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Composite fibres made of polymers reinforced by carbon nanotubes are known for their exceptional toughness. Shinet al. make these composites even tougher, by self-aligning carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide flakes within the polymer matrix.

A modelling analysis shows that an unusually long gamma-ray burst gave rise to a lanthanide-rich kilonova following the merger of a neutron star–neutron star or of a neutron star–black hole.

Papa et al. show that phosphorylation by PKA of four residues in Rad, a calcium channel inhibitor, is required to mediate the β-adrenergic-induced increase in calcium current and contractile force. Additionally, Rad-phosphosite-mutant mice showed reduced basal heart rate and contractility. Conversely, expression of mutant calcium channel unable to bind wild-type or phosphosite-mutant Rad was sufficient to enhance basal calcium influx and contractility, independently of β-adrenergic stimulation.

Islands can provide insights into the evolution of diverse adaptations. The genomes of 34 major lineages of Mediterranean wall lizards reveal a highly reticulated pattern of evolution across the group, characterised by mosaic genomes and showing that hybrid lineages gave rise to several extant endemics.

Here, in 3 cohorts of allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients, each receiving FMT from 1 of 3 stool donors for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, the authors show that microbiota and clinical outcomes are associated with the specific donor used, suggesting a donor effect with implications for FMT donor selection.

Magnetic anisotropy in mixed rare earth iron garnet films is shown to originate from the atomic ordering of the rare earth cations during growth of the film. Cation ordering on inequivalent sites provides a powerful strategy to engineer the magnetic properties of complex oxides.

Rubio-Navarro et al. identify a subset of pancreatic beta cells marked by high CD63 levels with enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. CD63-high beta cells are diminished in mouse models of and in humans with type 2 diabetes.

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.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries are promising devices but their energy storage mechanism remains elusive. Now it is shown that these involve a catalytic mechanism based on water dissociation.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent an emerging class of organic photocatalysts but it remains challenging to gain insight into photocatalytic active sites and reaction mechanisms. Herein, the authors construct a family of isoreticular crystalline hydrazide-based COF photocatalysts, with the optoelectronic properties and local pore characteristics of the COFs modulated using different linkers

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

Lower respiratory tract disease is a common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT), but underlying reasons remain unclear. Here the authors show that HHV-6B detection in the lungs of allogeneic HCT recipients is associated with increased risk for death and distinct host gene expression profiles, implicating HHV-6B as a pulmonary pathogen in these patients.

Vaccines against the WA1 SARS-CoV2 strain confer protection against other variants. However, the mechanisms underlying cross-protection are not fully understood. Here, the authors develop a method for rapid analysis of single B cells from patient samples and show that infection with a variant elicits convergent, public B cell responses to other variants.

Mechanically switchable materials made of supercooled fluids embedded in a polymer matrix reversibly shift between soft and hard solid states upon stimulation.

The valorization of undesirable substrates offers a two-fold strategy for pollution remediation and renewable energy conversion. Here, authors demonstrate the scavenging of Ni from electroplating wastewater and subsequent utilization as materials for photothermal CO₂ reduction.

The IRE1α-XBP1 arm of the unfolded protein response (UPR) has been associated with immunosuppression and cancer progression. Here the authors show that IRE1α-XBP1 activation is associated with poor overall survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and that IRE1α loss in cancer cells promotes anti-tumor immune responses in lung cancer preclinical models.

The main function of the mammary gland is to produce milk to sustain offspring. Here, the authors show that secretory alveolar cells in the lactating gland in several species are binucleated, which increases milk production, and that binucleation is regulated by Aurora kinase-A and Polo-like kinase-1.

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.

There exists an urgent need to develop new materials to convert CO₂ to useful products. Here, authors demonstrate metal phosphide nanoparticles to enable light-driven CO₂ hydrogenation with high activities and near-unity selectivity.

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.

The spacing of ligands presented to cells can have a huge impact on cellular responses. DNA origami is used to block structures to control the distribution of Toll-like receptor ligands and optimize presentation in the activation of dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapy.

The relationship of mycorrhizal associations with latitudinal gradients in tree beta-diversity is unexplored. Using a global dataset approach, this study examines how trees with arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal associations contribute to latitudinal beta-diversity patterns and the environmental controls of these patterns.

The transcription factor Twist1 is overexpressed in tumours and can induce the epithelial–mesenchymal transition, resulting in increased invasiveness. Twist1 is now shown to regulate cancer cell migration and invasion in three-dimensional environments by activating the RAC1 GTPase through suppression of a let-7 microRNA family member.

Catfish represent 6.3% of all vertebrate species, and occupy a phylogenetic position close to the common ancestor of bony fish. Liu et al. present a reference genome of the channel catfish, and reveal a genomic basis for the evolutionary loss of scales in these species.

mRNA-1273, an mRNA vaccine that encodes a stabilized prefusion-state severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein, elicits robust immune responses and protects mice against replication of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper and lower airways.

Recent studies have utilized bulk tumour mRNA sequencing to classify bladder cancers into distinct subgroups. Here, the authors use single cell transcriptomic analysis and cell transplant studies to show that epithelial plasticity can generate basal, luminal and mesenchymal phenotypes in human and murine bladder cancers.

Evaluating the short-term exposure to wildfire-specific fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) showed greater risks of hospitalization for all major respiratory diseases than non-wildfire PM_2.5. When developing air quality guidelines, it is also important to consider that PM_2.5 from varying sources can have different health effects, which require targeted health and environmental policy approaches.

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.

We carried out genomic and ecological analyses of all eight extant baobab species, providing insights into their evolutionary history and recommendations for conservation efforts.

The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network report integrated genomic and molecular analyses of 164 squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the oesophagus; they find genomic and molecular features that differentiate squamous and adenocarcinomas of the oesophagus, and strong similarities between oesophageal adenocarcinomas and the chromosomally unstable variant of gastric adenocarcinoma, suggesting that gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma is a single disease entity.

Topological kink modes are peculiar edge excitations that take place at domain boundaries of magnetic fields inside homogeneous materials. Here, the authors experimentally observe kink magnetoplasmons in a 2D electron gas using custom-shaped strong permanent magnets on top of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction.

Fusion genes have been proposed as a potential mechanism of resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in lung cancer. Here, the authors identify gene fusions that are associated with resistance to EGFR TKIs in non-small cell lung cancers, and test how these fusions impact the response to EGFR TKIs in vitro.

Single-atom catalysts are a promising class of catalytic materials, but general synthetic methods are limited. Here, the authors develop a ligand-mediated strategy that allows the large-scale synthesis of diverse transition metal single atom catalysts supported on carbon.

Genetic variants at multiple loci of chr5p15.33 have been associated with susceptibility to numerous cancers. Here the authors show that the association of one of these loci may be explained by a variant, rs36115365, influencing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression via ZNF148.

A study shows that clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential is associated with an increased risk of chronic liver disease specifically through the promotion of liver inflammation and injury.

Behaviour requires knowledge of cues and outcomes. Here the authors use neuromodulation of lateral orbitofrontal cortex and neuroimaging of error-related midbrain activity to reveal the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying reward identity learning.

Blanco et al. show that PTEN loss results in accumulation of type-17 innate-like T cells via altered metabolic reprogramming and mTOR, Foxo1 and IL-23–Stat3 signalling.

While recurrence is frequent in ependymoma, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be explored. Here, the authors investigate epigenetic, genetic and tumorigenic changes in 30 patient-matched repeated relapses over 13 years and identify distinct patterns of DNA methylation.

Through the use of a novel three-dimensional imaging technique, used in conjunction with a multicolour reporter that allows lineage tracing and cell tracking of entire mammary ducts in vivo, bipotent stem cells are shown to have a central role in both puberty and long-term maintenance; in addition, long-lived luminal progenitor cells with a prominent role in ductal expansion are identified.

Most studies of the genetics of the metabolome have been done in individuals of European descent. Here, the authors integrate genomics and metabolomics in Black individuals, highlighting the value of whole genome sequencing in diverse populations and linking circulating metabolites to human disease.

Although the common genetic variants contributing to blood lipid levels have been studied, the contribution of rare variants is less understood. Here, the authors perform a rare coding and noncoding variant association study of blood lipid levels using whole genome sequencing data.

STAARpipeline is a comprehensive framework for flexible and scalable rare-variant association analysis using whole-genome sequencing data and annotation information.

The active sites over oxide-derived copper (OD-Cu) catalysts for CO₂ electroreduction are unclear. Here, the authors show atom-level product-specific active sites on OD-Cu surface models, where planar and convex square sites are responsible for ethylene while the step square site favours alcohols generation.