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Between 2000 and 2015, reclamation for cropland in China undermined gains in wildlife habitat and the ecosystem services of water retention, sandstorm prevention, carbon sequestration and soil retention by 113.8%, 63.4%, 52.5%, 29.0% and 10.2%, respectively.

Regulatory miRNAs have significant therapeutic potential. Here the authors developed a screen to identify small molecule drugs that modulate miRNome profiles in human neurons and validated cardiac glycosides as inducers of the neuroprotective miR-132.

Here, Xiao et al. isolate a large panel of antibodies against human metapneumovirus fusion protein from human B cells, and characterize their epitopes, neutralization activities, and antigen binding specificity, providing a useful framework for understanding the immune response against hMPV.

An efficient molecular nanojunction photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution is identified from a combinatorial molecular library, assisted by a materials acceleration platform, which is then scaled-up to the litre scale using flow synthesis.

In this study, the authors develop a comprehensive taxonomy of brain-wide SPNs, identifying several novel subsets via their transcriptional signatures.

Wu et al. elucidate the molecular basis for SCOOPs perception by the MIK2–BAK1 immune complex and demonstrate an unexpectedly pivotal role of N-glycans in plant receptor–coreceptor interactions and signalling activation, shaping immune responses.

The molecular target of the antidiabetic medicine metformin is identified as PEN2, a subunit of γ-secretases, and the PEN2–ATP6AP1 axis offers potential targets for screening for metformin substitutes.

Nanosizing covalent organic frameworks using surfactants provides greatly improved water dispersibility and light-harvesting properties, leading to dramatically enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production performance. Here the authors observe a reverse concentration-dependent photocatalytic phenomeno, whereby a higher photocatalytic activity is found at a lower catalyst concentration.

RNase H1 functions as an endonuclease degrading the RNA moiety within RNA–DNA hybrids. Here the authors find that RNase H1 displays 3′-to-5′ exonuclease activity. Moreover, RPA reinforces RNase H1’s 3′-to-5′ nucleolytic rate and processivity and stimulates its 5′-to-3′ exonuclease activity.

A metallofullerenol nanomaterial, Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂, was shown to inhibit growth of several solid cancers in preclinical models and yet exhibit low toxicity. Herein the authors show that Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂functions as an inhibitor of breast cancer stem cell function via blocking TGF-β and HIF-1α signalling, while sparing normal tissue.

Despite recent IUCN downgrading of the giant panda’s conservation status from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’, new GIS and remote sensing data reveal panda habitats to cover less area and be more fragmented than previously.

A comprehensive cell atlas of the whole mouse brain with high molecular and spatial resolution is generated.

T_H2 cells are important for allergic and antiparasitic responses. Sun and colleagues demonstrate highly selective expression of the ECM1 protein in T_H2 cells and a key role for it in regulating migration.

After complete spinal cord injury, spinal segments below the lesion maintain inter-segmental communication via the intraspinal propriospinal network. Here, the authors show that neurons in these circuits can be chemogenetically modulated to improve locomotor function in mice after spinal cord injury.

Conventional deoxygenation methods typically result in inevitable trace oxygen residue in organic semiconductors. Here, Huang et al. reports a non-destructive soft-plasma treatment for deoxygenation and that removal of trace oxygen can be used to modulate p-type characteristics.

Breeding crop cultivars with better environmental adaptability could support crop yield stability to mitigate the effects of climate change. Combining transcriptional dynamics of florigen genes and statistical models, the daylength-sensing-based environment adaptation simulator can forecast the latitude adaptability of rice cultivars and has application potential in other crops.

In neonatal mice, scar-free healing after spinal cord injury is organized by microglia, and transplantation of neonatal microglia or peptidase-inhibitor-treated adult microglia into adult mice after injury improves healing and axon regrowth.

A high-quality reference genome of the maize SK inbred line and analyses between the tropical SK line and two other maize genomes, B73 and Mo17, provide insights into structural variation and crop improvement.

Here, the authors investigate naphthalimide-based compounds with cold triplet excitons utilized by triplet-triplet annihilation-mediated high-lying reverse intersystem crossing, and realize rate constant of over 10⁹ s⁻¹ with exciton utilization efficiency of 46.7% in organic light-emitting diodes.

The X-ray crystal structure of the human glucagon receptor, a potential drug target for type 2 diabetes, offers a structural basis for molecular recognition by class B G-protein-coupled receptors.

This study demonstrates that lipopolysaccharide promotes activation of the JNK signaling pathway and endogenous TNF-α secretion in pulmonary macrophages, which facilitates lung fibroblast aerobic glycolysis and lactate production through PFKFB3 activation. These findings suggests that inflammation-metabolism interactions between lung macrophages and fibroblasts might play an essential role in lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant hospitalization. Here, the authors isolate a human monoclonal antibody that binds to a highly conserved epitope on the RSV fusion protein, neutralizes RSV A and B subtypes equipotently and is protective in the cotton rat model.

Glucose starvation activates AMPK via an AMP/ADP-independent mechanism that involves fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and aldolase.

The coupling between excited state intramolecular proton transfer and excimer formation is a phenomenon of fundamental importance but rarely observed. Here the authors observe this interaction in thiazole based organic crystals using a combination of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques.

Climate change-induced permafrost thawing is expected to decrease carbon sinks in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between 2020-2060, while ecological restoration projects are expected to enhance them, according to analysis of carbon budget.