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Jia-Xing Yue, Gianni Liti and colleagues use long-read sequencing to generate complete genome assemblies of 7 Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 5 Saccharomyces paradoxus strains. They use these data to define boundaries between chromosomal core and subtelomeric regions and to compare the evolutionary dynamics between these domesticated and wild yeast species.

Establishing the relative transmissibility of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 is key for pandemic management. Here, the authors use full-population administrative data from Denmark linked to PCR test results and estimate that the Alpha variant was ~60% higher than other strains circulating in early 2021.

Genome-wide analyses identify 27 loci associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and provide insights into its genetic architecture in relation to other psychiatric disorders and cognitive traits.

ADP-ribosylation is regulated by HPF1 and ARH3, but the cellular target spectrum of these enzymes is not fully understood. Here, the authors use quantitative proteomics to define the HPF1- and ARH3-dependent ADP-ribosylome, providing evidence that mono-ADP-ribosylation of serine predominates in cells.

Birch pitch is thought to have been used in prehistoric times as hafting material or antiseptic and tooth imprints suggest that it was chewed. Here, the authors report a 5,700 year-old piece of chewed birch pitch from Denmark from which they successfully recovered a complete ancient human genome and oral microbiome DNA.

A new study examines microbiome-generated ethanol in individuals with and without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), concluding that microbial ethanol might contribute to pathogenesis in some patients with NAFLD.

Efficient, large-scale genomic analysis is facilitated on the cloud by a computational tool with error-diagnosing and self-healing capabilities.

Distillation of entangled photons is essential for applications such as long-distance quantum communication and high-fidelity quantum teleportation. Distillation from Gaussian input states is experimentally realized, resulting in a large gain in entanglement.

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) is a barrier to tumour progression. Here the authors identify the long non-coding RNA MIR31HG as a regulator of cellular senescence using the oncogene-induced senescence triggered by B-RAF expression in immortalized fibroblasts.

Influence of the gut microbiome on the human immune system is revealed by systems analysis of vast clinical data from decades of electronic health records paired with massive longitudinal microbiome sequencing.

Genotype and exome sequencing of 150,000 participants and whole-genome sequencing of 9,950 selected individuals recruited into the Mexico City Prospective Study constitute a valuable, publicly available resource of non-European sequencing data.

A quantum ‘tele-amplification’ scheme that combines teleportation and the noiseless amplification of a coherent state is demonstrated by using Schrödinger-cat states prepared by photon subtraction from squeezed vacuum as an entanglement resource. This scheme can realize high-capacity communication, thus beating the homodyne limit of optical communications.

Genome-wide association analyses, functionally informed fine-mapping and complementary gene prioritization approaches identify new risk loci and candidate effector genes for CAD.

Maternal genome-wide analyses identify variants associated with gestational duration and preterm delivery. Maternal alleles positively associated with gestational duration exhibit negative fetal effects on birth weight, likely reflecting antagonistic pleiotropy.

A genome-wide association study performed in 1,126,563 individuals identifies seven new loci associated with Alzheimer’s disease and implicates microglia and immune cells in late-onset disease.

Biotin is an essential vitamin in the regulation of energy metabolism. Here Madsen et al.show that biotin deficiency in yeast leads to hyperacetylation of mitochondrial proteins that is compensated for by the SIRT-like deacetylase Hst4p.

A multiancestry genome-wide association study of chronic alanine aminotransferase elevation identifies candidate risk loci for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, with replication in external cohorts defined by histology or imaging.

Measurement-based quantum computing performs quantum gates on entangled states without difficult multi-qubit coherent dynamics. A set of gates sufficient for universal quantum computing has now been implemented on a programmable optical platform.

This study presents the assembly and analysis of the genome sequence of a female domestic Duroc pig and a comparison with the genomes of wild and domestic pigs from Europe and Asia; the results shed light on the evolutionary relationship between European and Asian wild boars.

Measurements of the inelastic cross section of anti-³He allow the estimation of the transparency of the Milky Way to the propagation of these light antinuclei produced in either cosmic-ray collisions or annihilation of dark-matter particles.

Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a measure of kidney function and used to characterize chronic kidney disease. Here, Graham et al. identify 53 novel loci for eGFR in a GWAS meta-analysis, a subset of which are associated with other common diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, based on PheWAS.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is critical for normal development and metabolism. Here, the authors conduct a GWAS and suggest protective effect of higher TSH on risk of thyroid cancer and goitre.

Analysis of whole-genome sequencing data across 2,658 tumors spanning 38 cancer types shows that chromothripsis is pervasive, with a frequency of more than 50% in several cancer types, contributing to oncogene amplification, gene inactivation and cancer genome evolution.

Genetic variation in ANGPTL4 is associated with lipid traits. Here, the authors find that predicted loss-of-function variants in ANGPTL4 are associated with glucose homeostasis and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and that Angptl4^−/− mice on a high-fat diet show improved insulin sensitivity.

Analysis of mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) by using whole-genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancer samples across 38 cancer types identifies hypermutated mtDNA cases, frequent somatic nuclear transfer of mtDNA and high variability of mtDNA copy number in many cancers.

Bone mineral density (BMD) is associated with fracture risk and many genetic loci with small effect sizes have been discovered by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Here, the authors discover a large-effect rare loss-of-function genetic variant for BMD in the MEPE gene in the Norwegian HUNT study which replicates in the UK Biobank.

Common genetic variants in structural proteins contribute to risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Here, using whole-exome sequencing, the authors identify rare truncating variants in TTN that associate with familial and early-onset AF and show defects in cardiac sarcomere assembly in ttn.2-mutant zebrafish.

Exome-wide genetic analysis on >300,000 individuals identifies associations with plasma lipid traits. Loci significantly associated with cholesterol and triglycerides are examined together to determine the effects of alleles on type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease risk.

Functionally relevant phosphorylation sites are detected by integrating phosphoproteomic and phenotypic data.

Mutations in potassium and calcium channel genes have been associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Here, Jensen et al. show that an anion transporter chloride-bicarbonate exchanger AE3 is also responsible for the genetically-induced mechanism of cardiac arrhythmia, suggesting new therapeutic targets for this disease

A main symptom of chronic insufficient sleep is excessive daytime sleepiness. Here, Wang et al. report 42 genome-wide significant loci for self-reported daytime sleepiness in 452,071 individuals from the UK Biobank that cluster into two biological subtypes of either sleep propensity or sleep fragmentation.

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common human congenital cardiovascular malformation. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide association study for BAV and identify risk variants in the gene region of cardiac-specific transcription factor GATA4 and implicate GATA4 in heart valve development.

Phylogenetic analysis defines the population and transmission structure of Listeria monocytogenes isolates and creates a global framework for epidemiological surveillance.Phylogenetic analysis defines the population and transmission structure of Listeria monocytogenes isolates and creates a global framework for epidemiological surveillance.

A meta-analysis of exome-wide association studies for blood lipid levels in East Asian populations identifies a novel coding variant. Exome array data from the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium were integrated and led to the discovery of novel and population-specific variants associated with cholesterol and triglycerides.

Jones et al. examine the generalizability of the valence–dominance model of social judgements of faces in 41 countries across 11 world regions. They find evidence of both generalizability and variation, depending on the analytical method.

The direct measurement of the QCD dead cone in charm quark fragmentation is reported, using iterative declustering of jets tagged with a fully reconstructed charmed hadron.

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease. Here the authors identify two new AS loci that also associate with bicuspid aortic valve, aortic root diameter and/or coronary artery disease implicating both developmental abnormalities and atherosclerosis-like processes in AS.

Genome-wide association analyses identify 57 loci associated with insomnia symptoms and provide evidence of shared genetic architecture between insomnia and cardiometabolic, behavioral, psychiatric and reproductive traits.

Correlations in momentum space between hadrons created by ultrarelativistic proton–proton collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider provide insights into the strong interaction, particularly the short-range dynamics of hyperons—baryons that contain strange quarks.

Large-scale association analyses identify 142 independent risk variants for atrial fibrillation. Pathway and functional enrichment analyses suggest that many of the putative risk genes act via cardiac structural remodeling.