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Bimetallic nanoparticles with tailored structure constitute a desirable model system for catalysts. PtAu nanoparticles with Pt single-atom surface sites, prepared by a colloidal method, exhibit unprecedented electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation.

CondenSeq is an imaging-based, high-throughput platform for characterizing condensate formation within the nuclear environment, uncovering the protein sequence features that promote this process.

A study of retrotransposon activity repurposes a retroelement called R2Tocc to create a programmable system called STITCHR that enables diverse genome edits including efficient, scarless large payload insertions.

Existing apple genome assemblies all derive from Golden Delicious. Here, the authors combine different sequencing technologies to assemble a high quality genome of an anther-derived homozygous genotype HFTH1 and find the association of a retrotransposon and red fruit colour.

Enzyme hunt could put the smell back into long life blooms.

FXR regulates the levels of ACE2 in tissues of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems that are affected by COVID-19, and inhibiting FXR with ursodeoxycholic acid downregulates ACE2 and reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Premature termination codon suppression therapy could be used to treat a range of genetic disorders. Here the authors present a high-throughput cell-based assay to identify anticodon engineered tRNAs with high suppression activity.

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).

A large international panel of experts reach consensus on a new standard for reporting settings in psychedelic trials, identifying 30 key non-pharmacological factors to strengthen the rigor of psychedelic research.

In wildlife tagging, stress from capture and handling can alter post- release behavior and potentially study interpretations. This study of 42 mammal species shows that these effects diminish within 4–7 days, and quicker for animals in high human activity areas indicating adaptation to disturbance.

A continuous-acquisition method for reducing artefacts caused by the beating heart and other body motions in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging reduces the reliance on electrocardiography triggering and breath holds.

Top predators can reduce local mesopredator abundance either through direct predation or behavioural changes. Here, Newsome and colleagues demonstrate at a landscape scale across three continents that mesopredator populations are suppressed at the core, but less so on the periphery, of top predators’ ranges.

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.

Primary T cells with multiple genetic modifications are rapidly isolated by negative selection.

A set of neurons in the peri-locus coeruleus region controls arousal and avoidance states, providing an understanding of the neurobiological basis of arousal and exploratory behaviours.

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.

Engineered polyketide synthases (PKSs) have great potential as biocatalysts for the synthesis of chemically challenging molecules. Here the authors show a retrobiosynthesis approach to design and construct PKSs to produce a series of valerolactams for biopolymer production.

Here the authors investigate the regulatory mechanisms of acetyl-CoA (Ac-CoA) biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis, probing the interaction between acetyl-CoA synthetase (AcsA) and acetyltransferase (AcuA). They capture a stable AcsA-AcuA complex that inhibits AcsA activity in the absence of Ac-CoA.

Engineered living materials harness the computational power of biology to control interesting material properties. Here the authors leverage complex transcriptional regulation of bacterial extracellular electron transfer to control hydrogel cross-linking with Boolean logic.

Unnatural base pairing xenonucleic acids (XNAs) can be used to expand life’s alphabet beyond ATGC. Here, authors show strategies for enzymatic synthesis and next-generation nanopore sequencing of XNA base pairs for reading and writing 12-letter DNA (ATGCBSPZXKJV).

Pooled genetic CRISPR screening is improved in complex models through leveraging internal controls.

Dogs exhibit remarkable variation in colour patterns. Here, the authors identify structural variants of independent regulatory modules for ventral and hair cycle expression of the ASIP gene that explain five distinctive dog colour patterns and trace back the origin of one colour pattern to an extinct canid.

A continuously evolved adenine base editor is compatible with various Cas proteins and mediates efficient A•T-to-G•C base conversions at a wide variety of PAM sites.

Large sequences are integrated site specifically into the human genome without double-strand DNA cleavage.

N-Myc fuels neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Here, the authors describe how targeting HSP70, a major N-Myc partner, coordinates with STUB1 to facilitate the degradation of N-Myc. This process slows neuroendocrine prostate cancer growth, improves the efficacy of Aurora Kinase A inhibitors, and reduces neuroendocrine pathway activity.

Click editing uses DNA polymerases, HUH endonucleases and oligonucleotide templates for genome modification.

EvoScan combines EvolvR mutagenesis and phage selection to explore the protein sequence space in different dimensions, identifying anchor points with critical mutations. Next, EvoAI, a deep learning-based method, uses these anchor points to accurately reconstruct the protein sequence space and design new proteins.

The Cas9-specific T cell response has been speculated to impair CRISPR therapy. Here, the authors show that local and systemic AAV CRISPR therapy induces cytotoxic killing and eliminates rescued dystrophin in canine models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

This study details how RNA-binding sites evolved between human and mouse, focusing on the conserved neuronal protein, Unkempt. The authors uncover that RNAbinding proteins often change binding sites and regulation across species even when binding motifs are conserved.

The most abundant RNA modification in humans, m⁶A, can be installed at specified RNA sequences in cells, enabling functional studies.

The first apicomplexan, Chromera velia, with a functional photosynthetic plastid has been isolated and characterized, providing insight into early apicomplexan evolution.

The intensity of UVA light, in addition to the photoperiod, is shown to determine seasonal change in the marine mass spawning annelid Platynereis dumerilii.

Data on the nutrient content of almost 3,000 aquatic animal-source foods is combined with a food-systems model to show that an increase in aquatic-food production could reduce the inadequate intake of most nutrients.

The mode of action of Ap4A on IMPDH to regulate GTP production in Bacillus subtilis is identified.

Hypoxic (low oxygen) water conditions are generally thought to be uncommon in rivers and result from human impacts. However, Dutton and colleagues show here that waste from hippos in the Mara River contributes to frequent hypoxic events, suggesting hypoxia is a natural aspect of this system.

A CRISPR paralog targeting library profiling 815 paralog families across 11 cell lines identifies DUSP4 and DUSP6 as paralog pairs whose combined inactivation confers sensitivity to cells resistant to MAPK inhibitors or cells harboring NRAS or BRAF mutations.

Viana and colleagues evaluate the potential effects of expanding a subset of marine protected areas that allow some level of fishing within their borders (sustainable-use MPAs) to improve the nutrition of coastal communities. They estimate that, depending on site characteristics, expanding sustainable-use MPAs could increase catch by up to 20%, which could help prevent 0.3-2.85 million cases of inadequate micronutrient intake in coral reef nations.

A new, nearly complete fossil skull of Vegavis from the James Ross Basin, Antarctic Peninsula, provides insight into its feeding ecology and exhibits morphologies that support placement among waterfowl within crown-group birds.

Fine-scale geospatial mapping of overweight and wasting (two components of the double burden of malnutrition) in 105 LMICs shows that overweight has increased from 5.2% in 2000 to 6.0% in children under 5 in 2017. Although overall wasting decreased over the same period, most countries are not on track to meet the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025.

Here, the authors developed a novel high-throughput, DNA barcoded overexpression platform, BOBA-seq, to uncover new gene functions among gut anaerobes involved in carbon utilization and stress tolerance.