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High near-surface nitrogen-fixation rates that promoted the recent growth of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt were tied to greater upwelling of phosphorus from the equatorial Atlantic, according to coral-bound nitrogen isotope records from the Caribbean.

Molecular glues are monovalent compounds that can recruit a protein of interest to an E3 ligase so the protein of interest can be targeted for degradation. Here, Hughes et al. identify a molecule that selectively and potently degrades BRD9.

Variants in NOS1AP can cause monogenic nephrotic syndrome. Here, the authors show that disrupting the intergenic NOS1AP splice isoform that is more prevalent in podocytes leads to monogenic kidney disease responsive to RAAS inhibition.

People with damage to the central nervous system often undergo rehabilitation therapy. James Fawcett and Armin Curt examine how such therapy might work in conjunction with experimental approaches that increase the ability of neurons to form new connections. They discuss how animal studies raise questions about how to test such approaches in people in a field where firm data are already hard to come by. Phillip Popovich and Dana McTigue take a look at a specific type of nervous system damage—spinal cord injury—and argue that the role of the immune system is underappreciated. They also suggest that one common therapy, application of glucocorticoids, might actually exacerbate the condition.

Increasing the supply of growth machinery to axons is a potential strategy for promoting repair after injury. Here the authors demonstrate that the endoplasmic reticulum adaptor molecule Protrudin provides cellular components that support axonal regeneration in the adult CNS.

A genome-wide association study in more than 400,000 individuals identifies 139 new signals for lung function. These variants can predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in independent, transancestral cohorts.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses and systematic variant-to-gene mapping strategies implicate new genes and pathways influencing lung function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk.

The role of the focal adhesion protein KANK1 in cancer progression is not yet clearly understood. Here the authors find that KANK1 competes with the polarity protein Scribble at cell-cell junctions for NOS1AP binding, leading to TAZ stabilization and activation, and breast cancer progression.

Homing-based gene drives are novel interventions promising the area-wide, species-specific genetic control of harmful insect populations. Here the authors demonstrate the feasibility of a gene drive approach for the genetic control of the agricultural pest, the medfly, based on complete female-to-male sex conversion.

Labour productivity and labour market transitions are key to the future of agriculture. By simulating agricultural labour input demand in production technologies and incorporating a wage-responsive labour supply, this study sheds light on the dynamics of future agricultural labour market evolution.

Grieger, Takele, Vesco, et al. perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of gestational weight gain interventions. Findings indicate lifestyle interventions that reduce excessive gestational weight gain provide greater benefits for women with a normal BMI and higher HDL cholesterol levels at the initiation of interventions.

Degradation of chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans by chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) in the adult or injured rodent nervous system is known to promote local structural plasticity; however, this alone does not enable much functional recovery after a spinal cord injury. In this study, the authors coupled ChABC treatment with specific motor exercises, which resulted in substantial recovery of injured rats' grasping abilities.

Exome sequencing and copy number analysis are used to define genomic aberrations in early sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; among the findings are mutations in genes involved in chromatin modification and DNA damage repair, and frequent and diverse somatic aberrations in genes known as embryonic regulators of axon guidance.

Many countries have submitted updated and new emissions reduction pledges in COP26, but further ratcheting of pledges is needed to reach the 1.5 °C goal. Ratcheting near-term ambition through 2030 could bring the largest climate benefits and avoid potential long-term temperature overshoot.

A whole-genome sequencing analysis of 100 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas has discovered known and newly identified genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer; these genetic alterations can be classified into four subtypes, which raises the possibility of improved targeting of clinical treatments.

Chondroitinase injections into monkey spinal cords 4 weeks after hemisection injury increased corticospinal axon growth and corticospinal synapse formation and improved functional outcomes.

Glial scars are thought to provide a biochemical and mechanical barrier to neuronal regeneration post-injury, but the mechanical properties of the scars have not been studied in detail. Here the authors perform atomic force microscopy measurements of glial scars from the injured rat cortex and spinal cord, and find that brain tissue softens in response to the injury.

Results from four integrated assessment models show countries’ efforts to cut emissions fall towards the lower end of the social cost of carbon distribution, suggesting insufficient levels of ambition to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

Increasing climate ambition through 2030 will be crucial to limiting global peak temperature changes this century. Countries need to ratchet their 2030 pledges made in Glasgow to reduce temperature overshoot and consequently reduce the risks of irreversible and adverse consequences to natural and human systems.

A systematic review of evidence, across the key pillars of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, outlines milestones that need to be met to enable the broad clinical implementation of precision medicine in diabetes care.

Cox and colleagues develop PXS-5505, a first-in-class selective pan-lysyl oxidase inhibitor and show that it reduces chemotherapy-induced desmoplasia and stiffness, thereby improving chemotherapy response and survival in pancreatic cancer models.

Perineuronal astrocyte reactivity is implicated in functional recovery following nerve injury but exactly how this happens is unclear. Tyzack et al. show that perineuronal astrocytes facilitate the recovery of synaptic inputs to damaged neurons via STAT3-dependent upregulation of the astrocytic protein TSP-1.

The low photoluminescence of monolayer transition metal disulfides remains a challenge for their optoelectronic application. Here the authors present an effective and green method to enhance the photoluminescence of monolayer MoS₂ and WS₂, and a detailed mechanistic picture of the treatments.

Understanding how transplanted cells interact with the host nervous system will be important for cell based neural regeneration approaches. Here, the authors study the sensory fate of neural progenitor cell grafts transplanted to the injured spinal cord, and show that host axons retain the ability to distinguish appropriate and inappropriate graft targets.

This paper reports the genome sequence of domesticated tomato, a major crop plant, and a draft sequence for its closest wild relative; comparative genomics reveal very little divergence between the two genomes but some important differences with the potato genome, another important food crop in the genus Solanum.

Subtypes of cancer associated fibroblasts can both promote and suppress tumorigenesis. Here, the authors investigate how p53 status in pancreatic cancer cells affects their interaction with cancer associated fibroblasts, and report perlecan as a mediator of the pro-metastatic environment.

Adult mammalian CNS axons show little regenerative capacity following injury, in part because they fail to assemble functional growth cones at their tips. However, axons from the mammalian peripheral nervous system and non-mammalian species show more regenerative potential. Here, Bradkeet al. examine the process of growth cone assembly after axonal injury. Understanding why this process does not always succeed may facilitate the development of treatments for CNS-damage-related disability.

Specialized extracellular matrix structures known as perineuronal nets surround the soma and dendrites of many CNS neurons. Fawcett and colleagues provide an update on our current understanding of perineuronal net composition, formation and functional roles in brain function and disease.