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The discovery that small cell lung cancer has several neuronal features is yielding biological insights that could ultimately save lives.

The device helps muscle recovery in those receiving gene therapy for the rare neuromuscular condition.

Plans to address drug resistance typically focus on the use of antibiotics, but there are signs that compounds with incidental antibacterial effects might be part of the problem, too.

Antisense oligonucleotides are providing researchers and patients with fresh hope of targeting the condition’s genetic cause.

Just like vertebrates, cephalopods — such as octopuses and squid — have elaborate brains. Neuroscientists are flocking to them for insights into how intelligence evolved.

In the 200 years since Parkinson's disease was first described, the understanding and management of the disease has come a long way. But researchers have yet to unlock all of its secrets. By Liam Drew.

Once thought to be irreversible, cirrhosis of the liver now seems treatable — and drug development is proceeding apace.

Demystifying itching, giving robots facial expressions, and other key studies and trials.

As implants that decode thoughts become more sophisticated, the companies making them are attracting major financial backing.

Studies are more likely to influence conservation law if they are published in specialist journals — but researchers worry that their true impact is being ignored in hiring and promotion decisions.

SARS-CoV-2 has emerged recently and may still adapt to the human host. Here the authors show that none of the so far identified recurrent mutations in SARS-CoV-2 are significantly associated with increased viral transmission.

Combined multimodal atomic force microscopy, ion microscopy, ion mass spectrometry and infrared spectrometry experiments explore the chemical properties of ferroelastic twin domains in hybrid lead halide perovskites.

An innovative approach supercharges the innate immune system to provide a first line of defence against respiratory infections.

The ‘dark’ cells behind disease, how diabetes drugs might protect cognitive function, and other studies and trials.

In a large study, researchers identified several areas of the mouse genome that influence longevity.

Trials of therapies that enhance the light-sensitivity of cells in the retina are returning surprisingly positive results in people with retinitis pigmentosa.

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).

Neural mechanisms mediating information flow and processing in dendrites are not fully understood. Here the authors developed techniques to map bioelectrical excitations in the dendrites of neurons in acute slices of mouse brain tissue. They developed a holistic picture of the roles of dendritic excitations in spike back-propagation.

Ethicists say AI-powered advances will threaten the privacy and autonomy of people who use neurotechnology.

De-synchronized electrical activity marks the loss of awareness.

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.

Advances in in situ therapeutic cancer vaccines offer a mode of treatment that could redeem the promise of previous false dawns.

When the makers of electronic implants abandon their projects, people who rely on the devices have everything to lose.

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.

As development of the technology accelerates, countries are weighing the costs and benefits of how they regulate it.

Researchers warn against normalizing the use of AI without safeguarding against risks.

An electronic eye implant has restored vision in people with blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) can be used as sensitive probes of diffuse gas in galaxy dark-matter haloes. Here the authors analyse several fast radio bursts that intersect galaxy dark-matter haloes within 40 Mpc, finding that the additional dispersion provided by the diffuse gas (presumably the intragroup medium) is in excess of 90 pc cm⁻³.

Therapeutic vaccines could provide a transformative shot in the arm for cancer treatment.

After decades of slow progress, therapeutic vaccines that direct the immune system to attack tumours could soon become a fixture of cancer treatment.

What virtual-reality animal experiments are revealing about the brain.

Neurotechnology company Paradromics will test its device in a trial aimed at safely restoring speech for people with severe motor impairments.

A progressive and potentially life-threatening condition previously associated with alcoholism is becoming more common — even in non-drinkers.

Increased levels of obesity are driving an epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Understanding, diagnosing and treating this progressive condition are now priorities.

Gut microbiota could be crucial to the success or failure of immunotherapy. Donated stool might give oncologists a way to tip the balance, but the real excitement lies in what comes next.

It’s a transformational time long neglected by neuroscience. That is starting to change.

Genetic studies of today’s tea plants are providing clues to how the plant was first domesticated.

Many long-term diseases of the liver lead to scarring, or fibrosis, that restricts the organ’s functions. Evidence that fibrosis can regress has spurred the search for therapies that suppress scar-tissue formation to restore liver health.

Biotechnology start-ups and pharmaceutical giants alike are charging ahead to develop therapies for the most serious form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Epidemiological studies have linked dirty air to dementia and other brain disorders. Now researchers are trying to determine how pollutants do their damage, and how much harm they cause.

A community of people with type 1 diabetes got a self-built device approved. What can they offer that big companies can’t?

From drivable bionic animals to machines made from muscle, biohybrid robots are on their way to a variety of uses.

Transplants of faecal matter have done wonders for the treatment of certain gastrointestinal infections. Will they ever work for inflammatory bowel disease?

Losing the Y chromosome seems to make cancer cells more aggressive in men and the phenomenon might even spread between cells.

Alzheimer's disease and ageing brains could benefit from therapies based on blood's liquid component.

Examining drivers of the latitudinal biodiversity gradient in a global database of local tree species richness, the authors show that co-limitation by multiple environmental and anthropogenic factors causes steeper increases in richness with latitude in tropical versus temperate and boreal zones.

Despite its chequered past, deep-brain electrical stimulation is finally showing some signs of success.

The ability to develop animals that have human organs could save the lives of people waiting for transplants, but ethical issues still need to be faced.

Several major organizations are calling for radical reforms to improve oral health. What’s holding them up?