational and gene expression alterations in breast cancer could impact our understanding of breast cancer development. Here, the authors analyse a unique dataset of epithelial samples that highlight potential field cancerisation surrounding the primary tumour.

Fine-mapping of causal variants and integration of epigenetic and chromatin conformation data identify likely target genes for 150 breast cancer risk regions.

A genomic constraint map for the human genome constructed using data from 76,156 human genomes from the Genome Aggregation Database shows that non-coding constrained regions are enriched for regulatory elements and variants associated with complex diseases and traits.

The APOE4 allele is a major genetic risk factor for the development of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this manuscript, Butovsky and colleagues suggest that APOE4 impairs the microglial response in AD by inducing TGFβ-mediated checkpoints.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of tau pathology in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease reveal that tau tangles accumulate as a function of amyloid-β burden only in individuals positive for an astrocyte reactivity biomarker.

Whole-genome sequencing in a Canadian cohort of 327 children with cerebral palsy compared to pediatric controls identifies novel pathogenic single-nucleotide variants/indels and copy number variations. In addition, mitochondrial variants in known disease genes were identified. This highlights the importance of genomic testing for individuals with cerebral palsy.

Breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers varies depending on other genetic factors. Here, the authors perform a case-only genome-wide association study and highlight novel loci associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers.

This study presents an extensive molecular characterization of the reprograming process by analysis of transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic data sets describing the routes to pluripotency; it finds distinct routes towards two stable pluripotent states characterized by distinct epigenetic events.

The forced expression of key transcription factors can induce somatic cells to acquire pluripotency characteristics; here high levels of reprogramming factors are used to induce mouse embryonic fibroblasts to a stable alternative pluripotent state with low intercellular adhesion.

The authors used PET imaging to stage individuals according to the Braak neuropathological system for Alzheimer’s disease. PET stage was associated with biomarker and cognitive changes, highlighting the potential to stage Alzheimer’s disease in living people.

Mirrors that demonstrate 98% reflectivity and withstand 10 kilowatts of focused continuous-wave laser light are created by nanoscale fabrication of single-crystal diamond. The work finds applications in medicine, defence, industry, and communications.

The link between amyloid and tau proteins with Alzheimer’s disease progression remains unclear. Here, the authors propose HDACs I downregulation as an element linking the deleterious effects of brain proteinopathies with disease progression.

Microglial activation and tau accumulation propagate together in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting an interaction that determines disease progression.

Results from the phase 2/3 clinical trial of gantenerumab or solanezumab in dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease reveal no beneficial effects on cognitive measures despite a significant reduction in amyloid plaques and other key biomarkers in those treated with gantenerumab.

A strategy for inferring phase for rare variant pairs is applied to exome sequencing data for 125,748 individuals from the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). This resource will aid interpretation of rare co-occurring variants in the context of recessive disease.

Roger Milne and colleagues conduct a genome-wide association study for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer combined with BRCA1 mutation carriers in a large cohort. They identify ten new risk variants and find high genetic correlation between breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers and risk of ER-negative breast cancer in the general population.

Retinoblastoma is the most frequent intraocular paediatric malignancy whose molecular basis remains poorly understood. Here, the authors perform multi-omic analysis and identify two subtypes; one in a cone differentiated state and one more aggressive showing cone dedifferentiation and expressing neuronal markers.

Therriault et al. provide a framework for the individual-level interpretation of plasma biomarkers by determining their positive and negative predictive values for amyloid positron emission tomography status in relation to patient age and clinical symptoms.

Noradrenergic and mesenchymal cell states have been proposed in neuroblastoma, but their contributions to the tumour are not clearly understood. Here, the authors used in vitro and in vivo models, as well as single-cell RNA-seq, to characterise noradrenergic and mesenchymal cells and their phenotypic plasticity in neuroblastoma.

The Zero Childhood Cancer pediatric precision medicine program informs treatment recommendations for children with high-risk cancers through comprehensive molecular profiling