Search

Hiʻiaka is the largest moon of the distant dwarf planet Haumea. Here, the authors report the first multi-chord stellar occultations of Hiʻiaka, revealing its size, shape, and density, suggesting an origin from Haumea’s icy mantle.

Humanity’s Last Exam, a multi-modal benchmark at the frontier of human knowledge, is designed to be an expert-level closed-ended academic benchmark with broad subject coverage.

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

Guided by density functional theory, a commercially viable refractory alloy is developed, which exhibits excellent room-temperature ductility and strength, and high strength at elevated temperatures.

An Earth system model estimates that natural halogens, of marine biotic and abiotic origin, remove about 13% of present-day global tropospheric O₃. Projections suggest this ratio is stable through 2100, with high spatial heterogeneity, despite increasing natural halogens.

A national classification system of wetland hydrologic connectivity to streams, which could be applied globally, demonstrates and advances current understanding of how wetland connectivity affects surface water quality.

Tuning the electronic properties of nanocatalysts by doping them with uniformly dispersed hetero-metal atoms is an effective way to improve catalytic performance. Here, the authors show that weakening the Cu–O bond energy in CuO nanocatalysts boosts the efficiency of NH₃ oxidation.

Genomic analyses applied to 14 childhood- and adult-onset psychiatric disorders identifies five underlying genomic factors that explain the majority of the genetic variance of the individual disorders.

Streptococcus thermophilus phages circumvent host CRISPR defences via AcrIIIA2, which complexes with enolase, a highly abundant glycolysis enzyme, to block phage RNA binding.

The Perseverance rover detected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons preserved within sulfates in the fan and floor of Jezero crater on Mars, offering new insights into past habitability and the preservation of organic matter on Mars.

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).

Dietary restriction promotes the expansion of effector T cells via ketone bodies, which enhances anti-tumour immunity and synergizes with immunotherapy in mice.

Analyses of genome and exome sequencing data identify rare coding and structural variants associated with atrial fibrillation and highlight genetic links between atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathies.

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.

This Review explores the multifunctional roles of hyaluronic acid in wound healing, tissue repair and regeneration, with a focus on medical product development. By linking hyaluronic acid’s molecular interactions with regulatory classification(s), this report provides a conceptual framework for optimizing and evaluating future indications, including hyaluronic acid’s potential for treatment of traumatic skeletal muscle injuries.

Concise routes to 25 naturally occurring picrotoxanes were devised using a virtual library of intermediate analogues triaged by reactivity; this approach can overcome challenges in the use of computers for synthesis design.

Despite exhibiting ferroelectric features, SrTiO₃ fails to display long-range polar order at low temperatures due to quantum fluctuations. An ultrafast X-ray diffraction experiment now probes polar dynamics of this material at the nanometre scale.

Here the authors provide an explanation for 95% of examined predicted loss of function variants found in disease-associated haploinsufficient genes in the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD), underscoring the power of the presented analysis to minimize false assignments of disease risk.

MultiSTAAR provides a general and flexible statistical framework for functionally informed multi-trait rare variant analysis of biobank-scale sequencing studies by jointly analyzing multiple traits and incorporating annotation information.

Samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission contain N-rich organics with prebiotic implications. This material probably formed in the earliest stages of the asteroid’s history possibly even before its water ice melted.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease in women where TSC2 deficient mTOR signalling aberrant LAM cells and fibroblasts form nodules causing lung cysts and respiratory failure. Here the authors examine how mTOR dependent IL-6 causes senescence in alveolar type 2 cells which may result in impaired lung repair.

Imaging mass spectrometry is a powerful emerging tool for mapping the spatial distribution of biomolecules across tissue surfaces. Here the authors showcase an automated technology for deep proteome imaging that utilizes ultrasensitive microfluidics and a mass spectrometry workflow to analyze tissue voxels, generating quantitative cell-type-specific images.

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.

The impact of COVID-19 vaccination on post-COVID conditions is not well understood. Here, the authors use electronic health record data from a network of eight integrated healthcare systems in the United States to compare rates of post-COVID conditions in those with and without vaccination.

In this immunological ancillary study of the PREVAC trial, the authors show that approved Ebola virus vaccines induce memory T-cell responses that persist during the five year follow-up after initial vaccination.

mRNA vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 also sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

STAARpipeline is a comprehensive framework for flexible and scalable rare-variant association analysis using whole-genome sequencing data and annotation information.

Apoptotic cells often release extracellular vesicles that aid in their clearance and provide molecular information to cellular neighbours. Here, the authors show that some adherent apoptotic cells also create vesicles that remain attached at the site of death.

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.

Karcher et al. use data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study to explore how changes in cognition and brain structure influence the relationship between risk factors and persistent distressing psychotic-like experiences in children aged 9–13 years.

Platelet aggregation is associated with myocardial infarction and stroke. Here, the authors have conducted a whole genome sequencing association study on platelet aggregation, discovering a locus in RGS18, where enhancer assays suggest an effect on activity of haematopoeitic lineage transcription factors.

The BioDIGS project is a nationwide initiative involving students, researchers and educators across more than 40 research and teaching institutions. Participants lead sample collection, computational analysis and results interpretation to understand the relationships between the soil microbiome, environment and health.

The authors report a meta-analysis of methylome-wide association studies, identifying 15 significant CpG sites linked to major depression, revealing associations with inflammatory markers and suggesting potential causal relationships through Mendelian randomization analysis.

Using data from a single time point, passenger-approximated clonal expansion rate (PACER) estimates the fitness of common driver mutations that lead to clonal haematopoiesis and identifies TCL1A activation as a mediator of clonal expansion.

In metallic liquids, the fragility is difficult to predict and measure. Here, the authors present the film inflation method, which reveals large fragility variations across Mg–Cu–Y, and introduce the crystallization complexity as additional contribution to glass forming ability.

Polygenic risk scores can help identify individuals at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Here, the authors characterise a multi-ancestry score across nearly 900,000 people, showing that its predictive value depends on demographic and clinical context and extends to related traits and complications.

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.