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Plant traits drive ecosystem dynamics yet are challenging to map globally due to sparse measurements. Here, the authors combine crowdsourced biodiversity observations with Earth observation data to accurately map 31 plant traits at 1 km² resolution.

The authors identify key enzymes, including four cytochrome P450s, a dehydrogenase and a sulfotransferase, that together build the core chemical scaffold of withanolides, medicinal compounds from ashwagandha with neurological and anti-cancer activities.

Here, using samples from ~1,100 individuals, the authors define the nasal microbiome linked to Staphylococcus aureus colonization, identifying seven communities- either S. aureus-dominated or dominated by other bacteria.

A catalogue of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) genes in wild and cultivated potato genomes enables the identification of genes that confer protection against late blight, and provides a transgene-free strategy for engineering disease resistance in potato.

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care handles short-term ones. Here, authors show chronic conditions account for most of the global health burden, with 68% of DALYs and 93% of YLDs attributed to chronic care needs.

Snakebite envenoming is a significant public health problem in India, particularly in rural tropical and subtropical regions. Here, the authors report findings from a community-based cross-sectional study in India on the incidence, clinical outcomes, and costs associated with snake bites.

Encasing a single atom within a fullerene (C₆₀) cage can create a robustly packaged single atomic spin system. Here, the authors perform electron paramagnetic resonance on a single encased spin using a diamond NV-center, demonstrating the first steps in controlling single spins in fullerene cages.

Geospatial estimates of the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age across 82 low-income and middle-income countries reveals considerable heterogeneity and inequality at national and subnational levels, with few countries on track to meet the WHO Global Nutrition Targets by 2030.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

Post-international travel quarantine has been widely implemented to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but the impacts of such policies are unclear. Here, the authors used linked genomic and contact tracing data to assess the impacts of a 14-day quarantine on return to England in summer 2020.

WbbB is a structurally unusual retaining glycosyltransferase. Here, the authors show that WbbB forms an Asp232-Kdo adduct prior to transfer to the saccharide acceptor. Therefore, unlike any previously studied glycosyltransferase, WbbB uses the double-displacement mechanism first proposed in 1953.

Hall resistance quantization measurements in the quantum anomalous Hall effect regime on a device based on the magnetic topological insulator V-doped (Bi,Sb)₂Te₃ show that the system can provide a zero external magnetic field quantum standard of resistance.

Selvakumar, Clayton et al. use a porcine model of myocardial infarction and PSC-CM transplantation and identify atrial and pacemaker-like cardiomyocytes as the cause of engraftment arrhythmias and surface marker signatures to distinguish between arrhythmogenic and non-arrhythmogenic cardiomyocytes.

Spatial expression assays are affected by segmentation errors leading to difficulty interpreting cell types. Here, the authors introduce a machine learning model to infer cell types accounting for such errors, and evaluation metrics and gold-standard datasets to enable further advances in this area.

The discovery of the resistosome was a milestone in plant immunity. Here, Zhong et al. identify a kinase that phosphorylates the NLR, and reveal how this kinase regulates resistosome assembly to fine-tune immune responses.

The Fermi-LAT Collaboration reports a significant γ-ray detection (5.2σ) from the coronae of radio-quiet active galactic nuclei, revealing compact (~10 gravitational radii) and extended (~2.7 × 10⁶ gravitational radii) corona regions, challenging existing models.

Onyeogaziri et al. show that the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps contributes to a chronic wound state in cerebral cavernous malformation, while inhibition of these traps with CI-amidine establishes a healthier microenvironment and promotes endothelial cell quiescence, suggesting use of CI-amidine as a potential therapeutic strategy.

In a randomized trial testing two types of catheter ablation treatments for persistent atrial fibrillation, a large-tip, dual pulsed field and radiofrequency catheter with a large footprint was non-inferior to a conventional radiofrequency catheter.

Fine-scale geospatial mapping of overweight and wasting (two components of the double burden of malnutrition) in 105 LMICs shows that overweight has increased from 5.2% in 2000 to 6.0% in children under 5 in 2017. Although overall wasting decreased over the same period, most countries are not on track to meet the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025.

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.

Plasmodium malariae can cause chronic asymptomatic infections. Here, Ibrahim and colleagues provide WGS data for > 200 P. malariae isolates. Describing mutations in genes associated with drug resistance, and using ortholog replacement in P. knowlesi, they identify dhfr genotypes with reduced susceptibility to pyrimethamine.

How material properties affect the functional state of biocondensates is a long-standing question. Here the authors demonstrate how such properties are encoded in a disordered protein sequence and can be predicted from dilute phase conformations.

Endothelial cells from vascular-dependent central nervous system (CNS) diseases reveal reactivated fetal pathways, display common hallmarks of disease — including a partial loss of arteriovenous specification and CNS-specific properties as well as an upregulation of MHC class II receptors — and play a key role in the human brain neurovascular unit across development, adulthood and disease.

Genomic landscape studies of malignant germ cell tumors (GCTs) that occur in children, adolescents and young adults are limited. Here the authors perform multi-omics profiling of different types of GCTs across the age spectrum from 0–24 years and show that WNT signalling pathway is activated in GCTs and is associated with poor clinical outcomes.

Vibrio cholerae has undergone continuous evolution, and differing strains have caused numerous outbreaks. Here, the authors present a genomic study of Vibrio cholerae O1 responsible for a 2022 outbreak in Dhaka.

A diverse, multidisciplinary panel of 386 experts in COVID-19 response from 112 countries provides health and social policy actions to address inadequacies in the pandemic response and help to bring this public health threat to an end.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease causing skin fibrosis and organ inflammation. Here the authors generate and analyze SSc skin single cell RNA sequencing data to propose contributions from both myofibroblasts and endothelial-to-mesenchymal -transitioning cells (EndoMT) to skin fibrosis, and to implicate the involvement of Hippo signaling pathways.

The authors found that VDAC2 plays a crucial role in influencing mitochondrial calcium dynamics and cellular calcium signalling. A VDAC2 agonist, efsevin, rescued the heart failure phenotype, identifying a new potential therapeutic target for heart failure.

SOX2 amplification and overexpression represents a hallmark of squamous cancers with distinct distribution of chromatin accessible regions depending on cancer type. Here, the authors identify a single enhancer e1 that predominantly drives SOX2 expression in squamous cancer.

Wilms tumour is a common childhood cancer. Here, the authors use whole-exome sequencing in 44 Wilms tumours to characterize their mutational landscape and show that DICER1 and DROSHAmutations can suppress the biogenesis of tumour-suppressing microRNAs.

Fibrosis of the skin plays an important role in scleroderma. Here the authors demonstrate genetic and epigenetic abnormalities at the centromere that affect the replication of the chromosomes, resulting in activation of pathways involved in inflammation and fibrosis

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.