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The upper 300 m of the world's oceans act as a giant heat sink and have absorbed the majority of the excess energy generated by anthropogenic greenhouse gases. But the magnitude of the oceanic heat uptake is uncertain, and differing estimates have led to questions regarding the closure of the global energy budget. Here, a comparison of ocean heat content estimates is presented; the conclusion is that a robust warming of 0.64 W m⁻² occurred from 1993 to 2008.

A genome-wide association study involving lung cancer finds that genetic sequences in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene cluster contribute to susceptibility. This paper finds that alleles present in a cluster of nicotinic acid receptor genes affect smoking quantity in European samples, and are therefore also associated with risk of lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease.

Studies using mouse models of lung adenocarcinoma identify an association between age, iron homeostasis and tumour initiation potential that involves NUPR1 and lipocalin-2.

A silicon nanometre-scale mechanical resonator, patterned to couple optical and mechanical resonances, is found to emit photons when optically pumped; photon emission corresponds directly to phonon emission, enabling the phonons to be counted.

Indonesia accounts for a large proportion of the oil palm plantation expansion occurring globally. However, Indonesia’s mixed forests (and associated carbon stocks) complicate estimation of the contribution of oil palm agriculture to global carbon budgets. Remotely sensed land-cover classification combined with carbon flux estimates are now used to develop high-resolution estimates of carbon flux from Kalimantan plantations for the period 1990–2010.

Live-cell imaging shows that interactions within topologically associating domains are transient and frequent throughout the cell cycle. Convergent CTCF sites regulate the frequency and duration of interactions, which last a few minutes on average.

‘The induction and coordination of immune cells in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection are critical in the immunopathology of COVID-19. Here the authors use a rhesus macaque model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and show key populations of macrophage drive the inflammatory cytokine production in the alveolar space’.

A new Burden of Proof meta-analytic method that accounts for between-study heterogeneity and corrects for bias between different study designs is used to interpret the strength of evidence between different pairs of risk factors and health outcomes.

Genomic and phenotypic analyses of 272 infant-associated Clostridium perfringens isolates suggest that pfoA is an important toxin gene in C. perfringens linked with preterm infant intestinal diseases.

A systematic review using the burden of proof meta-analytic method found a significant harmful effect between high systolic blood pressure and ischemic heart disease.

The mechanism of oxygen redox in high-energy transition metal oxide cathodes is elusive. Here the authors illustrate the nature of the electron-hole states on oxide ions, offering insights for realizing reversible, high-voltage cathodes.

In a mouse model of breast cancer, asparagine bioavailability strongly influences metastasis and this is correlated with the production of proteins that regulate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, which provides at least one potential mechanism for how a single amino acid could regulate metastatic progression.

DNA metabarcoding is used to survey the spatial and temporal distribution of airborne grass pollen genera over the summer grass pollen season across Great Britain.

The Omicron variant evades vaccine-induced neutralization but also fails to form syncytia, shows reduced replication in human lung cells and preferentially uses a TMPRSS2-independent cell entry pathway, which may contribute to enhanced replication in cells of the upper airway. Altered fusion and cell entry characteristics are linked to distinct regions of the Omicron spike protein.

Brachyurans, or crabs, are of commercial and ecological importance, but limited genomic resources exist. Here the authors present a chromosome-level genome and expression data for the Chinese mitten crab, to shed light on the biology of this group.

An implanted device in the brain enables wireless neural monitoring and stimulation for up to 15 months following implantation.

Activation of the adenosine receptor A2AR is associated with suppression of T cell function in the tumor microenvironment. To overcome immunosuppression, here the authors show that CRISPR/Cas9 mediated deletion of A2AR enhances CAR T cell effector functions without altering memory or persistence properties, improving CAR-T mediated tumor control in pre-clinical models.

Spatial transcriptomics and single-cell profiling identify previously uncharacterized cell types of human terminal and respiratory bronchioles, and show that cell differentiation and lineage trajectories are distinct from those in the mouse lung.

The bacterial genus Rickettsia includes vector-borne pathogens and arthropod symbionts that are close relatives of symbionts of microeukaryotes classified under the genus ‘Candidatus Megaira’. Here, Davison et al. clarify the evolutionary relationships between these organisms by assembling 28 genomes of understudied species, and propose that a distinct clade known as Torix Rickettsia should be considered a separate genus.

Near-infrared emission at around 2 µm is observed from HgTe nanocrystals. LEDs based on this material platform could prove to be a useful low-cost, convenient light source for applications in gas sensing and other tasks.

Efficient statistical emulation of melting land ice under various climate scenarios to 2100 indicates a contribution from melting land ice to sea level increase of at least 13 centimetres sea level equivalent.

It is known that exercise influences many human traits, but not which tissues and genes are most important. This study connects transcriptome data collected across 15 tissues during exercise training in rats as part of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium with human data to identify traits with similar tissue specific gene expression signatures to exercise.

Safely opening university campuses has been a major challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, the authors describe a program of public health measures employed at a university in the United States which, combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions, allowed the university to stay open in fall 2020 with limited evidence of transmission.

Single-cell transcriptional profiling of primary human synovial sarcoma tumors suggests that combinatorial treatment with HDAC and CDK4/CDK6 inhibitors could enhance tumor immunogenicity.

The immune system is known to play an important role in regenerative processes. Here, Baht and colleagues identify Metrnl, a myokine/cytokine expressed in macrophages, as mediator of muscle regeneration. Metrnl promotes macrophage IGF-1 production that, in turn, activates satellite cells.

Heavy metals and metalloids pose major threats to health and environmental ecosystems, thus systems for low-cost remediation are needed. Here the authors report the scalable design of a hydrogen-bonded organic–inorganic framework for selective removal of trace heavy metal ions from water.

The authors present an extensive profile of host transcriptional respones to a diverse group of pathogens and allergens. In doing so, they identify TH1, type I IFN, TH17, and TH2 responses, that underlie each immune response in both the blood and lung, which represents a global profile of host-pathogen immune responses.

Ultracold polar molecules are an excellent platform for quantum science but experiments so far see fast trap losses that are poorly understood. Here the authors investigate collisional losses of nonreactive RbCs, and show they are consistent with the sticky collision hypothesis, but are slower than the universal rate.

Colorectal tumors with mutated KRAS and APC require the amino acid transporter SLC7A5 to drive tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, SLC7A5 drives transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming by maintaining intracellular amino acid levels, leading to enhanced protein synthesis.

A sensitive method to analyze metagenomes, CATCH, enables detection and characterization of diverse viral sequences, including the 356 viruses known to infect humans.

The Southern Ocean is critically important for global climate yet poorly represented by climate models. Here the authors trace sea surface temperature biases in this region to cloud-related errors in atmospheric-model simulated surface heat fluxes and provide a pathway to improve the models.

Changes in brain structure asymmetry have been reported in autism spectrum disorder. Here the authors investigate this issue using a large-scale sample consisting of 54 data sets.

A disordered metal–organic framework converts into a more porous, crystalline phase within 40 s following solvent exchange and desolvation. The rapid domino rearrangement of the whole lattice, which involves carboxylate migration on coordinatively unsaturated metal sites, is accompanied by a substantial increase in surface area.

Mutations in human pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and whether any form during culture prior to use in a human clinical context are a concern. Here, the authors use hPSCs derived to cGMP standards and show they have low mutation rates after culture, noting this decreases on culturing in low (5%) oxygen conditions.

The transcription factor PU.1 is an essential regulator of the pro-fibrotic gene expression program in fibroblasts; PU.1 expression is upregulated in various fibrotic diseases, whereas inactivation of PU.1 induces regression of fibrosis in a number of organs.

Alum coupled to protein immunogens via site-specific phosphoserine-containing linkers enhances long-lived B cell responses and can selectively direct antibodies toward protective neutralizing epitopes.

Assessment of metagenomic sequencing of cell-free DNA directly from patient samples as a diagnostic for infections.

Tsyben et al. study the spatial distribution of labelled metabolites in glioblastoma samples from patients infused with ¹³C-glucose, using mass spectrometry imaging.

Yahara et al. show that yolk-sac macrophages, which are derived from erythromyeloid progenitors, produce neonatal osteoclasts that support bone homeostasis and repair and also provide long-lasting osteoclasts in adult bone.

COVID-19 can be associated with neurological complications. Here the authors show that markers of brain injury, but not immune markers, are elevated in the blood of patients with COVID-19 both early and months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in those with brain dysfunction or neurological diagnoses.

Comprehensive integration of gene expression with epigenetic features is needed to understand the transition of kidney cells from health to injury. Here, the authors integrate dual single nucleus RNA expression and chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and histone modifications to decipher the chromatin landscape of the kidney in reference and adaptive injury cell states, identifying a transcription factor network of ELF3, KLF6, and KLF10 which regulates adaptive repair and maladaptive failed repair.

Cortex morphology varies with age, cognitive function, and in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here the authors report 160 genome-wide significant associations with thickness, surface area and volume of the total cortex and 34 cortical regions from a GWAS meta-analysis in 22,824 adults.

The authors summarize the data produced by phase III of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, a resource for better understanding of the human and mouse genomes.

A genome-wide association meta-analysis study here shows novel genetic loci to be associated to body fat percentage, and describes cross-phenotype association that further demonstrate a close relationship between adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk.