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Water ice exists in hugely different environments, artificially or naturally occurring ones across the universe. The phase diagram of crystalline phases of ice is still under construction: a high-pressure phase, ice XIX, has just been reported but its structure remains ambiguous.

Sambaquis are archaeological shellmounds found in Brazil. Here, the authors use archaeological and molecular methods to show southern right whale, humpback whale, and dolphin were exploited 5000 years ago by Sambaqui groups to manufacture whale-bone harpoons and other artefacts.

The authors developed a proteomic risk score that improved the prediction of hip fractures in three validation cohorts analyzed by two different proteomic platforms. This risk score constitutes a new tool to stratify patients by hip fracture risk.

Cellular Z-RNAs generated during active virus infections are bona fide ZBP1 ligands, and position ZBP1-activated cell death as a host response to counter viral disruption of the cellular transcriptional machinery.

Identifying causal variants and genes in genome-wide association studies remains a challenge, an issue that is ameliorated with larger sample sizes. Here the authors meta-analyze kidney function genome-wide association studies to identify new loci and fine-map loci to home in on variants and genes involved in kidney function.

The influence of X chromosome genetic variation on blood lipids and coronary heart disease (CHD) is not well understood. Here, the authors analyse X chromosome sequencing data across 65,322 multi-ancestry individuals, identifying associations of the Xq23 locus with lipid changes and reduced risk of CHD and diabetes mellitus.

Genome-wide analyses identify 30 independent loci associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder, highlighting genetic overlap with other psychiatric disorders and implicating putative effector genes and cell types contributing to its etiology.

X-chromosomal genetic variants are understudied but can yield valuable insights into sexually dimorphic human traits and diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here, the authors perform a sex-stratified, cross-ancestry X-chromosome-wide association meta-analysis of seven kidney-related traits, with results including identification of four novel loci associated with the CKD-defining trait eGFR.

A genome-wide association study of 57 trace elements measured in up to 6564 Scandinavians, identifies genetic loci associated with blood levels of essential and non-essential trace elements and explores their effects on health outcomes.

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).

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.

Genome-wide association analyses of 41,917 bipolar disorder cases and 371,549 controls of European ancestry provide new insights into the etiology of this disorder and identify novel therapeutic leads and potential opportunities for drug repurposing.

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.

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.

Within-sibship genome-wide association analyses using data from 178,076 siblings illustrate differences between population-based and within-sibship GWAS estimates for phenotypes influenced by demographic and indirect genetic effects.

Here the authors combine a deep generative model with structure-based drug design and prospectively validate functionally active, nanomolar, A_2A adenosine receptor ligands and solve their crystal structures to close the Artificial Intelligence Structure-Based Drug Design loop.

Genome-wide association analyses identify 123 susceptibility loci for migraine and implicate neurovascular mechanisms in its pathophysiology. Subtype analyses highlight risk loci specific for migraine with or without aura in addition to shared risk variants.

A spinal reflex controller with fixed-gain muscle force and length feedback can generate a wide range of natural gaits, offering insight into how proprioceptive reflexes may contribute to locomotor control.

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.

The hippocampus in mammalian brain varies in size across individuals. Here, Hibar and colleagues perform a genome-wide association meta-analysis to find six genetic loci with significant association to hippocampus volume.

Genome-wide analyses identify 43 loci associated with forearm fracture, including some influencing bone quality parameters. Follow-up work shows that Tac4 knockout mice exhibit reduced mechanical bone strength with no effect on bone mineral density.

How genetic variation contributes to brain morphology is still poorly understood. Here Chenet al. combine brain imaging with single-nucleotide polymorphism data to discover that a substantial degree of cortical variation is derived from underlying genetic differences.

A large-scale GWAS provides insight on diabetes-dependent genetic effects on the glomerular filtration rate, a common metric to monitor kidney health in disease.

A small molecule can bypass the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 to directly activate the Z-form nucleic acid sensor ZBP1, induce necroptosis in tumour fibroblasts and reverse resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in mouse models of melanoma.

Mass-wasting deposits that accumulated against mid-ocean ridge faults have high porosity in which calcium carbonate precipitated, storing seawater carbon dioxide, as revealed by cores of a 61-million-year-old seafloor talus deposit.

How translation of M-phase promoting factors is blocked in immature oocytes is poorly understood. Here, the authors show 4E-T suppresses cyclin-B and c-Mos translation, preventing oocytes from maturing spontaneously without hormonal stimulation.

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.

Psoriasis is a partially heritable skin disorder, the genetic basis of which is not fully understood. Here, the authors use genome-wide association meta-analysis to discover psoriasis susceptibility loci and genes, which encode existing and potential new drug targets.

Using multi-ancestry genome-wide association study and fine-mapping, 298 loci and 36 credible genes are identified in the aetiology of bipolar disorder.

A genome-wide association study meta-analysis combined with multiomics data of osteoarthritis identifies 700 effector genes as well as biological processes with a convergent involvement of multiple effector genes; 10% of these genes express the target of approved drugs.

Laser capture microdissection is a technique that uses a highly precise laser to isolate and collect specific cells from a tissue sample. In this Primer, Liotta et al. discuss the use of laser capture microdissection in clinical research and its potential in future personalized therapies.

Theta oscillations are implicated in memory formation. Here, the authors show that low-theta oscillations in the hippocampus are differentially modulated between each hemisphere, with oscillations in the left increasing when successfully learning object–location pairs and in the right during spatial navigation.

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.

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.