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A study of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in England between September 2020 and June 2021 finds that interventions capable of containing previous variants were insufficient to stop the more transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.

Muscle power limits animal speed, but the extent of the effect is unknown. Here the authors examine the relationship between swimming speed, size and muscle function in the aquatic frog Xenopus laevis, and find that muscle–environmental interactions vary with body size, limiting muscle power and swimming speed.

Recurrent metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma remains largely incurable. Here, the authors describe a child with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma who has durable response to HER2-specific CAR T cells and shows endogenous immune reactivity.

A new inhibitor targeting the mitochondrial complex I shows antitumor activity in preclinical models of acute myeloid leukemia and glioblastoma relying on oxidative phosphorylation.

As important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, microRNAs play a key role in the generation of complex phenotypes. Here, Huan et al.identify miR-eQTLs in whole blood samples to create a roadmap linking regulation of microRNA expression to complex diseases.

Oil palm production in Indonesia has expanded by converting more natural ecosystems to agricultural ones. This study finds large yield gaps among large and smallholder farms there, suggesting improved management could increase production while sparing fragile ecosystems.

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.

Oestrogen negative breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis. In this study, the authors perform a meta-analysis of 11 breast cancer genome-wide association studies and identify four new loci associated with oestrogen negative breast cancer risk. These findings may aid in stratifying patients in the clinic.

A dataset of coding variation, derived from exome sequencing of nearly one million individuals from a range of ancestries, provides insight into rare variants and could accelerate the discovery of disease-associated genes and advance precision medicine efforts.

High-efficiency photoelectrodes, which integrate light absorption with catalysis, have been limited to costly materials. Here, the authors develop an anticorrosion barrier that enables low-cost semiconductors for integrated solar fuel devices with 20.8% solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses identify 26 risk loci for epilepsy, including 19 loci specific to genetic generalized epilepsy. Prioritized candidate genes implicate synaptic processes and overlap with targets of antiseizure medications.

Here the authors explore the role of chemical modifications within RNA molecules in spaceflight response, observing increased m⁶A mRNA modifications immediately post-spaceflight in gene markers associated with stress response.

GWAS have identified more than 500 genetic loci associated with blood lipid levels. Here, the authors report a genome-wide analysis of interactions between genetic markers and physical activity, and find that physical activity modifies the effects of four genetic loci on HDL or LDL cholesterol.

The onset and pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with changes to lipid metabolism. Here, the authors analysed 569 lipids from 32 classes and subclasses in two independent patient cohorts to identify key lipid pathways to link the plasma lipidome with AD and the future onset of AD.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses identify more than 350 loci associated with atrial fibrillation. A polygenic score derived from these results improves atrial fibrillation risk prediction compared to published clinical and polygenic scores.

Oscillatory features in the absorption spectra of formamidinium lead triiodide perovskite thin films reveal the occurrence of intrinsic quantum confinement effects with confinement on the scale of tens of nanometres.

Integrative analyses of whole-blood gene expression and splicing QTLs with protein, metabolite and lipid QTLs from the same individuals shed light on the shared genetic architecture of molecular traits and health outcomes.

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.

Analysis of a global dataset reveals spatiotemporal patterns of marine plankton and their biogeographical responses during climatic and environmental changes across the Cenozoic era.

Results of the TRACERx study shed new light into the association between body composition and body weight with survival in individuals with non-small cell lung cancer, and delineate potential biological processes and mediators contributing to the development of cancer-associated cachexia.

Naming brain–computer interfaces according to their intended application will assist stakeholders in the evaluation of the benefits and risks of neurotechnologies.

Here the authors use cryo-electron tomography and sub-tomogram averaging to determine the molecular organization of RSV. The structures show that the matrix (M) protein packs as a helical-like lattice and the F glycoprotein is present as anti-parallel pairs of trimers and coordinates with the M lattice.

Analysis of Triton, a high-resolution dataset documenting the macroperforate planktonic foraminifera fossil record, reveals a global climate-linked equatorward shift of ecological and morphological community equitability over the past 8 million years.

Adalatherium hui, a newly discovered gondwanatherian mammal from Madagascar dated to near the end of the Cretaceous period, shows features consistent with a long evolutionary trajectory of isolation in an insular environment.

Impaired Aβ clearance in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects progression. Here, the authors show that CD14 + CD16+ monocytes carry Aβ in peripheral circulation and CSF in AD, suggesting a role in Aβ clearance.

Alzheimer’s disease is heterogeneous in its neuroimaging and clinical phenotypes. Here the authors present a semi-supervised deep learning method, Smile-GAN, to show four neurodegenerative patterns and two progression pathways providing prognostic and clinical information.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses among 1.4 million individuals identify 318 new risk loci for type 2 diabetes and provide insight into the contribution of these risk variants to diabetes-related vascular outcomes.

Transposon directed insertion–site sequencing (TraDIS) is used to identify T6SS toxins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, leading to the discovery of Tse8 as a protein that is delivered to target cells where it alters the stoichiometry of the transamidosome complex and thereby inhibits protein synthesis.

Newly available atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements from six sites across China during 2009 to 2016 indicate a larger land carbon sink than previously thought, reflecting increased afforestation.

Crystal structures of the ABC transporter MsbA in complex with two selective small-molecule antagonists reveal an unprecedented allosteric mechanism of inhibition.

Azacitidine (AZA) response in myelodysplastic neoplasms is unpredictable. Here, the authors show in a phase 2 trial that while global methylation changes did not differ by response, baseline and initial CpG methylation differences in HSPCs predicted AZA response.

High-resolution subnational mapping of child growth failure indicators for 105 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017 shows that, despite considerable progress, substantial geographical inequalities still exist in some countries.

A study examining bacterial gene expression in human-derived samples identifies a gene encoding a small RNA and describes how it orchestrates the transition between chronic and acute infection in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Using their unique bioadhesives, barnacles can adhere to a great variety of surfaces. Here, Gohad et al.show that the barnacle larval bioadhesive contains lipids and phosphoproteins that are organized in a complex structure and work together to maximize adhesion.

Genomic studies often lack representation from diverse populations, limiting equitable insights. Here, the authors show that the BIG Initiative captures extensive genetic diversity and reveals ancestry-linked health disparities in a community-based Mid-South cohort.

A set of three papers in Nature reports a new proteomics resource from the UK Biobank and initial analysis of common and rare genetic variant associations with plasma protein levels.

Increased glycogen metabolism in adipocytes leads to expression of uncoupling protein 1, thereby linking glucose metabolism to thermogenesis.

Remotely sensed NDVI data and contemporary field data from 84 grasslands on 6 continents show increasing divergence in aboveground plant biomass between sites in different bioclimatic regions.

Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing along with whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing of 100 prostate cancer metastases identifies genomic regions that are differentially methylated during disease progression and a novel epigenomic subtype.