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The decarbonization of energy systems requires access to minerals that are critical for manufacturing low-carbon technologies. Here researchers show that meeting climate targets could be impeded by material shortages, revealing the importance of diverse solutions that balance mitigation, equity and resource constraints.

This study reveals a competitive mechanism in branching growth based on observations of the distinct scaling properties of tidal networks draining coastal wetlands.

Sequencing and analysing the diploid genome and transcriptome of Aegilops tauschii provide new insights into the role of this genome in enabling the adaptation of bread wheat and are a step towards understanding the very large and complicated hexaploid genomes of wheat species.

Tong et al. describe a super pangenome assembled from long-read sequences of 545 wild and domesticated silkworms. Naturally selected (diapause, aposemantic coloration) or artificially selected (silk yield and fineness) sets of genes are delineated.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor that originates from thyroid parafollicular cells, generally associated with a poor prognosis. By comparing MTC with less aggressive papillary thyroid cancer, here the authors find that the neurotransmitter calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) promotes an immunosuppressive microenvironment in MTC.

Birthweight has been found to associate with later-life health outcomes. Here the authors perform a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies of 8,825 neonates from 24 birth cohorts in the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics Consortium, identifying differentially methylated CpGs in neonatal blood that associate with birthweight.

Microbial rhodopsins are major contributors to global light harvesting on Earth, but their role in carbon fixation is unclear. Here, the authors construct an artificial photosynthesis system by combining rhodopsin with an extracellular electron uptake mechanism for photoelectrosynthetic CO₂ fixation in Ralstonia eutropha.

Male breast cancer may involve different populations of immune cells. Here the authors use single cell transcriptomics to show that infiltration of T cells is lower in male breast cancer relative to female breast cancer, and find that this is accompanied by distinct metabolic changes.

The authors performed whole-genome resequencing of 429 chickpea lines sampled from 45 countries. They identified 122 candidate regions (204 genes) under selection during chickpea breeding.

Here, the genome sequence of the tiger tail seahorse is reported and comparative genomic analyses with other ray-finned fishes are used to explore the genetic basis of the unique morphology and reproductive system of the seahorse.

A draft sequence of the staple crop kabuli chickpea, together with resequencing and analysis of 90 additional lines from 10 countries, provides a resource for breeders.

Membranes with fast and selective separation of ions are universally desired in many applications. Here, authors inspired by biological potassium ion channels have constructed an MXene based biomimetic ion channel membrane to achieve efficient separation of ions.

Adaptive differentiation is poorly understood in marine systems. Here, the authors combine genome sequencing with gene expression and physiology to show that genetic divergence and plasticity contribute to local adaptation of Pacific oyster populations.

The origin of Tibetan barley (qingke) has been a controversial issue for many years. Here, the authors conduct population genomics study to support that qingke is derived from eastern domesticated barley instead of Tibetan wild barley and suggest southern Tibetan Plateau as its introduction route.

Recycling of phosphorus played a role in Ediacaran ocean oxygenation events, according to an analysis of phosphorus speciation from black shales of the Doushantuo Formation, South China.

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a rare autoimmune disease of podocyte-directed antibodies, such as anti-phospholipase A2 receptor. Here, the authors report a genome-wide association study for MN and identify two previously unreported loci encompassing the NFKB1 and IRF4 genes and additional ancestry-specific effects.

Endocannabinoid signaling regulates food intake and is a potential therapeutic target for obesity. Here the authors show that adipocyte O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is required for high fat diet-induced hyperphagia via transcriptional activation of de novo lipid desaturation and accumulation of an endogenous appetite-inducing cannabinoid.

Jun Wang and colleagues report whole-genome resequencing of 17 wild and 14 cultivated soybean accessions. They characterize population structure, patterns of linkage disequilibrium and selection in soybeans.

High-drive electromechanical applications require ferroelectrics accounting for a large coercive field and high piezoelectricity simultaneously but it is still a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate it in a relaxor-based ferroelectric crystal.

Klf7/Mfn2/Phb2 axis regulates the balance of mitochondrial fission and fusion, thereby mediating the pathological process of myocardial infarction.

Clamping effects in ferroelestastic thin films limits their usefulness for applications such as sensitive mechanical sensors. Here, the authors report on non-local mechanical force induced switching in PbTiO₃ thin films by tuning the material to a state of nearly energetically degenerate co-existing domains.

Quantitative trait loci mapping has traditionally been used to discover desirable alleles in plants. In this study, Lyu et al. use a comparative genome approach to identify an allele that is prevalent in upland rice varieties and alters the function of a protein involved in abscisic acid biosynthesis.

Precise control of vesicle size is highly desirable both for basic biochemical research and biomedical applications. Now, monodispersed sub-100-nm vesicles with predefined sizes have been produced using a method based on membrane self-assembly within a DNA-nanostructure guide.

Pin1 converts proteins into cis or trans conformations — the amyloid precursor protein (APP) being one of Pin1's targets. This encounter limits the processing of APP into amyloid-β , the peptide that builds up in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The results also suggest that APP in its cis conformation supports amyloidogenic APP processing, whereas the trans conformation does not.

Spaceflight alters the pattern of chemical tags that adorn DNA in plant seedlings. Weiming Cai and colleagues from the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, China, profiled the genome-wide epigenetic patterns of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings that spent 60 h in the microgravity of low Earth orbit aboard the Shijian-10 recoverable satellite. They analyzed the distribution of methyl tags across the genome — an epigenetic mark that affects gene expression levels — and found that seedlings exposed to microgravity had lower methylation on average than control plants grown on the ground, although certain genes related to methylation, transcription factors and hormones tended to be more methylated. Epigenetic differences were also observed among genes involved in cell-wall modification and in transposable elements. The findings could help inform the design of plants optimized for growth in space.