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Kinetic energy put into a granular medium as a collective is typically dissipated as friction. The situation is different when forces are applied to the individual particles. An experiment now shows that when torques are applied to particles in a dense bed of microrollers, the grains roll uphill.

The authors reveal that the ocean right above the sloping seafloor flows on average downhill and that this downhill flow recirculates upward in the overlying water column using ocean velocity observations and numerical ocean simulations.

Spontaneous reactions proceed thermodynamically downhill, limiting transformations to those that are exergonic. Now a chemically fuelled endergonic synthesis is reported in which a Diels–Alder reaction is driven uphill by a ratchet mechanism.

The development of active solids based on centimetre-scale building blocks incorporating odd elasticity shows that they can spontaneously undergo limit cycles of shape changes, leading to adaptive locomotion such as rolling and crawling.

During photosynthesis, energy is transferred from photosynthetic antenna to reaction centers via ultrafast energy transfer. Here the authors track energy transfer in photosynthetic bacteria using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy and show that these transfer dynamics constrain antenna complex organization.

Achilles tendinopathy is a complex disorder affecting the Achilles tendon, causing pain, swelling and discomfort. In this Primer, Wildemann and colleagues review the epidemiology, diagnosis, management and the latest advances in our understanding of Achilles tendinopathy as well as strategies that can improve patient outcomes.

Modest weight gain leads to greater adverse metabolic consequences in South Asian compared to European men, in part driven by differences in adipocyte morphology.

The most parsimonious network of routes taken by the first people navigating Sahul emerge from landscape-based rules, which can also be applied to other peopling events, to quantify the likely patterns of the peopling of Earth.

The country’s record of adaptability and reinvention might stand it in good stead as it strives to get back on track.

Large genome-wide meta-analysis of clinically diagnosed late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) from 94,437 individuals identifies new LOAD risk loci and implicates Aβ formation, tau protein binding, immune response and lipid metabolism.

Stochastic processes, including chemical reactions, can be driven away from thermodynamic equilibrium through ratchet mechanisms. This Review explores how biology uses ratchets to achieve remarkable synthetic control and discusses the recognition of, and early progress in, ratchet-like synthesis in artificial systems.

While inorganic semiconductors are well-studied for their solar-to-fuel energy conversion abilities, organic materials receive far less attention. Here, authors prepare linear conjugated polymers as H₂ evolution photocatalysts and rationalize photocatalytic activities with fundamental properties.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

A theoretical study of non-reciprocity in collective phenomena reveals the emergence of time-dependent phases heralded by exceptional points in contexts ranging from synchronization and flocking to pattern formation.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias identifies new loci and enables generation of a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Arctic warming is expected to lead to the colonization of tundra by trees, increasing plant biomass and potentially helping to offset atmospheric carbon dioxide increases. However, this effect must be considered in the context of soil-carbon changes. Now research shows that enhanced plant growth in the European Arctic could result in an overall increase in carbon being released to the atmosphere.

High-surface-area corundum are used in ceramics and catalyst supports, yet the synthesis is hampered by high energy barrier and aggregation. Here the authors report the ultrafast synthesis of corundum nanoparticles via the resistive hotspot triggered phase transformation in electric heating process.

A study of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in England between September 2020 and June 2021 finds that interventions capable of containing previous variants were insufficient to stop the more transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.

It is not clear how the public views the acceptability of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). Here the authors explored public perceptions of BECCS by situating the technology in three policy scenarios and found that the policy instrument used to incentivise BECCS significantly affects the degree of public support for the technology.

Comparing grassland ecosystem responses of 128 biotic and abiotic variables to geothermal warming, the authors find that short-term (5–8 years) responses are poor predictors of change over the long term (>50 years).

A chemical method for site-selective deuterium exchange at protein backbone α-carbons, involving conversion of cysteine to dehydroalanine and then to deuterated cysteine, is used to explore the mechanism of a model protein bioconjugation reaction.

Nature harnesses fractal geometry to create structures with unusual surface-to-volume ratios. Now, a new design approach enables the reversible assembly of functional enzymes into arboreal patterns with fractal geometry.

Light-responsive myosin motors enable spatial and temporal control over the dynamics and transport of active nematic liquid crystals composed of actin filaments and myosin at an oil–water interface.

To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, we must close the carbon cycle for industries that are difficult to electrify. Developing the needed science to provide carbon alternatives and non-fossil carbon will accelerate advances towards defossilization.

Evolvability modifier mutations alter the rates and benefits of future mutations, but it is difficult to predict when they will be favoured by natural selection. A mathematical framework shows that competition between linked mutations can drive strong selection for modifiers and that subtle differences in evolvability can affect the long-term success of mutations.

Green dinitrogen fixation is critical for the decarbonization of fertilizers and fuel. This Review examines the common grounds and complementarities between nitrogenase enzymes, homogeneous catalysis and solid electrodes.

Primary biliary cirrhosis is an autoimmune liver disease with poor therapeutic options. Here Cordell et al. a perform meta-analysis of European genome-wide association studies identifying six novel risk loci and a number of potential therapeutic pathways.

Sven van der Lee, Julie Williams, Gerard Schellenberg and colleagues identify rare coding variants in PLCG2, ABI3 and TREM2 associated with Alzheimer's disease. These genes are highly expressed in microglia and provide additional evidence that the microglia-mediated immune response contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Many thermodynamically unfavorable processes in biology are powered by ATP, the energy currency of the cell. New evidence suggests that chaperone-mediated protein stabilization may need to be added to that list.

How atoms organize during the earliest stages of nucleation has been a subject of speculation for over a century. Using atomically resolved electron microscopy, the formation and ordering of metal clusters from individual atoms has now been observed in carbon nanotubes that serve as ‘test tubes’.

Evolutionarily conserved gene modules mediate neurodegenerative dementia in a variety of mouse models and in postmortem brain tissue from patients.

Cloning of the human nucleoside transporter should benefit the design of improved nucleoside drugs for treating malignant disease (pages 89–93).

Hypoxic environments in which anaerobes dwell experience episodic oxygenation, which can be toxic to these organisms, yet many anaerobes have the capacity to tolerate substantial levels of oxygen. In this Review, Lu and Imlay explore the molecular mechanisms by which oxygen impairs anaerobic bacteria and the degree to which anaerobic bacteria protect themselves from oxidative stress.

Aromatase inhibitors are used to treat oestrogen receptor positive breast cancers but the molecular basis for the response of patients is unclear. Here, the authors use samples from an aromatase inhibitor clinical trial and show that tumours from poor responders have more mutations than good responders and also more frequently harbour p53 mutations.