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Ferromagnetic van der Waals contacts of indium and cobalt can provide robust and reproducible spin injection in graphene lateral spin valves without the need for an additional dielectric tunnel barrier.

A transfer technique that embeds a van der Waals interface of interest in a high-adhesion matrix can decouple the properties of the functional interface from the forces required for its fabrication, providing single-step material-to-device integration.

Kosterlitz–Thouless–Halperin–Nelson–Young (KTHNY) theory describes the melting of an ordered two-dimensional phase to a disordered phase, via a quasi-ordered ‘hexatic’ phase. Magnetic skyrmions, as a phase of two-dimensional quasi-particles may be expected to exhibit a KTHNY melting process, however, observing such a phase transition is difficult. Herein, Meisenheimer et al study the formation of magnetic skyrmions in (Fe_0.5Co_0.5)₅GeTe₂, and, via physical confinement at device scale, succeed in obtaining an ordered skrymion phase.

Here, the authors attribute the ambient surface contamination of van der Waals materials to a self-organized molecular layer of normal alkanes with lengths of 20-26 carbon atoms. The alkane adlayer displaces the manifold other airborne contaminant species, capping the surface of graphene, graphite, hBN and MoS₂.

The reliable assembly of two-dimensional materials into van der Waals heterostructures is a critical step towards nanoscale electronic integration. Here the authors present a technique for batch fabrication of graphene/boron nitride stacks with clean interfaces and high-yield.

A van der Waals structure based on a two-dimensional magnet and layered superconductor offers a potential system in which topological superconductivity could be easily tuned and integrated into devices.

Experimental observation of intersubband transitions in van der Waals quantum wells is enabled by high spatial resolution imaging through near-field optical microscopy.

Layered materials are held together by weak van der Waals forces facilitating layer-by-layer cleavage. Here, the authors demonstrate mechanical exfoliation of a naturally occurring franckeite mineral heterostructure, possessing p-type conductivity and remarkable electrochemical properties.

Van der Waals interactions are difficult to calculate at an atomistic level for moderate sized structures due to the many distinct atoms involved. Here, the authors measure the van der Waals force between an organic molecule and a metal surface, examining the non-additive part of these interactions.

Single-variant and ultrarare variant burden analyses leveraging exome sequencing data from 22 cohorts identify new risk genes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and show cumulative effects of several rare variants on disease risk.

A new non-van der Waals 2D material hematene, exfoliated from natural iron ore hematite, shows ferromagnetic ordering and enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Vertically stacked twisted layers of two-dimensional materials can trigger exciting fundamental physics. Here, authors report controlled growth of 30° twisted few-layer SnS₂ over SnS₂ via van der Waals epitaxy of an SnS intermediate and its transformation in the presence of excess sulfur.

Analysis combining multiple global tree databases reveals that whether a location is invaded by non-native tree species depends on anthropogenic factors, but the severity of the invasion depends on the native species diversity.

Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Genome-wide analysis coupled with long-read sequencing identifies a repeat expansion in GOLGA8A associated with high risk for atypical frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions.

Polygenic scores for body mass index and obesity constructed using data from 5 million people with different ancestries were associated with distinct weight gain trajectories from early childhood to adulthood.

In patients with acute heart failure, personalized dosing of a diuretic led to treatment intensification in the majority of patients and improved natriuresis, but had no effects on time to all-cause mortality or heart failure rehospitalization.

Observation of an efficient out-of-plane energy transfer channel in van der Waals heterostructures, where charge carriers in graphene couple to hyperbolic phonon–polaritons on a picosecond timescale.

Magnon transport is confined to a plane by sandwiching BiFeO₃ between layers of non-polar antiferromagnetic LaFeO₃, resulting in efficient magnon transport and a higher voltage output through spin–charge conversion that can be controlled using electric fields. These results have implications for electric-field-controlled spin-based memory and logic elements.

Over five years, implementation of the NHS England Lung Cancer Screening Programme achieved high early-stage detection rates and demonstrated that the programme is both feasible and scalable for reaching high-risk and underserved populations.

Type I natural killer T cells are characterized by an invariant V_α14-J_α18 T cell antigen receptor α-chain. Godfrey and colleagues describe a population of CD1d-restricted natural killer T cells that express a previously unidentified canonical V_α10-J_α50 α-chain.

Van der Waals epitaxy provides numerous opportunities for materials integration in heterostructures. This Primer provides an overview of methodologies for producing van der Waals heterostructures, focusing on top-down assembly and bottom-up synthesis, and discusses future opportunities for their continued development.

A large genome-wide association study of more than 5 million individuals reveals that 12,111 single-nucleotide polymorphisms account for nearly all the heritability of height attributable to common genetic variants.

The flagship paper of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes Consortium describes the generation of the integrative analyses of 2,658 cancer whole genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types, the structures for international data sharing and standardized analyses, and the main scientific findings from across the consortium studies.

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.

Analyses of 2,658 whole genomes across 38 types of cancer identify the contribution of non-coding point mutations and structural variants to driving cancer.

A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.

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

An analysis of 2,954 genomes from 38 cancer subtypes identified 19,166 retrotransposition events in 35% of samples. Aberrant LINE-1 retrotranspositions can lead to the deletion of tumor-suppressor genes as well as the amplification of oncogenes.

Whole-genome sequencing data for 2,778 cancer samples from 2,658 unique donors across 38 cancer types is used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of cancer, revealing that driver mutations can precede diagnosis by several years to decades.

Here the authors show that transient cell cycle arrest reprograms CD8⁺ T cells into a highly energized state, increasing proliferation and antitumor activity and boosting efficacy of immunotherapies in cancer models.

The thromboxane A₂ receptor (TP) is an important mediator of cardiovascular homeostasis. Here, authors report two structures of active TP-G_q bound to U46619 and I-BOP, revealing a molecular mechanism of TP activation and providing mechanistic insights into disease-associated TP mutations.

Inbreeding depression has been observed in many different species, but in humans a systematic analysis has been difficult so far. Here, analysing more than 1.3 million individuals, the authors show that a genomic inbreeding coefficient (FROH) is associated with disadvantageous outcomes in 32 out of 100 traits tested.

cellSTAAR advances noncoding rare variant association analysis by integrating single-cell genomics data.

Fine-mapping of causal variants and integration of epigenetic and chromatin conformation data identify likely target genes for 150 breast cancer risk regions.

In somatic cells the mechanisms maintaining the chromosome ends are normally inactivated; however, cancer cells can re-activate these pathways to support continuous growth. Here, the authors characterize the telomeric landscapes across tumour types and identify genomic alterations associated with different telomere maintenance mechanisms.

Integrative analyses of transcriptome and whole-genome sequencing data for 1,188 tumours across 27 types of cancer are used to provide a comprehensive catalogue of RNA-level alterations in cancer.

In this study the authors consider the structural variants (SVs) present within cancer cases of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. They report hundreds of genes, including known cancer-associated genes for which the nearby presence of a SV breakpoint is associated with altered expression.

Much is known about crystal structures of MHC class II–autoreactive TCRs. Sewell and colleagues provide the structure of an MHC class I–autoreactive TCR and provide insight into the molecular basis of its diabetogenicity.

Analysis of cancer genome sequencing data has enabled the discovery of driver mutations. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium the authors present DriverPower, a software package that identifies coding and non-coding driver mutations within cancer whole genomes via consideration of mutational burden and functional impact evidence.

Multi-omics datasets pose major challenges to data interpretation and hypothesis generation owing to their high-dimensional molecular profiles. Here, the authors develop ActivePathways method, which uses data fusion techniques for integrative pathway analysis of multi-omics data and candidate gene discovery.

A pan-cancer genomic analysis reports the effects of structural variations on chromatin domains (TADs). Most TAD disruptions do not result in appreciable changes in expression of nearby genes.

Accurate quantum mechanical benchmarks modeling ligand interactions with protein pockets are key in drug design. Here, such a large dimers dataset is created, analyzed, and probed with many methods

Understanding deregulation of biological pathways in cancer can provide insight into disease etiology and potential therapies. Here, as part of the PanCancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) consortium, the authors present pathway and network analysis of 2583 whole cancer genomes from 27 tumour types.

Some cancer patients first present with metastases where the location of the primary is unidentified; these are difficult to treat. In this study, using machine learning, the authors develop a method to determine the tissue of origin of a cancer based on whole sequencing data.

Timothy Frayling, Joel Hirschhorn, Peter Visscher and colleagues report a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for adult height in 253,288 individuals. They identify 697 variants in 423 loci significantly associated with adult height and find that these variants cluster in pathways involved in growth and together explain one-fifth of the heritability for this trait.

Whole-genome sequencing data from more than 2,500 cancers of 38 tumour types reveal 16 signatures that can be used to classify somatic structural variants, highlighting the diversity of genomic rearrangements in cancer.

Viral pathogen load in cancer genomes is estimated through analysis of sequencing data from 2,656 tumors across 35 cancer types using multiple pathogen-detection pipelines, identifying viruses in 382 genomic and 68 transcriptome datasets.