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A Kitaev chain formed by two quantum dots coupled via a superconductor support the so-called poor man’s Majorana bound states. Here, the authors form a minimal Kitaev chain using Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states and show that the resulting bound states are more robust than in the case of unproximitized quantum dots.

A diverse, multidisciplinary panel of 386 experts in COVID-19 response from 112 countries provides health and social policy actions to address inadequacies in the pandemic response and help to bring this public health threat to an end.

Most intestinal organoid models do not accurately model the interactions between epithelial and stromal cells. Here they establish a colon assembloid system with epithelial and stromal cells and demonstrate that BMP signals from differentiating epithelial cells promote mesenchymal niche organization.

To prevent charge losses and degradation at the buried interface of inverted methylammonium-free perovskite solar cells, Li et al. form a 2D/3D perovskite structure using 2-aminoindan hydrochloride as an additive.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-based immunotherapies can induce tumor regressions by targeting HLA class I-bound tumor-associated peptides. Here, the authors identified a peptide derived from Vestigial-like 1 (VGLL1) as a shared, potentially therapeutic CTL target expressed by multiple cancer types.

Many machine learning-based approaches have been developed for the prognosis and diagnosis of COVID-19 from medical images and this Analysis identifies over 2,200 relevant published papers and preprints in this area. After initial screening, 62 studies are analysed and the authors find they all have methodological flaws standing in the way of clinical utility. The authors have several recommendations to address these issues.

Shifts in temperature alter the structure and dynamics of macromolecules. Now, infra-red laser-induced temperature jump is combined with X-ray crystallography to observe protein structural dynamics in real time. Using this method, motions related to the catalytic cycle of lysozyme, a model enzyme, are visualized at atomic resolution and across broad timescales.

High-resolution measurements of Martian atmospheric dust, water and semiheavy water, obtained by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter during a global dust storm on Mars, are reported.

The central amygdala relies on inhibitory circuitry to encode fear memories, but how this information is acquired and expressed in these connections is unknown. Two new papers use a combination of cutting-edge technologies to reveal two distinct microcircuits within the central amygdala, one required for fear acquisition and the other critical for conditioned fear responses. Understanding this architecture provides a strong link between activity in a specific circuit and particular behavioural consequences.

AMPK is a master regulator of cellular metabolism. Here the authors show that a constitutively active AMPK mutation protects mice fed a high-fat diet from obesity by increasing energy expenditure in subcutaneous white adipocytes, possibly as a result of the emergence of a hitherto-unknown type of adipocyte.

Epilepsies are common brain disorders and are classified based on clinical phenotyping, imaging and genetics. Here, the authors perform genome-wide association studies for 3 broad and 7 subtypes of epilepsy and identify 16 loci - 11 novel - that are further annotated by eQTL and partitioned heritability analyses.

Although observations of volcanic deposits on Mars are more accessible than ever, constraining Martian eruption styles remains a challenge. Here, the authors show that volcanic eruption style can be characterized through X-ray diffraction analysis of groundmass crystallinity in basaltic volcanic deposits.

Comparison of terahertz spectroscopy measurements with theoretical results for the Heisenberg–Ising chain antiferromagnet demonstrates the existence of repulsively bound magnons in large transverse fields below the quantum critical point.

While the two individual half-reactions involved in visible-light-driven water splitting are well studied, producing H₂ and O₂ simultaneously on a single particle remains challenging. Here, the authors achieve this by decorating CdS nanorods with both Pt nanoparticles and molecular Ru complexes to catalyse the evolution of H₂ and O₂, respectively.

Understanding how structural dynamics contribute to protein function is a longstanding challenge in structural biology. Now, time-resolved X-ray solution scattering following an infrared laser-induced temperature jump has been used to probe functional, intramolecular motions in the dynamic enzyme cyclophilin A.

The discovery and characterization of small-molecule antagonists that inhibit the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein may help to develop therapies for the treatment of autoinflammatory disease.

Faster cryo specimen preparation can advance cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM). Here, the authors present a vitrification device with automated sample handling for cryoEM of proteins, suspensions and cells, enabling blot-free sample thinning, dew-point control and characterization of cryo grids prior to data acquisition.

Optical microcavities have been fabricated in single-crystal diamond and tuned into resonance with the zero phonon line of an ensemble of silicon-vacancy colour centres, which results in an enhancement of spontaneous emission.

Tumor angiogenesis—the formation of new tumor-associated vasculature—has been recognized as an essential event in tumor progression. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), one of the most important factors involved in tumor angiogenesis, is overexpressed in several gastrointestinal cancers. In this Review, the authors consider antiangiogenic therapy for the treatment of colorectal, gastric, hepatocellular and pancreatic cancer. Emphasis is placed on the mechanism of action and application of the humanized anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab, but other potential antiangiogenic targets and therapies are also discussed.

Two different cell types in the mediodorsal thalamus have complementary roles in decision-making, with one type of mediodorsal projection amplifying prefrontal activity under low signal levels and one type suppressing it under high noise levels.

Specific neurons in the fan-shaped body of the Drosophila brain convert translational information in relation to the fly’s body to externally referenced coordinates for navigation.

Formic acid is a potential hydrogen carrier, although practical schemes to achieve its dehydrogenation are still rare. Here the authors introduce a stable and efficient ruthenium 9H-acridine pincer complex able to catalyse the additive-free dehydrogenation of neat formic acid, generating even high pressures of H₂ and CO₂ in a closed system.

Sarah von Spiczak, Holger Lerche and colleagues identify mutations in GRIN2A that cause idiopathic focal epilepsy with rolandic spikes.

Jonathan Sebat and colleagues report the association of microduplication on chromosome 16p11.2 with schizophrenia, while the reciprocal microdeletion was associated with autism and developmental disorders.

Analysis of 179 new Ebola virus sequences from patient samples collected in Guinea between March 2014 and January 2015 shows how different lineages evolved and spread in West Africa.

Less is known about the role of amygdala circuits in anxiety than in acute fear responses. In this study, the authors demonstrate that aversive experience induces anxiety in mice by regulating the excitability of a defined subset of central amygdala neurons via extrasynaptic α₅ GABA_A receptors.