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Understanding the fate of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in sewage is essential to develop reliable wastewater surveillance. Research employing a sewer reactor shows that biofilms affect the RNA stability and can act as reservoirs for accumulating, retaining and distributing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA under hydraulic changes.

This prospective cohort study of patients with cancer incorporated antemortem follow-up visits and rapid autopsy analyses, and reports that spikes—rapidly increasing levels—of circulating tumor cell clusters, observed immediately before and at the time of death, along with tumor masses infiltrating large vessels, were cancer-related events associated with patient mortality.

The microbes responsible for releasing the potent greenhouse gas methane from thawing permafrost remain largely unknown. Mondav and Woodcroft et al. investigate methane flux across a thaw gradient in Sweden and recover a near-complete genome of the dominant methanogen Candidatus ‘Methanoflorens stordalenmirensis’.

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.

In some species with internal fertilization, females can mate with multiple males and then manipulate which sperm fertilize the eggs. Here, Alonzo et al.find that by releasing ovarian fluid along with their eggs, female ocellated wrasse are able to influence paternity despite having external fertilization.

Large-scale single-cell RNA-seq of stimulated primary mouse bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells highlights positive and negative intercellular signalling pathways that promote and restrain cellular variation.

A group of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), Mammary Tumor Associated RNAs 1-30 (MaTARs 1-30), are differentially expressed between mammary tumor cells and normal mammary epithelial cells. Here the authors report that MaTAR25 plays a role in breast cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by regulating the expression of the Tensin1 gene in trans.

Genomic analysis of Plasmodium DNA from 36 ancient individuals provides insight into the global distribution and spread of malaria-causing species during around 5,500 years of human history.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder is one of the most common genetic forms of epilepsy. Here the authors show that a model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder involves a channelopathy of CACNA1E gain-of-function, molecularly linking two distinct single-gene developmental and epileptic encephalopathies.

The abundance of key microbial lineages can be used to predict atmospherically relevant patterns in methane isotopes and the proportion of carbon metabolized to methane during permafrost thaw, suggesting that microbial ecology may be important in ecosystem-scale responses to global change.

Autophagy-related proteins ATG16L1, ATG5 and ATG12 are required for plasma membrane repair and help to restrict Listeria monocytogenes toxin-mediated cell-to-cell spread.

Single-cell transcriptomics and protein expression analyses of salivary glands and gingiva, along with the detection of infectious virus and virus-specific antibodies in saliva from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, support a potential role for the oral cavity in COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Multiple myeloma bone disease is characterized by the development of osteolytic bone lesions. Here, the authors demonstrate that the checkpoint inhibitor PD-1H functions as a potential MMP-13 receptor on osteoclasts, mediating MMP-13 induced cytoskeleton reorganization, fusogenesis and bone resorption and further regulating osteolytic lesions.

Chamoli et al. identified MIC, a benzocoumarin molecule, that promotes longevity in C. elegans by inducing mitophagy via DAF-12/FXR and HLH-30/TFEB, and they demonstrate a conserved MIC efficacy in mammalian cells, indicating potential broader relevance.

This study defines the roles of the doublesex gene in male and female flies' courtship circuitry and behaviors.

Coordination of cell wall assembly is critical for bacterial morphology and survival. Here, the authors show that activation of cell wall synthesis by the Rod complex is regulated by the structural dynamics of RodA-PBP2.

Prostate cancer (PrCa) involves a large heritable genetic component. Here, the authors perform multivariate fine-mapping of known PrCa GWAS loci, identifying variants enriched for biological function, explaining more familial relative risk, and with potential application in clinical risk profiling.

Animals resolve uncertainty by seeking knowledge about the future. How the brain controls this is unclear. The authors show that a network including primate anterior cingulate cortex and basal ganglia encodes opportunities to gain information about uncertain rewards and mediates information seeking.

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies across different populations highlights new risk loci and provides a genetic risk score that can stratify prostate cancer risk across ancestries.

A protocol for the electrochemical reduction of nitrogen to ammonia enables isotope-sensitive quantification of the ammonia produced and the identification and removal of contaminants.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a potentially fatal and often asymptomatic disease whose causes remain unclear. Here the authors show that a microRNA, miR-24, and its target, the glycoprotein chitinase 3-like 1, represent key regulators of AAA development.

Trans-ancestry meta-analysis of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from 1,046,070 individuals identifies 264 associated loci, providing a resource of molecular targets for translational research of chronic kidney disease.

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.

Mutations in the gene encoding the F-box domain–containing protein Fbxo7 are genetically associated to an autosomal recessive form of early-onset Parkinson's disease of similar severity to those caused by Parkinson's disease–linked mutations in the genes for the mitochondrial kinase PINK1 or the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin. Burchell et al. show that Fbxo7 acts in a common cellular and molecular pathway with Parkin and PINK1 in autophagic clearance of mitochondria in response to mitochondrial depolarization and damage.

High cholesterol is a risk factor for breast cancer recurrence. Here the authors show that cholesterol promotes breast cancer metastasis via its metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC) that acts on immune myeloid cells residing at the distal metastatic sites, thus promoting an immune suppressive environment.

Functional consequence of transient delay in neuronal migration is unclear. This study shows that Wnt/C-Kit signaling regulates radial migration in rat somatosensory cortex, and that transient delay of L2/3 neuronal migration leads to interhemispheric connectivity alteration and abnormal social behavior.

Panos Deloukas, Nilesh Samani and colleagues report a large-scale association analysis using the Metabochip array in 63,746 coronary artery disease cases and 130,681 controls. They identify 15 susceptibility loci, refine previous associations and use network analysis to highlight biological pathways.

Lean body mass is a highly heritable trait and is associated with various health conditions. Here, Kiel and colleagues perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for whole body lean body mass and find five novel genetic loci to be significantly associated.

Ruth Loos and colleagues report a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 181,171 individuals identifying 14 new loci associated with heart rate and test these for association with cardiac conduction, rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. Their experimental studies in Drosophila melanogaster and zebrafish models provide support for a role for 20 candidate genes at 11 of these loci in regulation of heart rate.

Matta et al. report that men with prostate cancer who underwent surgery or radiotherapy, but not active surveillance, had greater odds of receiving antidepressants than controls. However, methodological limitations preclude the interpretation of a psychological benefit for men on active surveillance. Screening for distress and referral to evidence-based intervention should be a priority.

Chromosome 8q24 is known to be a major susceptibility region for prostate cancer risk. Here the authors analyze genetic data across the 8q24 region from 71,535 prostate cancer patients identifying 12 risk loci, three previously unreported, highlighting the contribution of germline variation at this locus.

GDNF receptor alpha-like is a brainstem-restricted receptor for growth and differentiation factor 15, regulating appetite and body weight in non-homeostatic conditions by activating the emergency circuit response to disease and toxin stresses.

Most empirical research articles feature a single primary analysis that is conducted by the authors. However, different analysis teams usually adopt different analytical approaches and frequently reach varied conclusions. We propose synchronous robustness reports — brief reports that summarize the results of alternative analyses by independent experts — to strengthen the credibility of science.

Single-molecule and -particle fluorescence microscopy — traditionally applied to biophysical studies — has recently been used to gain insight into chemical systems. Still at its nascent stage, this approach presents great opportunities for the chemistry community through the observation of chemical reactions and their mechanisms as typically depicted in textbooks: molecule by molecule.