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The authors present a reference genome for Hordeum I-genome species. This work unravels genomic features that drive adaptation to salt and alkali environments and could aid in improving crop resilience.

Prostate cancer risk-associated SNPs are enriched in noncoding CREs. Here the authors perform CRISPRi screens of CREs in prostate cancer cell lines to describe a causal mechanism synergistically driven by a risk SNP and DNA methylation-mediated 3D genome architecture.

A century ago this month, Frederick Soddy described and named isotopes in the pages of Nature. Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette discuss how chemists have viewed and used isotopes since then — either as chemically identical or chemically distinct species as the need required and technology allowed.

The role of IgG glycosylation in the immune response has been studied, but less is known about IgM glycosylation. Here the authors characterize glycosylation of SARS-CoV-2 spike specific IgM and show that it correlates with COVID-19 severity and affects complement deposition.

Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette relate how element 100 was first identified in a nuclear weapons test, but that was classified information, so researchers had to 'discover' it again using other methods.

From grand challenges of nineteenth century chemistry to powerful technology in small packages, Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette explain why neodymium is the twin element discovered twice by two Carls.

Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette consider holmium's hotly contested discovery and later obscurity.

The role of the human claustrum during slow wave sleep is unknown. Here the authors characterize the spiking activity of claustrum neurons in humans and demonstrate that claustrum neurons track slow waves during NREM sleep.

Experiments in mouse and hamster models show that monoclonal antibody combinations, using antibodies that correspond to products in clinical development, largely retain their efficacy in protecting against currently prevailing variant strains of SARS-CoV-2.

Seder and colleagues show that mucosal adenoviral-vectored vaccine boosting durably prevents infection in nonhuman primates of the highly transmissible, heterologous XBB.1.16 strain of SARS-CoV-2.

The archaeological site Shinfa-Metema 1 in the lowlands of northwest Ethiopia provides early evidence of intensive riverine-based foraging aided by the likely adoption of the bow and arrow.

Three-dimensional DNA origami constructs can be used to deliver vaccine antigens in a multi-valent form. Here the authors design a DNA origami system for SARS-CoV-2 proteins and characterize in mice the immune response and protective capacity of generated antibodies, finding that the construct itself is not immunogenic.

A pangenome analysis of 76 wild and domesticated barley accessions in combination with short-read sequence data of 1,315 barley genotypes indicates that allelic diversity at structurally complex loci may have helped crop plants to adapt to agricultural ecosystems.

Data collected from more than 2,000 taxa provide an unparalleled opportunity to quantify how extreme wildfires affect biodiversity, revealing that the largest effects on plants and animals were in areas with frequent or recent past fires and within extensively burnt areas.

Benzene formation via sequential cold ion–molecule reactions is followed experimentally to understand how aromatic molecules are formed in interstellar clouds. Surprisingly, the chain of reactions involving the addition of acetylene terminates at C₆H₅⁺.

Sears and colleagues found that ongoing replication stress pathways and T cell clonal responses differentiate liver and lung recurrence and are associated with different clinical outcomes in the context of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Wenzel et al. detect radio signatures of two forms of cyanopyrene, a small molecular sheet of carbon, which can be used as indicators of the abundance of pyrene. Their findings suggest that small polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons must be formed in or transported to the cold interstellar medium.

The state of charge, mechanical strain and temperature within lithium-ion 18650 cells operated at high rates are characterized and operando temperature rise is observed to be due to heat accumulation, strongly influenced by cell design and charging protocol.

The mechanism of collagen heterotrimer folding is difficult to recapitulate synthetically. Now an ABC collagen mimetic heterotrimer has been designed that employs pairwise amino acid interactions, validated by X-ray crystallography, to promote composition- and register-specific assembly. The high specificity of its assembly leads to an increased rate of folding compared with similar collagen heterotrimers.

Gli and Hedgehog genes compound knockout fish exhibited a combination of actinopterygian fish and stem-tetrapod pectoral girdle characteristics, suggesting the evolutionary origin of terrestrial girdles as a tuning of a deeply conserved developmental program.

Genome-wide analysis of tandem DNA repeats in the genomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and control participants reveals a strong contribution of tandem repeat expansions to the genetic aetiology and phenotypic complexity of autism spectrum disorder.

N-Myc fuels neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Here, the authors describe how targeting HSP70, a major N-Myc partner, coordinates with STUB1 to facilitate the degradation of N-Myc. This process slows neuroendocrine prostate cancer growth, improves the efficacy of Aurora Kinase A inhibitors, and reduces neuroendocrine pathway activity.

Using genome-wide meta-analyses of clinical measures of depression and biobank data, the authors investigate symptom-specific genetic associations between depression and subsequent risk for Alzheimer’s disease, finding an absence of a putative genetic overlap between disorders.

Scientists take nomenclature seriously, but tritium was named in a casual aside. Brett F. Thornton and Shawn C. Burdette discuss the heavy, radioactive hydrogen isotope that is available for purchase online.

A cross-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci, reveals putative causal genes, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as potential drug targets, and provides cross-ancestry integrative risk prediction.

A genome-wide association study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 identifies genetic signals that relate to important host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage that may be targeted by repurposing drug treatments.

Shawn C. Burdette and Brett F. Thornton examine hafnium’s emergence from ores containing a seemingly identical element to become both a chemical oddity and an essential material for producing nuclear energy.

In Pyrococcus furiosus, histones bind and bend DNA to enable integration of new spacer fragments into CRISPR loci.

Intra-tumourally injected hollow nanoparticles displaying the polysaccharide mannan downregulate the fraction of regulatory T cells in the tumour microenvironment and induce anti-tumour responses mediated by T helper 17 cells.

The paper reveals areas of common and differentiated SDG priority at the national and subnational levels in China considering synergy and trade-off. The findings suggest that provincial governments should formulate more targeted policy aligning with national priority to achieve SDGs.

Enteropeptins are peptide natural products produced by the gut microbe Enterococcus cecorum. Now, the structure, biosynthesis and function of enteropeptins have been determined. After ribosomal biosynthesis, enteropeptins are post-translationally modified in three reactions carried out by a radical S-adenosylmethionine enzyme, an Mn²⁺-dependent arginase, and an Fe–S-containing methyltransferase, respectively, to form the N-methylornithine-containing peptide natural products.

A report from the Australian Acute Care Genomics programme shows that the integration of rapid whole-genome sequencing and multi-omic analyses informs diagnoses and treatment decisions in a prospective cohort of 290 critically ill infants and children.

This Primer by Guttman-Yassky and colleagues reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of alopecia areata. This Primer also discusses the quality of life issues faced by patients and future research avenues.

Food system transformations need nuanced approaches to modelling future outcomes. This Review explores current challenges and outlines paths forward for food system transformation modelling, with an emphasis on diversification of the approaches used and integration into decision-making processes.

The Vertebrate Genome Project has used an optimized pipeline to generate high-quality genome assemblies for sixteen species (representing all major vertebrate classes), which have led to new biological insights.

Bicyclostreptins are peptide natural products in which a macrocyclic β-ether and a heterocyclic sp³–sp³ linkage between a backbone amide nitrogen and an adjacent α-carbon are installed by two radical S-adenosylmethionine metalloenzymes.

Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk of infectious disease and have unique molecular pathophysiology. Here the authors use host-microbe profiling to assess SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunity in solid organ transplant recipients, showing enhanced viral abundance, impaired clearance, and increased expression of innate immunity genes.

A circular economy for plastics offers a promising solution to the pollution crisis. Here the authors take advantage of the unique chemistry of polydiketoenamine resins, showing how plastics can be biorenewable and recyclable by incorporating biosourced triacetic acid lactone.

Efficient evolution of hydrogen via electrocatalysis at low overpotentials is promising for clean energy production. Monolayered nanosheets of chemically exfoliated WS₂ are shown to be efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution at very low overpotentials. The enhanced catalytic performance is associated with the high concentration of the strained metallic octahedral phase in the exfoliated nanosheets.

Preliminary and exploratory analyses show that a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1273 or variant-modified boosters can boost levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Sanz and colleagues examine B cell subsets in a cohort of patients with COVID-19. Severely ill patients have higher frequencies of activated extrafollicular T-bet⁺ B cells that form antibody-secreting cells, the majority of which express germline sequences and are reminiscent of antibody responses observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus during flares.