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Targeting neurons that regulate energy balance may offer new approaches for obesity treatment. Here, authors show that chemogenetic and pharmacological manipulation of GABAergic neurons in the DRN/vlPAG increases adaptive thermogenesis and reduces weight gain in mice fed a highfat diet.

A meta-analysis of 168 studies reveals that economic inequality is not significantly associated with subjective well-being or mental health.

High-resolution structures of the thermostabilized human excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT1, alone or in association with its substrate or small molecule inhibitors, reveal architectural features of human SLC1 transporters and an allosteric mechanism of inhibition.

Analysis of soundscape data from 139 globally distributed sites reveals that sounds of biological origin exhibit predictable rhythms depending on location and season, whereas sounds of anthropogenic origin are less predictable. Comparisons between paired urban–rural sites show that urban green spaces are noisier and dominated by sounds of technological origin.

Overall survival in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer is improved by immunotherapy but individual responses widely vary, and predictive biomarkers are urgently needed. Here authors show that multimodal markers, based on clinical, pathological, radiological, and transcriptomic data are more reliable at patient risk stratification than unimodal markers, considering one type of input data only.

The structures of the retrovirus-derived human syncytin-1 and suppressyn in complexes with their shared receptor reveal an ancient cellular recognition mechanism that underlies key morphological and immunological functions in placenta.

Major facilitator superfamily protein MFSD2A takes essential omega-3 fatty acids into the brain, and is the receptor of SYNC2 membrane fusogen in placenta. A cryo-EM structure of the human MFSD2A–SYNC2 complex reveals key aspects of MFSD2A transport and receptor mechanisms.

Structural studies of human Na⁺–taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide in complex with nanobodies reveal mechanisms for bile salts transport and HBV recognition involving an open-pore intermediate state.

Analysis of 20 chemical and morphological plant traits at diverse sites across 6 continents shows that the transition from semi-arid to arid zones is associated with an unexpected 88% increase in trait diversity.

This Comment article from the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine (PrIISM), New York, describes their efforts to provide critical reviews of COVID-19 articles posted daily on the preprint servers bioRxiv and medRxiv.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias identifies new loci and enables generation of a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Here the authors show that extremes in the summer jet stream position over Europe create a beech forest productivity dipole between northwestern and southeastern Europe and can result in regional anomalies in forest carbon uptake and growth.

A population of neutrophils in the skin produces extracellular matrix, providing a defence strategy by reinforcing the barrier properties of the skin and helping to block the entry of pathogens.

Protection afforded by inorganic minerals is assumed to make mineral-associated organic carbon less susceptible to loss under climate change than particulate organic carbon. However, a global study of soil organic carbon from drylands suggests that this is not the case.

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.

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).

Pulsed laser deposition is used for the heteroepitaxial growth of methylammonium lead iodide (CH₃NH₃PbI₃) thin films on a KCl substrate at room temperature. Experimental and computational results confirm cubic phase stabilization by tensile epitaxial strain in the CH₃NH₃PbI₃ thin films.

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.

Glutamate transporters translocate their substrate-binding site across the membrane, in a cycle fueled by the energy of the sodium gradient. Now GltPh is trapped by cross-linking, with its substrate-binding site facing inward or outward, to reveal that the Na⁺ potential is coupled to substrate binding and release, not to substrate translocation.

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.

In global drylands, soils tend to be more fertile beneath tree, shrub and grass islands. Soil fertility was greater beneath taller and wider plants but was unaffected by either grazing pressure or the type of herbivore.

Machine-learning algorithms trained on 25,000 geolocated soil samples are used to create high-resolution global maps of mycorrhizal fungi, revealing that less than 10% of their biodiversity hotspots are in protected areas.

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.

At a time when protecting the environment is urgent, dealing with inherent uncertainties in the responses of biodiversity to disturbances is essential. This study promotes a promising tool to assess the vulnerability of species assemblages to guide protection efforts even if species response and disturbance regimes are poorly documented.

P-type ATPases are molecular machines that use energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to pump ions across membranes. Recent work on the Na⁺, K⁺ ATPase has identified a pathway for ions from the extracellular side of the protein to its ion binding sites. This paper employs the marine toxin palytoxin to 'hold open' the gates of the pump, allowing direct measurements of ion flow and defines the entire route for ions from one side of the membrane to the other.

Here, the authors describe the global distribution of crAssphage, its presence in Old-World and New-World primates, and its association with gut bacterial communities and dietary factors, providing insights into the origin, evolution and epidemiology of human gut crAssphage.

Known genetic loci account for only a fraction of the genetic contribution to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors have performed a large genome-wide meta-analysis comprising 409,435 individuals to discover 6 new loci and demonstrate the efficacy of an Alzheimer’s disease polygenic risk score.

 Malignant evolution enabled by p53 inactivation in mice proceeds through an ordered and predictable pattern of Trp53 loss of heterozygosity, accumulation of deletions, genome doubling and the emergence of gains and amplifications.

APOE4 is associated with widespread gene expression changes across all cell types of the human brain, altered cholesterol homeostasis and transport signalling pathways, and decreased myelination in the brain.

Indigenous populations, including in those in Mexico are underrepresented in genetic studies. Here, the authors perform a population genetics study of indigenous peoples in Mexico to explore demographic histories of the region in the context of geography and cultural influences.

Actomyosin contractility is regulated by phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain; much of the work in this area has focused on the kinase. Here the authors use Drosophilafollicle cells and modelling to show that the phosphatase subunit Flapwing controls the initiation and dynamics of actomyosin oscillations.

The thermodynamically uphill uptake of glutamate from the synaptic cleft into the cytoplasm of glia and neuronal cells is carried out by glutamate transporters. The conformational transition of the transporters between outward and inward facing states is crucial for this process to occur. Here, the crystal structure of a double cysteine mutant of a bacterial homologue of glutamate transporters, trapped in the inward facing state by cysteine crosslinking, is described.

Retinoblastoma is the most frequent intraocular paediatric malignancy whose molecular basis remains poorly understood. Here, the authors perform multi-omic analysis and identify two subtypes; one in a cone differentiated state and one more aggressive showing cone dedifferentiation and expressing neuronal markers.

Identifying novel therapies for the treatment of CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant patients is of great importance. Here, the authors demonstrate that PLK1 inhibition is a potential therapeutic target in CCND1-driven and in RB-positive Palbociclib-resistant breast cancers.

This resource integrates different human embryo datasets to create a transcriptional reference map of human embryonic development from zygote to gastrula.

Swapping the Xist/Tsix transcriptional units and placing their promoters in each other’s topologically associating domain shows that the topological partitioning of the X-inactivation center is critical to ensure proper X inactivation during development.