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Alternative polyadenylation (APA) regulates the length of the 3′UTR of mRNA. Here, the authors describe a method to accurately measure APA in tumours and apply this method to investigate the differences in APA in African American and European American lung cancer samples.

Enzymes are very efficient reaction catalysts, though taking advantage of this synthetically is hampered by their notorious specificity. Here, the authors identify important arrangements of active site residues and use structural bioinformatics to successfully predict enzyme activity.

The AAA-ATPase Drg1 is a key factor in eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis that initiates cytoplasmic maturation of the large subunit. Here the authors report the structure of Drg1 in complex with its specific inhibitor diazaborine and provide insight into the mechanism of inhibition and specificity of this class of inhibitors.

Mutations in proteins that localize to primary cilia cause devastating diseases, yet the primary cilium is a poorly understood organelle. Here the authors use interaction proteomics to identify a network of human ciliary proteins that provides new insights into several biological processes and diseases.

Our hungry world relies on a small army of crop varieties that have been developed over the past few decades. They have been bred to grow faster, sweeter and bigger, often at the expense of their nutritional value. Looking into the history of these crops could provide a solution.

Using an unbiased genetic screen in mice, Hartmut Geiger et al. found that the thrombomodulin–activated protein C pathway, which controls blood coagulation among other functions, also protects from radiation damage. Administration of a recombinant variant of thrombomodulin or of recombinant activated protein C protected mice from total body irradiation, pointing to potential therapeutic applications.

Three years after the pandemic began, COVID-19 is here to stay. Yet the effects of COVID-19 on cancer research are still unravelling.

Mammalian genomes are scattered with repetitive sequences, but their biology remains largely elusive. Here, the authors show that transcription can initiate from short tandem repetitive sequences, and that genetic variants linked to human diseases are preferentially found at repeats with high transcription initiation level.

STAT3 is an intracellular transducer of cytokine signals that cooperates with Ras in tumour formation and is often activated in lung cancer. Here the authors show that STAT3 acts as a tumour suppressor in a mouse model of Kras-driven lung adenocarcinoma.

Microbe is the first known animal pathogen to become dependent on a plant host — and could have helped in its domestication.

Wild and heirloom plants are giving major crop varieties, and the global food system, a genetic makeover.

Advances in materials and techniques are restoring damaged body parts to full function.

Although the benefits of reducing exposure to toxic chemicals are becoming clearer, the path from evidence to action is not straightforward.

A new generation of companies is pursuing insect larvae as a protein source for animal feed, fertilizer, biofuels and even as ingredients for burgers and shakes. The insects promise to deliver cheaper and more sustainable alternatives to soy and fishmeal, with the added benefit that larvae can be raised on organic waste.

Sequencing the nuclear genomes of Guillardia theta and Bigelowiella natans, transitional forms in the endosymbiotic acquisition of photosynthesis by engulfment of certain eukaryotic algae, reveals unprecedented alternative splicing for a single-celled organism (B. natans) and extensive genetic and biochemical mosaicism, shedding light on why nucleomorphs persist in these species but not other algae.

Soil microorganisms have long been known to aid plants through nitrogen fixation and water and nutrient exchange. Now researchers are unearthing new ways in which this subterranean biome affects plant performance.

As the line dividing human and wild habitats becomes thinner, we might be brewing the world's next big pandemic. Zoonoses are diseases that are naturally transmitted between animals and humans, and a new project aims to predict their occurrence.

Blue tomatoes, pink bananas and red-fleshed apples. Meet the next generation of healthy fruits.

The ciliary transition zone (TZ) at the base of cilia is thought to gate entry of proteins into the cilium. The authors characterize a role for TMEM107, a protein mutated in the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome, in organizing a submodule of the TZ.

From halted healthcare services and corrupted code to stolen personal data held for ransom, cyberwarfare knows no boundaries. Healthcare providers are now facing unprecedented challenges from hackers, with uncertain consequences to patients with cancer.

Beyond the suffering caused by the disease, most patients diagnosed with cancer in the USA face substantial financial hardships associated with their treatments. What underlies the financial toxicity of cancer?

Laboratories around the world are racing to create the perfect piece of meat. But, questions remain about how cellular agriculture can help with the world’s growing agricultural challenges.

Drawing on the latest research, companies are developing more-effective therapies.

Abnormalities in how pulmonary veins connect to the heart underlie a type of congenital heart disease. Jonathan Epstein and his colleagues show that this condition, termed anomalous pulmonary venous connections, can be caused by mutation of the gene encoding the guidance protein semaphorin 3d and show how this protein acts in the embryo to pattern the developing pulmonary veins.

Supernovae are thought to arise through one of two processes. Type Ib/c and type II supernovae are produced when the cores of massive, short-lived stars undergo gravitational core collapse and eject a few solar masses. Type Ia supernovae are thought to form by the thermonuclear detonation of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf. Here a faint type Ib supernova, SN 2005E, is reported that seems not to have had a core-collapse origin, but perhaps arose from a low-mass, old progenitor, probably a helium-accreting white dwarf in a binary.

Extremely massive stars with initial masses of more than 140 solar masses end their lives when pressure-supporting photons turn into electron–positron pairs, leading to a violent contraction that triggers a nuclear explosion, unbinding the star in a pair-instability supernova. Here, the mass of the exploding core of supernova SN 2007bi is estimated at around 100 solar masses, in which case theory unambiguously predicts a pair-instability supernova. Further observations are well fitted by models of pair-instability supernovae.

Asia has a rich variety of nutritious ‘neglected crops’, including cereals, roots and pulses. Adopting a diverse cropping portfolio using these forgotten crops is a promising approach to closing the current production and nutrition gaps.