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Super spreading events are considered important contributors to the spread of COVID−19, but the extent to which superspreading varies by transmission setting is unclear. Here, the authors demonstrate heterogeneity in superspreading and the generation interval between COVID−19 cases in different settings using data from Hong Kong.

In episode 1 of What’s in a name we look at how species are named, and whether the current system needs to evolve in the face of societal pressure.

Games, seasonal science songs, and Nature’s 10.

The REX element is associated with long-range enhancer–promoter interactions.

The use of antimicrobial agents can exacerbate the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance genes, which can put public health at risk; evaluating this risk requires proper monitoring. An extensive investigation of Australian wastewater reveals a distinct correlation between the type of antimicrobial used and the socioeconomic status of the population.

The regulation of the E2F pathway remains incompletely established. Here the authors find that the O-GlcNAcylated FOXK1 associates with the deubiquitinase BAP1 to upregulate transcription of E2F target genes and promote cancer progression.

Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) cellular activity requires endosomal escape. Here, the authors show that disrupting Golgi-endosome protein AP1M1 enhances ASO activity by prolonging ASO endosomal residence and increasing the likelihood of endosomal escape.

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.

Dietary n-6 PUFAs enhance adipose tissue expandability through the PPARγ–LPCAT3 membrane remodelling axis.

Third-generation sequencing can reveal information beyond the simple sequence of bases, but fulfilling this potential requires complex reference sets for training. Here, the authors present an approach to generate these reference sets and present various use cases for such multidimensional sequencing.

This study reveals that the varying responses of plant biomass to phosphorus addition across plant functional groups align with the leaf economics spectrum, with plants characterized by more acquisitive traits exhibiting stronger responses to phosphorus addition.

High-energy particles could be a long-sought source of cosmic rays — plus, a ‘smart’ insulin-molecule that’s sensitive to blood sugar levels.

A conversation about the US election and the possible fallout for science, and are maternal behaviours learned or innate?

The experimental physicist joins us to talk about her book Not just for the boys, why we need more women in science.

Disrupting gut microbes increases risk of growth issues in the next generation, and understanding geographic variations in cancer rates.

The collapse of tropical forests during the Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction weakened carbon sequestration, sustaining high CO2 and extreme global warmth for millions of years: an example of a runaway feedback in Earth’s climate-carbon system.

During chronic but not acute inflammation, chromatin remodelling is influenced by nuclear autophagy through WSTF interaction with ATG8 in the nucleus, leading to WSTF nuclear export and its subsequent degradation.

Pioneer neurons extend their axons to provide a track for follower neurons to follow, whether these neurons differ in other ways has not been clear. Here they show that pioneer and follower neurons are transcriptionally distinct and that RA signaling is required for pioneer axon targeting.

Unlike squalene, peplusol is only synthesized in a few species of the Euporbia genus and its biosynthetic pathway is unclear. Here, the authors report the discovery and characterization of two peplusol synthases and demonstrate the feasibility of the evolution of peplusol synthase from the ancient squalene synthase.

Evidence of the first known neanderthal family group, and the latest from the Nature Briefing.

After decades of research, experiment shows potential for using lasers to protect large infrastructure.

The taurine–taurine transporter axis is a critical dependency of aggressive myeloid leukaemias.

Monkeys with CRISPR-edited pig kidneys survive for more than a year, and why our brains struggle to count more than four objects.

Analysis of snRNA genes in individuals with rare disorders identifies de novo and recurrent variants in RNU5B-1 and RNU5A-1, in addition to previously unreported cases with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in RNU4-2.

DNA clues point to how dire wolves went extinct, a look at European science post-Brexit, and the lastest on RNA vaccines.

Sassano et al. identify endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondria contact sites as the intracellular ___location where phospholipid peroxidation first occurs to promote ferroptosis. Manipulating these contact sites dictates ferroptosis sensitivity in breast cancer.

Environmental justice and drinking water in the US: Higher proportions of Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and non-Hispanic Black residents were associated with higher public water arsenic and uranium at the county-level, findings differed by region.

Polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer’s disease derived from individuals of European ancestry can show improved performance in multiancestry settings after incorporating genome-wide association summary statistics from diverse populations.

A fabric microphone that can pick up human speech, and how AI helped the government of Togo distribute financial aid.

Literature produced inconsistent findings regarding the links between extreme weather events and climate policy support across regions, populations and events. This global study offers a holistic assessment of these relationships and highlights the role of subjective attribution.

Salivary gland cancers (SGC) respond poorly to immunotherapies and new treatment strategies are needed. Here, the authors develop an integrated analysis of advanced SGC to characterize the immune microenvironment and identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities.

How an AI overcomes data-scarcity to map gene networks, and assessing the impact of rocket noise on wildlife.

Triggering swarming behaviour in locusts, and new insights into how humans synchronize.

Transformations from carbenes to olefins have generally been realized with transition metal-catalysed enantioselective methods or artificial metalloenzymes. Here the authors apply asymmetric counteranion-directed photoredox organocatalysis for the highly enantioselective cyclopropanation of styrenes and aliphatic dienes.

Removal of users shows the role social media companies could play in preventing misinformation sharing — plus how physicists coaxed ultracold molecules into an exotic quantum state.

The authors reveal that, in fruit fly ovaries, the protein Rhino is guided to specific regions of the genome by a combination of two histone modifications, enhancing understanding of how cells protect their DNA from harmful virus-like elements.

Multi-omics datasets pose major challenges to data interpretation and hypothesis generation owing to their high-dimensional molecular profiles. Here, the authors develop ActivePathways method, which uses data fusion techniques for integrative pathway analysis of multi-omics data and candidate gene discovery.

A roundup of stories from the Nature Briefing, including how human ancestors came close to extinction, historic pollution in Antarctica, and the AI that predicts smell from a compound's structure.

Study shows PTSD predisposition shares distinct genes and genomic regions with several cardiovascular conditions. Here the findings reveal neuronal, immune, and metabolic pathways, and repurposed drug targets that further the understanding of the comorbidity.

Machine learning detects song differences too subtle for humans to hear, and physicists harness the computing power of the strange skyrmion.

We round up some recent stories from the Nature Briefing.

A video game provides players with insights into pandemic responses, and our annual festive fun.

The Mass Spectrometry Query Language (MassQL) is an open-source language that enables instrument-independent searching across mass spectrometry data for complex patterns of interest via concise and expressive queries without the need for programming skills.

Dysregulated CD4 T cells that recognize gut commensal antigens are able to infiltrate the central nervous systems and are re-stimulated by host proteins, resulting in neuroinflammation.

Differences in the Pace of Aging are important for many health outcomes but difficult to measure. Here the authors describe the Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from NeuroImaging measure, an approach that uses a single brain image to measure how fast a person is aging and can help predict mortality or the risk of developing chronic disease.

AI weather forecasters, mapping the human brain, and the 2021 science Nobel prizes.

A stem cell vital for vertebral growth also drives spine metastases, and the use of MDMA in the treatment of PTSD.

Experts say the country’s strong scientific performance is likely to be sustained in the coming years.

The rise of AI-generated fakes, evidence of the earliest-known wooden structure, and how NASA’s OSIRIS-REx brought asteroid samples back to Earth.