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Global Burden of Disease analysis found that in 2023, suboptimal diet was estimated to be responsible for 4 million deaths and 97 million morbidity burdens from ischemic heart disease.

Since its introduction to the US in 1999, the West Nile virus (WNV) has become endemic in the Americas. Here, the authors develop a model of WNV transmission dynamics between birds, mosquitoes and humans, which they integrate in conjunction with data assimilation methods, mosquito infection data and reported human cases in a New York county to show its utility for forecasting infection rates.

Here, the authors show that the Saccharibacteria Nanosynbacter lyticus strain TM7x elicits limited immune activation in the oral cavity, and binds to gingival epithelial cells via a T4P-dependent mechanism, leading to clustering of TLR2 receptors and subsequent caveolin-mediated endocytosis.

Decreased brain volumes and increased NfL levels can be observed earlier than disease diagnosis in short-tandem-repeat-associated neurological diseases.

Birds are iconic and valued users of urban parks. An assessment of 935 parks across 186 US cities shows that a range of park features across multiple parks are needed to broadly support avian diversity and that the regional and seasonal effects of tree canopy cover are especially important.

The evolution of new sex chromosomes potentially generates reproductive isolation. Here, Bracewell et al. combine crossing experiments with population and functional genomics to characterize neo-sex chromosome evolution and incipient speciation in the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae.

To investigate the links between hurricane activity and climate, this study has constructed a long-term record of intense hurricane activity in the western tropical North Atlantic Ocean by taking sediment cores from a lagoon on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, where sand is deposited by hurricanes. The record shows striking similarities to records of El Niño events and rainfall in tropical Africa, suggesting that changes in the El Niño/Southern Oscillation and the strength of the West African monsoon were important in controlling the frequency of intense hurricanes in the tropical North Atlantic over the past 5,000 years.

Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease study reveal declines in chronic respiratory disease mortality between 1990 and 2023—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—but the burdens on people affected remain substantial.

By generating whole genomes of 150 participants representing 12 Khoe-San click-speaking groups, the authors, reveal over 1.3 million unknown DNA variants, distinct San and here described Damara genetic trajectories, while achieving century-long global predominance.

The APOE-ε4 allele is the strongest genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, but it is not deterministic. Here, the authors show that common genetic variation changes how APOE-ε4 influences cognition.

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.

The combination of within-species variation in pathogen load, the shape of the relationship between pathogen load and infectiousness, and vector feeding preferences shape transmission of multi-host vector-borne pathogens. Here, the authors use experimental and wild bird infection data to characterize the role of 17 host bird species in avian malaria transmission in Hawaii.

A large-scale livestock prevalence study in Cameroon identified Brucella abortus as the sole endemic species, primarily affecting cattle, and revealed its genetic link to African strains, underscoring the need for regional surveillance and control.

Borneol has repelled mosquitoes for millennia, but how it worked was unknown. Here, the authors show the sensory pathway mosquitoes use to detect and avoid this ancient plant compound, opening the door to improved natural repellents.

S receiver function data reveal distinctive mantle gradients at 75-km and 180-km depths near the Rocky Mountains, suggesting a dual-lithosphere architecture in which the Cordillera is underthrust by Precambrian craton core.

Global Burden of Disease estimates show that between 1990 and 2023, the prevalence and burden of drug use disorders, inclusive of amphetamine, cannabis, cocaine and opioid use, have been increasing in high-income countries, particularly in the USA.

Observations of the shape, topography, crustal thickness and surface composition of the South Pole–Aitken impact basin on the Moon suggest a southward impact trajectory and the excavation of a discontinuous remnant magma ocean from beneath the crust.

Wei et al. perform spatial transcriptomic profiling on synovial tissue biopsy samples from individuals with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis, finding TGFβ signaling and fibrogenic fibroblast activation drive a treatment-refractory tissue phenotype.

Thirty years of forest demographic data, combined with recent ecophysiological measurements, reveal that intense Amazon droughts sharply increase tree mortality once soil moisture falls below a threshold, and that these hot droughts will become more frequent and intense as Earth warms towards hypertropical conditions.

Elevated triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs), long linked to cardiovascular disease, were thought to be harmful mainly in their remnant form. Here, the authors show that intact TRLs, not just their remnants, promote atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation in a mouse model.

The study develops a printable concrete using cellulose nanofibers and limestone filler, enhancing rheological and mechanical properties while reducing cement content. It demonstrates improved buildability and sustainability, with potential for large-scale 3D printing applications in construction.

Deaminases of the APOBEC3 family contribute to the mutagenesis of various cancers, including urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder. Here, the authors use functional studies and transcriptomics to demonstrate that APOBEC3 promotes tumour progression and squamous trans-differentiation in UC through IL-1α and downstream activation of the AP-1 transcription factor.

Seismic anisotropy data for the Great Basin region of the western United States, coupled with tomographic images, help delineate a northeast-dipping lithospheric drip. Numerical experiments suggest that the drip could have formed owing to gravitational instability triggered by a density increase of about 1% and a temperature increase of about 10%.

Sargassum biomass in the north Sargasso Sea declined drastically since 2015, co-occurring with related reductions in the northwest Gulf of Mexico and an expansion of the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, according to in situ and satellite observations.

The hydraulic response time of aquifers with similar residence times varies widely across the globe. Water levels in some aquifers containing fossil groundwater can be controlled by modern climates, according to an analysis of 31 major aquifers.

The genome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum contains a record of past evolutionary forces. Here, using 2537 parasite sequences from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the authors demonstrate how drug pressure and human movement have shaped the present-day parasite population.

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.

He et al. elucidated that TREM2 is essential for sulfatide loss-induced microgliosis, but not astrogliosis, myelin lipid disruption, or behavioral deficits in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), suggesting that lipidome and astrocyte homeostasis may be key in slowing AD progression.

Using 63 globally distributed grassland and shrubland sites from the International Drought Experiment, this study identified plant traits linked to drought resistance after 1 year of extreme drought across growth forms, lifespans and climate.

The authors present SVclone, a computational method for inferring the cancer cell fraction of structural variants from whole-genome sequencing data.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) associated uveitis can cause vision loss in children, but mechanisms remain unclear. The authors here identify elevated CD19⁺IgD^-CD27^- double negative type 1 B cells in JIA-uveitis and show that targeting B-T cell interactions suppresses disease in mouse models of uveitis.