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The price of oil is hovering at around US$100 a barrel, a psychologically powerful level that experts and analysts once discussed in purely theoretical terms. John Deutch, a chemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency under President Clinton, gives his thoughts on the issue.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) plays an important role in decarbonization pathways to meet climate goals, but some methods are land-intensive. Multimodel analysis reveals conflicts between biodiversity and CDR that are distributed unevenly, and shows that synergies are crucial to meet climate and conservation goals.

Community energy groups can raise citizen finance for renewable energy projects at lower interest rates than from commercial lenders, but they often depend on price guarantee schemes. Policies providing price stability and business model innovations are needed to realize the sector’s potential contribution to the zero-carbon energy transition.

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A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

A new generation of lithium-ion batteries, coupled with rising oil prices and the need to address climate change, has sparked a global race to electrify transportation. Jeff Tollefson investigates.

Proteins in the fungal plasma membrane are key antifungal targets but their native structure and spatial distribution are poorly understood. Here, Jiang et al. use proteomics and cryo-electron tomography to investigate the organisation of membrane proteins in the fungal plasma membrane and how this is affected by antifungal drugs.

President-elect's picks to lead environment and health agencies testify before Congress.

Booming mineral prices leave car makers scrambling to eke more catalytic performance out of precious metals. Jeff Tollefson reports.

The international treaty drawn up to tackle ozone-destroying substances is gearing up to curb greenhouse gases. Jeff Tollefson reports.

What challenges lie ahead as the United States tries to construct a working system for greenhouse-gas regulation? Jeff Tollefson reports.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Community energy is a promising alternative to large-scale energy provision that could support decarbonization efforts. This study analyses business models, financing mechanisms and the financial performance of community energy projects in the UK to understand what is needed to better support the sector.

Thermoelectric materials have the potential to convert waste heat into electricity. Although some of the more viable thermoelectric materials are based on expensive rare earth elements, here the authors replace Yb with low-cost Ce by engineering Ce solubility, thereby making Ce-CoSb3 a competitive thermoelectric.

Supply squeeze imminent for precious metal.

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, largely forgotten as attention turned to biofuels and batteries, are staging a comeback. Jeff Tollefson investigates.

Two decades after plans were set in motion for the world's most powerful ground-based telescope, astronomers are bracing themselves for a downgrade to curb escalating costs. Jeff Kanipe reports.

Increasing individual awareness could help communities better prepare for climate change. Here a pilot study using participatory system mapping finds that the process increases awareness and preparedness for climate risk, and identifies considerations for promoting citizen-led adaptation.

Timothy Frayling, Joel Hirschhorn, Peter Visscher and colleagues report a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for adult height in 253,288 individuals. They identify 697 variants in 423 loci significantly associated with adult height and find that these variants cluster in pathways involved in growth and together explain one-fifth of the heritability for this trait.

FutureGen project would have retrofitted a coal-fired power plant to collect and bury carbon emissions.

Sensor-studded plots in the Amazon forest will measure the fertilizing effect of the gas.

The Glasgow Climate Pact is a step forward, researchers say, but efforts to decarbonize are not enough to limit global temperature rises to 2 °C.

Nature's list of the key issues and appointments facing US government science agencies.

Hopes dim for a science-funding increase in 2015.

Here the authors find socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in county-level air pollution emissions reductions in the 40 years following the Clean Air Act (1970-2010) in the USA, particularly in emissions from energy generation and industry.

Unburned methane could be adding to the environmental impact of gas flares in North Dakota.

After decades of delays, a challenging clean-up project is gaining ground.

Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here the authors assessed organic carbon storage in VCE across Australian and the potential annual CO₂ emission benefits of VCE conservation and find that Australia contributes substantially the carbon stored in VCE globally.

Wildfire increases are worsening air quality in many regions, undoing gains in pollution control. This study finds that across the United States, exposure to fine particulates in wildfire smoke worsened test scores, especially among younger students, and that most costs are borne by disadvantaged districts.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

This report from the 1000 Genomes Project describes the genomes of 1,092 individuals from 14 human populations, providing a resource for common and low-frequency variant analysis in individuals from diverse populations; hundreds of rare non-coding variants at conserved sites, such as motif-disrupting changes in transcription-factor-binding sites, can be found in each individual.

Natural reserves pave way to low-carbon future.

Estimated cost of geoengineering technology to fight climate change has plunged since a 2011 analysis.

With Congress unlikely to approve tax-based boost for science, agency funding hopes are dashed.

An investigation using various methods reports an association between adeno-associated virus 2 and paediatric hepatitis of unknown aetiology.

The US National Ignition Facility is the only laboratory where a nuclear-fusion reaction has generated more energy than it consumed. Here’s how it achieved this historic milestone and sparked fresh interest in fusion energy.

China burns more coal than any other country; how it does so in the future will determine our planet's climate. Jeff Tollefson reports from Beijing.

Nations gather to discuss who should pay to prevent the worst effects of climate change. But Donald Trump’s US election win might dampen commitments.

Two faculty organizations file suit after university makes concessions to Trump officials.

This protocol provides a step-by-step guide to building an affordable single-molecule localization microscopy setup for high-throughput super-resolution imaging by using off-the-shelf and machined parts.

Stable carbon isotope analysis of mouse organs reveals no evidence for gut microbial essential amino acid provisioning after microbiome reconstitution as demonstrated by the nearly identical isotope patterns in germ-free and conventionalized mice.

UN panel foresees big growth in renewable energy, but policies will dictate just how big.

Energy department pulls the plug on FutureGen project.