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Green hydrogen production via water electrolysis requires a low-cost solution to provide efficient catalysts. Here, the authors report an industrially scalable method for synthesizing NiFe layered double hydroxide at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, enhancing alkaline electrolysis.

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).

Molecular electronics represents an avenue to enrich conventional electronics, but its reproducibility and scalability are still challenging. Here, the authors report the realization of multifunctional hybrid molecular graphene field effect transistors enabling operando spectroscopy and the implementation of optoelectronic logic gates.

Here the authors describe principles for de novo designing single-chain immunoglobulin dimers with interfaces diverging from those seen in antibodies, showing enhanced stability and both robustness and modularity for harboring multiple functional loops.

Ru-pyrochlores find their way as alternative anodes of PEM water electrolyzers, and their high performance is owing to Ru sites embedded in RuMnO_x surface layers. Here, a water electrolyser with Y₂MnRuO₇ and only 0.2 mgRu cm⁻² has been tested with significant durability.

Iron-based catalysts are desirable for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis but are often hindered by deactivation arising from sintering or phase change. Here, the authors report the metal-organic framework-mediated synthesis of dispersed iron carbide catalysts and demonstrate their activity and stability.

Despite having all the ingredients required for the formation of two-dimensional ferromagnetism, achieving such a magnetic state in atomically thin metal-organic coordination networks has proved to be a persistent challenge. Here, Lobo-Checa et al demonstrate 2Dferromagnetism in a self-assembled network, exhibiting coercive fields over 2 Tesla and a Curie temperature of 35K.

NiFe and CoFe layered double hydroxides are among the most active electrocatalysts for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction. Here, by combining operando experiments and rigorous DFT calculations, the authors unravel their active phase, the reaction center and the catalytic mechanism.

The standard Mizoroki–Heck reaction of aryl halides usually makes electron-poor alkenes react exclusively on the β-carbon. Now, α-selective intramolecular and intermolecular versions of this reaction with electron-deficient alkenes are reported, giving access to otherwise difficult-to-synthesize products.

An analysis involving the shotgun sequencing of more than 300 ancient genomes from Eurasia reveals a deep east–west genetic divide from the Black Sea to the Baltic, and provides insight into the distinct effects of the Neolithic transition on either side of this boundary.

From 1980 to 2018, the levels of total and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreased in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe.

Electromechanical characterization during atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a significant gap in the understanding of AF-related atrial myopathy. Here, the authors use non-invasive atrial electromechanical assessment during AF to identify early remodeling changes associated with underlying myopathy, which in the clinic decrease the probability of acute and mid-term successful rhythm control.

Auxin is a universal regulator of plant growth and development. The authors report the origin and evolutionary history of the key DNA-binding transcription factors mediating auxin response, identifying key steps in the birth of auxin response.

The immunoglobulin ___domain framework of antibodies has been a long standing design challenge. Here, the authors describe design rules for tailoring these domains and show they can be accurately designed, de novo, with high stability and the ability to scaffold functional loops.

Complement activation on foreign cell surfaces leads to the generation of complement opsonins, which activate complement receptor type 3 (CR3) and pathogen clearance by macrophages. Here, the authors reveal structural basis of the interaction between human opsonin iC3b and the von Willebrand A inserted ___domain of the α chain of CR3.

Analysis of 2,170 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in Spain provides insights into transmission patterns and the effects of lockdown on the emergence of new variants.

Understanding the emergence, evolution, and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to combat antimicrobial resistance. Here, Munk et al. analyse ARGs in hundreds of sewage samples from 101 countries and describe regional patterns, diverse genetic environments of common ARGs, and ARG-specific transmission patterns.

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.

Genome-wide studies of de novo genes have tended to focus on genomic open reading frames (ORFs). Here, Blevins et al. use deep transcriptomics and synteny information to identify de novo transcripts in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, many of which are expressed from the alternative DNA strand.

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.

Standard platinum-based chemotherapy is the basis of treatment of many cancers, however a proportion of patients do not derive benefit. Here the authors show that the platinum-based drug oxaliplatin accumulates in cancer-associated fibroblasts, activating pathways associated with cancer progression and resistance to therapy.

The results obtained by seventy different teams analysing the same functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset show substantial variation, highlighting the influence of analytical choices and the importance of sharing workflows publicly and performing multiple analyses.

Genes express multiple mRNA isoforms through alternative processing. Here the authors analyze ribosome profiling data with ORQAS (ORF quantification pipeline for alternative splicing) and report that 40–50% of the expressed mRNA isoforms are translated.

Small proteins encoded by previously assumed non-coding RNAs can have cell regulatory functions. Here the authors report that TINCR lncRNA encodes pTINCR, a ubiquitin-like protein (UBL) that promotes epithelial differentiation through the SUMOylation and activation of CDC42, and it has tumour suppressor activity in epithelial cancers.

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.

Obtaining data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from healthy human populations is difficult. Here, Hendriksen et al. use metagenomic analysis to obtain AMR data from untreated sewage from 79 sites in 60 countries, finding correlations with socio-economic, health and environmental factors.

Structural and functional characterization of an NF-κB-targeting bacterial toxin reveals an unconventional structure and mechanisms of membrane interaction and translocation.

The mechanism of methylmannose polysaccharide (MMP) biogenesis in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is characterized, which involves an MMP-specific hydrolase (MmpH) and a rare mannosyltransferase (ManT). MmpH and ManT structures are presented.

Genes can originate de novo from random non-coding DNA. Here, the authors identify a pool of young proteins in mice that are translated at significant levels and evolved in a neutral manner, and are putative precursors of de novo genes.

Deep tissue imaging has been limited by the low brightness of probes emitting in the second near-infrared window. Here, the authors use femtosecond laser irradiation to grow a protective shell on Ag₂S nanoparticles, achieving 80-fold quantum yield enhancement and imaging with low excitation intensities.

Genetic and Structural analysis of COVID patients cohort reveals a correlation between mitochondrial haplogroup and SARS-CoV-2 severity.