Search

When 100 social and behavioural science claims were examined, 34% of reanalyses closely matched the original results, with 74% reaching the same conclusion, revealing limited robustness of single-path analyses and the need to address analytical uncertainty.

A meta-analysis of plant nuclear genomic data provides fundamental insights into the genomic nature of differences between plant species and informs future strategies for DNA-based identification of plants using nuclear genomes.

Lidar and optical satellite observations of Amazon forests indicate consistent canopy structure and reflectance during the dry season, challenging the paradigm of light-limited tropical forest productivity.

Pegmatite crystals are thought to grow rapidly, yet their growth rates and conditions are not well constrained. Here, the authors find that the trace element distributions of pegmatitic quartz crystals indicate rapid growth in highly dynamic environments, suggesting that large meter-scale crystals can be formed within days.

Genome-wide association analyses comprising 14,256 cases and 1,199,156 controls and incorporating correlated cardiac magnetic resonance imaging traits provide insights into the molecular etiology of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Theory predicts that organisms in varied environments should evolve to be more phenotypically flexible. Evidence combining genetic and physiological variation with thermal acclimation experiments shows that the thermogenic flexibility of wild juncos is greatest in populations where temperatures are most variable.

Here, Burk et al. develop an algorithm to diagnose bacterial vaginosis (BV) using the 16S rRNA gene, called molBV, which they use to profile the inflammatory landscape of BV and predict progression of human papillomavirus infection to cervical pre-cancer.

The function of wild-type KRAS in KRAS mutant cancers remains to be explored. Here, the authors show that deletion of the tumour-suppressive wild-type Kras in a KRASG12D driven colon cancer model exacerbates tumour initiation in a MAPK dependent manner, while acting to suppress metastasis through impaired immune suppression.

Chromodomain Helicase DNA-binding (CHD) proteins have been implicated in neurodevelopmental processes. Here, the authors identify missense variants in CHD3 that disturb its chromatin remodeling activities and cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with macrocephaly and speech and language impairment.

Warming and drying from deforestation could amplify carbon storage losses in tropical remaining forests. Here the authors report this value to be extra 5.1% in the Amazon and 3.8% in Congo as compared to the direct biomass loss from deforestation.

It is critical to understand different drivers of regional hydroclimate change and to reduce uncertainty in future projections. This study disentangles the effects of CO₂ physiology and deforestation on projected precipitation, surface relative humidity and air temperature in Amazonia using multiple Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 experiments.

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation offers a quick win for climate mitigation. Using satellite data we are now able to better constrain pantropical estimates of forest loss, reshaping our understanding of the annual to decadal variability in land sources and sinks in the global carbon cycle.

Sexually selected traits primarily drive reproductive success, but their secondary functions are less well studied. Here, the authors show that antler retention among male elk involves a trade-off between predator deterrence and reproductive success in the next breeding season.

OpenSAFELY, a new health analytics platform that includes data from over 17 million adult NHS patients in England, is used to examine factors associated with COVID-19-related death.

Mangroves are adapted to cope with tropical storms, but might be threatened by rising frequency and intensity of these events. Here the authors document one of the largest mangrove diebacks on record following Hurricane Irma in Florida, and show a greater role of storm surge and ponding rather than wind as a mechanism for mangrove dieback.

Reductions in precipitation and water storage increased fire emissions in pan-tropical forests by 133% during and following El Niño events (1997–2016). Fires follow a predictable cascade across tropical continents that may improve seasonal fire forecasts.

Right-sided colorectal cancer (rCRC) has a different mutational spectrum to the left-sided counterpart. Here the authors develop a mouse model of rCRC that recapitulates human BRAF-mutant rCRC and show that loss of TGFβ-receptor signalling and inflammation induce the development of colonic tumours with a foetal-like phenotype.

Colorectal tumors with mutated KRAS and APC require the amino acid transporter SLC7A5 to drive tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, SLC7A5 drives transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming by maintaining intracellular amino acid levels, leading to enhanced protein synthesis.

Developmental disorders (DDs) are more prevalent in males, thought to be due to X-linked genetic variation. Here, the authors investigate the burden of X-linked coding variants in 11,044 DD patients, showing that this contributes to ~6% of both male and female cases and therefore does not solely explain male bias in DDs.

Current understanding of Long COVID is limited, in part, due to lack of evidence from population-representative studies. Here, the authors analyse data from ten UK population-based studies and electronic health records, and find wide variation in the frequency of Long COVID between studies but some consistent risk factors.

As phase 1 of the Earth Microbiome Project, analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA sequences from more than 27,000 environmental samples delivers a global picture of the basic structure and drivers of microbial distribution.

By integrating healthcare and exome-sequencing data from parent–offspring trios of patients with developmental disorders, 28 genes that had not previously been associated with developmental disorders were identified.

The Cancer Genome Atlas presents an integrative genome-wide analysis of genetic alterations in 279 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), which are classified by human papillomavirus (HPV) status; alterations in EGFR, FGFR, PIK3CA and cyclin-dependent kinases are shown to represent candidate targets for therapeutic intervention in most HNSCCs.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has identified a nearby, bright, quiescent M dwarf star that hosts two sub-Neptune-sized planets and one super-Earth-sized planet. The system is eminently suitable for follow-up studies of transit timing variations, radial velocity measurements and transmission spectroscopy.

Whole-exome analysis of individuals with developmental disorders shows that de novo mutations can equally cause loss or altered protein function, but that most mutations causing altered protein function have not yet been described.