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Spintronics, graphene, and carbon nanotubes are potential components of next-generation high performance computers. Here, the authors propose and theoretically evaluate a spintronic logic family composed solely of carbon materials with the potential for a 100 × improvement in energy efficiency.

Clean cooking fuels can be unaffordable. A year-long randomized control trial in Tanzania finds that a lockbox intervention along with behavioural nudging to encourage savings modestly increased liquefied petroleum gas use but did not lead to exclusive adoption, and that gendered financial constraints explain these results.

Recently, spontaneous symmetry breaking was reported in 1D and 2D lattices with long-range interactions on analogue quantum simulators. Here, using a digital quantum annealing algorithm, Hu et al. observe this effect in a tree-like superconducting qubit lattice with short-range interactions at zero temperature.

Artists and performers inform the physical act of experimentation — Roger Kneebone, Claudia Schlegel and Alan Spivey explore.

Experiments demonstrate the powerful capabilities of ultracold molecules to study dynamics in the context of quantum magnetism, and create new possibilities for studying quantum physics with ultracold molecules more broadly.

In this work, authors show that randomized water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition interventions reduced child antibiotic use in Bangladesh (in parallel with high intervention uptake and reduced infections) but not Kenya (in parallel with lower uptake and no effect on infections).

To fully exploit the potential of multiferroic materials the control of their intrinsic degrees of freedom is a prerequisite. Here, the control of spin orientation in strained BiFeO₃ films is demonstrated elucidating the microscopic mechanism of the complex interplay of polar and magnetic order.

Alkali-metal-rich compositions (for example, Li[Li_xM_1–x]O₂) are promising battery cathode materials that exhibit oxygen redox, which provides additional charge capacity. It is thought to occur in compounds containing alkali ions in the transition metal layers and featuring Li⁺–O(2p)–Li⁺ interactions; however, now it is observed in Na_2/3[Mg_0.28Mn_0.72]O₂, in which Mg²⁺ ions are present in the transition metal layer.

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).

The accumulation of nitrate in freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems is one of the consequences of the worldwide production of artificial fertilizers. Here it is shown that nitrate accumulation in ecosystems shows consistent and negative nonlinear correlations with organic carbon availability, along a continuum from soils, through freshwater systems and coastal margins, to the open ocean. This pattern can be explained by carbon:nitrate ratios, which influence nitrate accumulation by regulating microbial processes.

Immune lymphocyte estimation from nucleotide sequencing (ImmuneLENS) infers B cell and T cell fractions from whole-genome sequencing data. Applied to the 100,000 Genomes Project datasets, circulating T cell fraction provides sex-dependent and prognostic insights in patients.

The study of complexity in quantum systems is a fascinating topic, which however is still in its infancy, especially at the experimental level. Here, the authors report on the observation of “small-world” characteristics in the network of quantum correlations within chains of up to 23 superconducting qubits long.

This overview of the ENCODE project outlines the data accumulated so far, revealing that 80% of the human genome now has at least one biochemical function assigned to it; the newly identified functional elements should aid the interpretation of results of genome-wide association studies, as many correspond to sites of association with human disease.

A regulated stress response is essential for healthy child growth and development. Here, the authors show that a nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention enhanced adaptive responses of the physiological stress system in early childhood.

Immune checkpoint blockade can result in good outcomes in patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but not those with locally advanced disease. Here, the authors demonstrate that the addition of anti-NKG2A and anti-PD-L1 blockade to ATR inhibition and radiotherapy in the adjuvant setting can induce a robust antitumour immune response in mice.

In a re-analysis of a cluster-randomized trial on malaria-control measures, the combined intervention reduces infections up to 3 km from the point of intervention, increasing efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

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.

Geographic ___location can be a key determinant of human health outcomes. Here, the authors show that in large-scale trials, randomization that is pair matched by geography can lead to substantial improvements in statistical efficiency and enable insights into spatially varying intervention effects.

Analysis of data from 33 longitudinal cohorts from low- and middle-income countries indicates that conditions during pre-conception, pregnancy and the first few months of life are crucial in determining the risk of growth faltering in young children.

An analysis of longitudinal cohort data across diverse populations suggests that the incidence of wasting between birth and 24 months is higher than previously thought, and highlights the role of seasonal factors that affect child growth.

A pooled analysis of longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries identifies the typical age of onset of linear growth faltering and investigates recurrent faltering in early life.

Estimating the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a population is challenging due to the limitations of testing. Here, the authors estimate that the true number of infections in the United States in mid-April was up to 20 times higher than the number of confirmed cases.

Genetic and environmental factors impact on lung function, important in the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases. Here the authors use imputation of genotypes to the 1000 Genomes Project reference panel to identify novel, low frequency variants associated with lung function.

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.