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A comparison of alpha diversity (number of plant species) and dark diversity (species that are currently absent from a site despite being ecologically suitable) demonstrates the negative effects of regional-scale anthropogenic activity on plant diversity.

Personalized medicine requires accurate and ethnicity-optimized reference genome panels. Here, the Consortium on Asthma among African-ancestry Populations in the Americas (CAAPA) evaluates typical variant filters and existing genome databases against newly sequenced African-ancestry populations.

The discovery that DNA methylation of different CpG sites can serve as digital barcodes of clonal identity led to the development of EPI-Clone, an algorithm that enables single-cell lineage tracing through cellular differentiation at scale.

Brain age gaps (BAGs) highlight deviations from healthy brain aging, yet their biophysical underpinnings in aging and dementia are not well understood. Here, the authors use EEG connectivity and generative modeling across diverse populations to reveal that BAGs are influenced by geography, income, sex and education, with implications for understanding accelerated aging and dementia.

A genome-wide association meta-analysis study of blood lipid levels in roughly 1.6 million individuals demonstrates the gain of power attained when diverse ancestries are included to improve fine-mapping and polygenic score generation, with gains in locus discovery related to sample size.

A common but untested expectation is that nutrient enrichment causes biotic homogenization. However, a globally standardized nutrient addition experiment in grasslands shows proportionally similar species loss across scales and no biotic homogenization after up to 14 years of treatment.

A Homo aff. erectus individual dated to 1.4 million to 1.1 million years ago found at Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) does not display the modern-human-like aspect of Homo antecessor found at the neighbouring Gran Dolina site (900,000–800,000 years ago).

We report the outcome of an international optical observation campaign of a prototype constellation satellite, AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3, which features a 64.3 m² phased-array antenna and a launch vehicle adaptor.

Missense mutations in the twelfth codon of KRAS are key drivers of lung cancer. Here, the authors develop a CRISPR-High Fidelity-Cas9-based strategy to target KRAS-G12C and KRAS-G12D mutants, reducing tumourigenicity without wild type KRAS off-targeting and circumventing certain therapy resistance mechanisms in preclinical models.

Moreno-Loaiza et al. found that interleukin-1β, acting upon cardiac resident macrophages, promotes atrial fibrillation in mice, and this mechanism may represent a common pathway connecting various risk factors to this arrhythmia.

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, often found in the human stomach, can be classified into distinct subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host. Here, the authors provide insights into H. pylori population structure by collecting over 1,000 clinical strains from 50 countries and generating and analyzing high-quality bacterial genome sequences.

A comprehensive analysis of models of brain metastasis and multiple cohorts of patient samples identifies a targetable molecular mechanism underlying the resistance to whole-brain radiotherapy that can inform patient selection for personalized radiotherapy.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can cause congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors generate neural progenitor cells from dizygotic twins with a discordant phenotype regarding CZS and study their response to ZIKV infection.

New treatments are essential for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, but progress is slow. In this phase III–IV trial, cloxacillin plus fosfomycin failed to show superiority over cloxacillin alone, underscoring the challenges to improving patient outcomes.

Immune lymphocyte estimation from nucleotide sequencing (ImmuneLENS) infers B cell and T cell fractions from whole-genome sequencing data. Applied to the 100,000 Genomes Project datasets, circulating T cell fraction provides sex-dependent and prognostic insights in patients.

Costimulation has been shown to be required for optimal activation of T cells and it could be delivered either in trans with respect to the source of CD3-TCR ligation or in cis on the same cell. Here the authors show that CD137 costimulation is more effective when delivered in cis to enhance T cell proliferation and activation.

Here the authors report asperigimycins, fungal ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides with a heptacyclic scaffold. After chemically modifying them for nanomolar anticancer activity, CRISPR screening identifies SLC46A3 as a key transporter for their uptake in cells.

Neotropical tree community composition shows opposing successional pathways for wet and dry forests, but as vegetation cover increases over time, trends converge. Selecting species that have similar wood density to early successional communities could improve reforestation prospects.

Analyses of neuroimaging datasets from 5,306 participants across 15 countries found generally larger brain-age gaps in Latin American compared with non-Latin American populations, which were influenced by disparities in socioeconomic and health-related factors.

Analysis of the spread of the 20E (EU1) variant of SARS-CoV-2 through Europe suggests that international travel and insufficient containment, rather than increased transmissibility, led to a resurgence of infections.

Here the authors screen different lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations for intramuscular delivery of plasmid DNA and uptake by antigen-presenting cells. The lead LNP exhibits immunogenicity and protection in small animal models that is comparable to approved SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine formulations.

Given the volume, complexity and heterogeneity of data generated by high-throughput approaches, modern biology needs standards for data representation and communication. But how should such standards be developed? What types of standard are needed and what determines whether they are successfully adopted by the community?

Geospatial estimates of the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age across 82 low-income and middle-income countries reveals considerable heterogeneity and inequality at national and subnational levels, with few countries on track to meet the WHO Global Nutrition Targets by 2030.

Pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is an aggressive subtype of lung cancer. Here, the authors identify distinct subtypes based on genomic alterations and transcriptomic alterations.

Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality.

An analysis of viral genomes and epidemiological data from the 2022 mpox outbreak in Portugal sheds light on the heterogeneity of early transmission events, with national and international linkages.

Wood density is an important plant trait. Data from 1.1 million forest inventory plots and 10,703 tree species show a latitudinal gradient in wood density, with temperature and soil moisture explaining variation at the global scale and disturbance also having a role at the local level.

TGF-β family cytokines control essential cell fate decisions via receptor regulated SMAD (R-SMAD) transcription factors. Here the authors identify an inner nuclear membrane phosphatase complex that dephosphorylates R-SMADs to inactivate TGF-β signaling.

Regulation of gene expression and splicing are thought to be tissue-specific. Here, the authors obtain genomic and transcriptomic data from putamen and substantia nigra of 117 neurologically healthy human brains and find that splicing eQTLs are enriched for neuron-specific regulatory information.

Genetic and Structural analysis of COVID patients cohort reveals a correlation between mitochondrial haplogroup and SARS-CoV-2 severity.

POLG mutations impair mitochondrial DNA replication and cause diverse mitochondrial diseases. Here, the authors show that structural differences in the POLγB subunit between humans and mice modulate mutation severity.

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.

The immunobiology regulating the contribution of monocytes to severe COVID-19 immunopathology are not fully understood. Here the authors show that SARS-CoV-2 S1 and NP proteins differentially promote NLRP3/NLRC4 inflammasome activity, differentiation, and T cell-priming function of monocytes.

Analysis of ground-sourced and satellite-derived models reveals a global forest carbon potential of 226 Gt outside agricultural and urban lands, with a difference of only 12% across these modelling approaches.

Therapeutic stress induces phenotypic plasticity in glioma stem cells although the mechanisms underlying this remain poorly understood. Here, the authors show that P300 mediates the radiation-induced vascular-like conversion of glioma stem cells to promote tumor recurrence.

The homeobox NKX2 family of transcriptional factors has been shown to regulate fundamental developmental processes. Here, the authors show that NKX2-3 is a bona fideoncogenic driver in marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma and that it promotes lymphomagenesis by shaping lymphocyte dynamics and promoting BCR signalling.

Sharks and rays are vital coral reef species. This study shows that nearly two thirds (59%) of the 134 coral-reef associated species are threatened with extinction. The main cause of their decline is found to be overfishing, both targeted and unintentional, and extinction risk is greater for larger species found in nations with higher fishing pressure and weaker governance.

Estimates from the Global Dietary Database indicated that 2.2 million new type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cardiovascular disease cases were attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages worldwide in 2020, with the highest burdens in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

In this study, the authors describe SANA, a nitroalkene derivative of salicylate, as a potential activator of creatine-dependent energy expenditure and thermogenesis in adipose tissue. Preclinical and clinical data from this paper also suggest that SANA improves glucose homeostasis and promotes weight loss in mice and humans.

Manthiram and colleagues analyze the peripheral blood, tonsils and adenoids in children undergoing tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy and find evidence of continued tissue-specific immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and viral RNA persistence weeks to months after acute infection.