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A multi-laboratory study in the form of a community challenge assesses the quality of models that can be produced from cryo-EM maps using different software tools, the reproducibility of models generated by different users and the performance of metrics used for model validation.

Ferroelectric (FE) materials are used in a wide range of applications, which often requires sizable FE polarization. Here, the authors report a growth procedure to enhance the FE polarization by exploiting the polarization of a FE substrate during growth to obtain higher strains and polarizations in the final material.

Identifying the mutational landscape of tumours from cell-free DNA in the blood could help diagnostics in cancer. Here, the authors present ichorCNA, software that quantifies tumour content in cell free DNA, and they demonstrate that cell-free DNA whole-exome sequencing is concordant with metastatic tumour whole-exome sequencing.

STAAR is a powerful rare variant association test that incorporates variant functional categories and complementary functional annotations using a dynamic weighting scheme based on annotation principal components. STAAR accounts for population structure and relatedness and is scalable for analyzing large whole-genome sequencing studies.

Deployment of fuel-cell-based heavy-duty vehicles requires a complete understanding of cathode degradation. Now, identical-___location micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is performed on realistic membrane electrode assemblies to identify the degradation mechanisms of the platinum catalyst.

Lymphocyte homing to the gut and Peyer’s patches requires expression of integrin α₄β₇. Ballet and colleagues report that B cell expression of CD22 is required to specifically retain surface expression of β₇ integrin molecules, thereby promoting B cell retention in the gut and optimal gut mucosal antibody responses.

Fibre snacks that target distinct features of the microbiomes of donors with obesity transplanted into gnotobiotic mice also lead to fibre-specific changes in the microbiome and physiology when used in controlled-diet human studies.

Safety and immunogenicity results in humans of a two-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine made from plants support further assessment of potential efficacy.

Dietary protein dilution, where protein is reduced and replaced by other nutrient sources without caloric restriction, promotes metabolic health via the hepatokine Fgf21. Here, the authors show that essential amino acids threonine and tryptophan are necessary and sufficient to induce these effects.

Histone acetylation is a ubiquitous hallmark of transcription. Here the authors provide evidence that the majority of histone acetylation is dependent on transcription, specifically due to the requirement of RNAPII for the recruitment and activity of histone acetyltransferases.

Human face recognition is robust to changes in viewpoint, illumination, facial expression and appearance. The authors investigated face recognition in deep convolutional neural networks by manipulating the strength of identity information in a face by caricaturing. They found that networks create a highly organized face similarity structure in which identities and images coexist.

MSK-IMPACT is a clinical sequencing platform able to detect genomic mutations, copy number alterations and structural variants in a panel of cancer-related genes. This assay is implemented prospectively to inform patient enrollment in genomically matched clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Sequencing results of tumor and matched normal tissue from a cohort of >10,000 patients with detailed clinical annotation provide an overview of the genomic landscape of advanced solid cancers and bring new insights into molecularly guided cancer therapy.

The 33 minute change in the orbital period of Dimorphos after the DART kinetic impact suggests that ejecta contributed a substantial amount of momentum to the asteroid compared with the DART spacecraft alone.

Genome-wide association analyses identify risk loci for spontaneous coronary artery dissection and implicate arterial integrity and tissue-mediated coagulation in the disease etiology. Several risk variants show opposite effects on coronary artery disease risk.

Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope reveal a complex evolution of the ejecta produced by the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft impacting Dimorphos.

Intercalation of copper and cobalt atoms into n-type SnS₂ enables seamless integration of metal, and n- and p-type semiconductors in one parent 2D material.

Theories of consciousness have a long and controversial history. One well-known proposal — integrated information theory — has recently been labeled as ‘pseudoscience’, which has caused a heated open debate. Here we discuss the case and argue that the theory is indeed unscientific because its core claims are untestable even in principle.

The relationship between genomic alteration and immune context in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is complex. Here, the authors analyse the molecular and immunological landscape of 245 Chinese patients with NSCLC and find low immune infiltration correlates with genomic alterations.

Shuman et al. report that epileptic mice harbor desynchronized hippocampal interneuron activity and unstable spatial representations, revealing that precise intrahippocampal synchronization is critical for spatial coding.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is highly heritable, yet not well understood from a genetic perspective. Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 34,179 POAG cases, identifying 44 previously unreported risk loci and mapping effects across multiple ethnicities.

Genome-wide analysis identifies variants associated with the volume of seven different subcortical brain regions defined by magnetic resonance imaging. Implicated genes are involved in neurodevelopmental and synaptic signaling pathways.

Tumor cell in the peritoneum are often exposed to shear forces generated by ascitic flow during metastasis. Here, the authors show that metastatic cancer stem cells tether more and roll slower than the non-metastatic counterparts, and that sialyl-Lewis^x -P-selectin axis mediates peritoneal metastasis.

Exploring the magnetism in the van der Waals materials facilitates two dimensional spintronic devices. Here the authors demonstrate the evolution of magnetic behavior, strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and existence of magnetic coupling between atomic layers in Fe₃GeTe₂ nanoflakes by varying the layer thickness.

A CRISPR–CAS9 screen, analysis of patient data, and functional in vivo and in vitro experiments identify a critical role for ARID1A in determining breast luminal cell identity and endocrine therapeutic response in estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.

Fernando Rivadeneira and colleagues in the Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis Consortium report a large-scale meta-analysis identifying new loci associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and risk of fracture. Thirty-two new loci are found to be associated with BMD, and 6 loci confer higher risk for low-trauma bone fracture.

Alveolar epithelial progenitors in the lungs can regenerate the epithelial surface after acute injury. Here they generate lung organoids that can be used to study lung regeneration after injury and identify Nkx2-1 as a key regulator of alveolar progenitor activation.

A new spectroscopic technique takes advantage of overlapping electronic bands to probe the strongly correlated states of magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene.

Comparisons within the human pangenome establish that homologous regions on short arms of heterologous human acrocentric chromosomes actively recombine, leading to the high rate of Robertsonian translocation breakpoints in these regions.

Constructing genome graphs directly from genome assemblies overcomes single-reference bias.

In graphene and on the surfaces of many topological insulators, the Dirac cones are pinned to high symmetry points in reciprocal space. Here, the authors report that the Dirac cones in atomically-thin Sb layers occur at generic reciprocal-space points which can be tuned by lattice strain.

Warm greenhouse conditions spanning the end-Permian mass extinction event are linked to increased rates of reverse weathering, according to lithium and strontium isotope records as well as geochemical modelling.

Brain metastases (BrMs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are associated with dismal outcomes, and are possibly sustained by the brain microenvironment. Here, the authors analyse NSCLC BrMs using Digital Spatial Profiling and reveal fibrosis, immune suppression, and cell reprogramming in the BrM microenvironment.

The formation of nanostructures with chiral symmetry often requires chiral directing agents at a smaller length scale. Here, the authors report the self-assembly of 2D chiral superlattices from achiral tetrahedron-shaped building blocks.

Sexual interactions with males shorten the lifespan of the opposite sex in several species, including Caenorhabditis elegans, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Here the authors use transcriptomic profiling in C. elegans to systematically identify the genetic pathways involved in male-induced demise, which include upregulation of a conserved ion channel that regulates fat metabolism.

Human population genomic studies, including whole‐genome sequencing, were undertaken to identify determinants of bone mineral density (BMD), a major predictor of osteoporotic fractures. Non‐coding variants with large effects on BMD and fractures were identified near the EN1 locus and mouse studies confirmed this gene has an important role in skeletal biology.

A region on chromosome 19p13 is associated with the risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. Here, the authors genotyped SNPs in this region in thousands of breast and ovarian cancer patients and identified SNPs associated with three genes, which were analysed with functional studies.

Wheat stem rust is a devastating fungal disease, especially since the emergence of the virulent Ug99 lineage. An efficient resistance gene, encoding a CC–NB–LRR, is identified in a highly diverse locus of rye, and is effective against Ug99.

Plasma channels induced in air by femtosecond-laser filamentation are useful for many applications, including attosecond physics and spectroscopy and remote sensing. By appropriately employing a surrounding auxiliary dressing beam to continuously supply energy to the filament, the natural range of the plasma column has been extended by at least one order of magnitude.

Soft biological composites have great potential in areas such as artificial tissue constructs and bio-integrated devices, but receive little attention. Here, the authors design soft biomimetic materials that can precisely reproduce the non-linear mechanics of relevant biological materials.

The hippocampus in mammalian brain varies in size across individuals. Here, Hibar and colleagues perform a genome-wide association meta-analysis to find six genetic loci with significant association to hippocampus volume.

Circadian rhythms are central to health and disease and there is renewed interest in chronotherapy. Here, the authors present a mouse with an artificial circadian clock that can be pharmacologically tuned, providing a tool for future studies of circadian biology and therapy.

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas are diagnosed by sampling a small portion of the tumour. Here, using multiple samples from tumours, the authors analyse the spatial and temporal distribution of driver mutations revealing that H3K27M mutations arise first in tumorigenesis followed by a specific invariable sequence of driver mutations, which are homogeneously distributed across the tumour mass.

Recent developments in cryo-electron microscopy have enabled structure determination of large protein complexes at almost atomic resolution. Wang et al.combine some of these technologies into an effective workflow, and demonstrate the protocol by solving the atomic structure of an icosahedral RNA virus.