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Infections with bacteria of the genus Sarcina are associated with gastric diseases of unclear etiology. Here, Owens et al. show that infection with a distinct Sarcina species is strongly associated with a lethal disease that affects sanctuary chimpanzees in Sierra Leone.

GWAS in difficult-to-recruit populations identifies variants associated with Lassa fever outcome and susceptibility at loci proximal to LIF, GRM7 and LARGE1.

Christopher J. M. Whitty and colleagues explain why the United Kingdom is funding many small community centres to isolate suspected cases in Sierra Leone.

In this disease mapping study, the authors estimate disability-adjusted life year rates for three of the major causes of mortality for children under five 43 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. They identify significant heterogeneity at the subnational level, highlighting the need for a targeted intervention approach.

A nanopore DNA sequencer is used for real-time genomic surveillance of the Ebola virus epidemic in the field in Guinea; the authors demonstrate that it is possible to pack a genomic surveillance laboratory in a suitcase and transport it to the field for on-site virus sequencing, generating results within 24 hours of sample collection.

Analysis of 179 new Ebola virus sequences from patient samples collected in Guinea between March 2014 and January 2015 shows how different lineages evolved and spread in West Africa.

Vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 currently spreads similarly to historical poliovirus—unidirectionally across neighbouring countries at a median velocity of 2.3 km per day. International borders are associated with slower velocity when immunity is high.

Bhattacharjee and Schaeffer et al. map exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in 94 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), finding increased EBF practice and reduced subnational variation across the majority of LMICs from 2000 to 2018. However, only six LMICs will meet WHO’s target of ≥70% EBF by 2030 nationally, and only three will achieve this in all districts.

Holistic indicator frameworks are needed to track food systems transformation. This Analysis shows the application of a framework recently developed by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative to all UN member states, revealing current status, data gaps and priority actions.

Natural forest regeneration is key to biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Here the authors present a high-resolution time-series map of the age of regenerating tropical moist forests and find that most are ≤5 years old, with forest characteristics and geography explaining patterns better than climate or human pressure.

In a serological analysis, Bore et al. utilise serum samples, collected from a cohort of individuals associated with bushmeat hunting and butchering, in the forested region of Guinea, a region close to the epicentre of the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola virus disease epidemic.

High-depth sequencing of non-cancerous tissue from patients with metastatic cancer reveals single-base mutational signatures of alcohol, smoking and cancer treatments, and reveals how exogenous factors, including cancer therapies, affect somatic cell evolution.

Interim trial results of MYR-101, a novel recombinant vector with selective tropism for oligodendrocytes, support its tolerability and indicate improved myelination and reduced cerebrospinal fluid N-acetyl-aspartic acid concentrations in children with Canavan disease.

The advantage of living in cities compared with rural areas with respect to height and BMI in children and adolescents has generally become smaller globally from 1990 to 2020, except in sub-Saharan Africa.

Data from 78 countries and 14 case studies, disaggregated by employment, subsistence and gender along the aquatic food supply chain, are used to estimate the number of livelihoods supported by small-scale fisheries.

Many heritage sites are threatened by rising sea levels under climate change as they lie within the coastal zone. A continental assessment of exposure of 284 African heritage sites shows that 20% of sites are currently at risk, which more than triples under moderate and high emission scenarios.

To be able to use infectious disease next generation sequencing as a diagnostic tool, appropriate reference datasets are required. Here, Sichtig et al. describe FDA-ARGOS, a reference database for high-quality microbial reference genomes, and demonstrate its utility on the example of two use cases.

Genome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in ancestrally diverse populations implicate candidate causal genes and mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes. Trans-ancestry genetic risk scores enhance transferability across populations.

Geospatial modelling shows an overall decline in morbidity and mortality due to lower respiratory infections in Africa from 2000 to 2017, but also identifies subnational areas with residual high risk.

Impacts from a climate event can cascade through natural, anthropogenic and socio-economic systems. Here the authors assess cascading climate impacts on the EU and identify intervention points for adaptation related to water, livelihoods, agriculture, infrastructure and economy, and violent conflict.

The effectiveness of community-based land protection compared to traditional top-down protection is debated. Here, the authors show that both community-managed forests and traditional protected areas in Madagascar experienced deforestation during a political crisis but the former were especially vulnerable in the post-crisis period.

It is generally difficult to scale derived estimates and understand the accuracy across locations for passively-collected data sources, such as mobile phones and satellite imagery. Here the authors show that their trained deep learning models are able to explain 70% of the variation in ground-measured village wealth in held-out countries, outperforming previous benchmarks from high-resolution imagery with errors comparable to that of existing ground data.

Liu et al. present a systematic review and meta-analysis of 88 randomized controlled trials testing the effectiveness of seven intervention strategies for increasing vaccination uptake.

Leone and colleagues find that in intestinal crypt cells, Myc and E2F transcription factors control the transition into the G₂ phase of the cell cycle, but in the absence of Rb, Myc and E2f3a drive S phase entry and ectopic proliferation in vivo.

Applying metagenomics, the authors identify 13 viruses in febrile Nigerians, including a new dicistrovirus. Real-time phylogenetics spurred national vaccination campaigns, while retrospective analysis linked pegivirus C co-infections to favorable Lassa Fever outcomes.

A global analysis of deforestation rates in more than 18,000 terrestrial protected areas shows that, once protected area effectiveness is taken into account, only 6.5%—rather than 15.7%—of the world’s forests are protected, well below the Aichi Target of 17%.

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.

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

Results for the final phase of the 1000 Genomes Project are presented including whole-genome sequencing, targeted exome sequencing, and genotyping on high-density SNP arrays for 2,504 individuals across 26 populations, providing a global reference data set to support biomedical genetics.

Proponents call it a miracle. Detractors call it smoke and mirrors. Will the System of Rice Intensification feed the hungry third world or needlessly divert farmers from tried and true techniques? Christopher Surridge investigates.

As Uganda’s science minister, Monica Musenero pushes to connect scientific research to economic development in her country and her continent.

An analysis of all available mpox virus sequences, including 10,670 sequences from 65 countries collected between 1958 and 2024, unveils the circulation pattern and spatiotemporal dynamics underlying the spread of the different viral clades.

Thousands of plants are known to be edible, yet we lack nutritional data for many of them. This study predicts the B-vitamin profiles for edible plants and finds many have the potential to help alleviate deficiencies and should be conservation priorities.

Exclusive breastfeeding in Africa is highly varied within and between countries, with many countries unlikely to reach World Health Organization 2025 targets without urgent action.

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.

Local-level analyses show that, despite marked progress in educational attainment from 2000 to 2015 across Africa, substantial differences persist between locations and sexes that have widened in many countries.

Combination of epidemiology, preclinical models and ultradeep DNA profiling of clinical cohorts unpicks the inflammatory mechanism by which air pollution promotes lung cancer

About 45 percent of Africans believe their government is responsible for climate change action, and the least responsibility is attributed to countries and businesses with high greenhouse gas emissions, according to public survey data and statistical analysis.

En tant que ministre ougandaise des sciences, Monica Musenero s'efforce de relier la recherche scientifique au développement économique de son pays et de son continent.

In this Review, Basler and colleagues describe the mechanisms of immune evasion used by filoviruses, with a focus on Ebola virus and Marburg virus, and discuss how these mechanisms are linked to pathogenesis and disease severity.

Examining drivers of the latitudinal biodiversity gradient in a global database of local tree species richness, the authors show that co-limitation by multiple environmental and anthropogenic factors causes steeper increases in richness with latitude in tropical versus temperate and boreal zones.

A study aimed at revealing the role of small-scale fisheries in sustainable development shows they provide at least 40% of the global fishing catch and affect the livelihoods of 1 in 12 people in the world, among other important contributions.