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Cities affect biological evolution, but traditionally researchers focus on the biophysical influence of urban environments. Instead, this Review explores how the social processes of religion, politics and war drive wildlife evolution by shaping urban conditions.

The disruption of hubs connecting production, processing and consumption locations may seriously impact agri-food supply-chain networks and affect food security. Using complex network statistics, this study identifies structural chokepoints that accumulate agri-food commodities from their production regions to be further processed and redistributed to final consumption points across the United States.

A comparison of alpha diversity (number of plant species) and dark diversity (species that are currently absent from a site despite being ecologically suitable) demonstrates the negative effects of regional-scale anthropogenic activity on plant diversity.

Modifications enhancing degradation resistance and albumin affinity enabled the delivery of an siRNA conjugate silencing MMP13 to guinea pig and murine arthritic joints, improving therapeutic outcomes following intravenous administration.

Geospatial estimates of the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age across 82 low-income and middle-income countries reveals considerable heterogeneity and inequality at national and subnational levels, with few countries on track to meet the WHO Global Nutrition Targets by 2030.

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).

Protected areas are intended to safeguard wildlife, but their effectiveness has at times been questioned. Barnes, Craigie, and colleagues show that protected areas do offer refuge—maintaining their bird and mammal abundances—but with greater success for larger-bodied species and in more developed nations.

In this Review, the authors provide an overview of gout and hyperuricaemia in Indigenous peoples of the Pacific region, including discussion of genetic, clinical and cultural aspects and how to address the inequitable health outcomes and suboptimal gout management in these populations.

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.

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impact on asteroid Dimophos resulted in an elliptical ejecta plume. Here, the authors show that this elliptical ejecta is due to the curvature of the asteroid and makes kinetic momentum transfer less efficient.

In an analysis of long-term safety events in 783 patients treated with T cell therapy in 38 trials, 2.3% of patients developed second primary malignancies, and vector integration analyses revealed no pathological insertions.

The response of prostate cancer cells to androgens depends on the dose. Here, the authors show that low levels of androgens function through androgen receptor (AR) monomers to activate mTOR and promote cell proliferation, while high dose androgens induce AR dimerization to inhibit c-MYC expression and facilitate cell differentiation.

A survey of sharks and rays on coral reefs within 66 marine protected areas across 36 countries showcases that the conservation benefits of full MPA protection to sharks almost double when accompanied by effective fisheries management.

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.

How ocean acidification will impact coastal biogenic habitats is unclear. This study predicts that indirect effects on habitat-forming organisms, combined with direct effects on biodiversity, will cause changes in structural complexity and extent of these habitats.

Meta-analyses in up to 1.3 million individuals identify 87 rare-variant associations with blood pressure traits. On average, rare variants exhibit effects ~8 times larger than the mean effects of common variants and implicate candidate causal genes at associated regions.

Bathymetric surveys of the submarine Congo Canyon show damming by canyon-flank landslides led to the temporary storage of substantial masses of sediment and organic carbon, interrupting their transport to the deep sea.

The authors present the largest genome-wide association study to date for a rare Parkinsonian disorder, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). They include follow-up investigations of the identified susceptibility loci, functional consequences, and cell-specific pathologies, providing insights into genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying PSP.

Nunes and colleagues analyze supply chain constraints and climate consequences of new tailpipe emissions standards in the US. They find that the standards promote electric vehicle adoption and would reduce emissions significantly, but adoption may be constrained by critical mineral supplies.

Biological responses to ocean acidification will depend on variation in tolerance and phenotypic plasticity over different timescales. This study of the spiny damselfish demonstrates the importance of parental variation and transgenerational effects in the response of fish to ocean acidification.

Openshaw and colleagues find myeloid inflammation and complement activation signatures in patients with long COVID who were previously hospitalized.

Selective ERK5 inhibitors target ERK5 kinase activity, but they do not phenocopy the effects of ERK5 genetic depletion. Here, the authors demonstrate that the direct interaction of these inhibitors to ERK5 kinase ___domain induces conformational changes that promote ERK5 nuclear translocation and transcriptional activities.

A taste of things to come?

Bhattacharjee and Schaeffer et al. map exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in 94 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), finding increased EBF practice and reduced subnational variation across the majority of LMICs from 2000 to 2018. However, only six LMICs will meet WHO’s target of ≥70% EBF by 2030 nationally, and only three will achieve this in all districts.

Inhibition of ALK is initially effective in patients with ALK-driven lung cancer but resistance often arises. Here, the authors use circulating tumour DNA, collected as part of a phase I trial investigating lorlatinib (ALK inhibitor) in pediatric patients with ALK-driven neuroblastoma, to detect early resistance mechanisms.

This study provides insights into the functional roles of microbial symbionts within the reef-building coral Acropora kenti. The findings reveal molecular mechanisms underpinning coral health and adaptation to local environmental stressors, which may support host resilience in the face of anthropogenic climate change and pollution.

Minichromosome maintenance protein 10 (MCM10) is critical for eukaryotic DNA replication. Here, by modelling MCM10 variants in human cell lines, the authors reveal a mechanism of MCM10-associated disease, finding that loss of MCM10 function constrains telomerase activity.

A phase 2 randomized controlled trial of ustekinumab in 72 adolescents with recent-onset type 1 diabetes showed that treatment was well tolerated and β-cell function was 49% higher in the intervention group compared to the placebo arm after 12 months.

Multi-tissue transcriptomic analysis reveals how variability in parental behavioral tolerance and environment shape rapid acclimation to ocean acidification in a coral reef fish.

There is concern that ocean acidification will negatively affect the sensory abilities and behaviour of marine fishes. This study shows that negative impacts of elevated CO₂ on fish behaviour are not diminished by transgenerational acclimation.

Ocean acidification impairs reef fish behaviour. This study shows offspring of spiny damselfish sensitive to high CO₂ levels have different brain molecular responses to those of tolerant individuals, suggesting individual variation may allow adaptation.

It is unclear whether stream detritivore diversity enhances decomposition across climates. Here the authors manipulate litter diversity and examine detritivore assemblages in a globally distributed stream litterbag experiment, finding a positive diversity-decomposition relationship stronger in tropical streams, where detritivore diversity is lower.

Fine-scale geospatial mapping of overweight and wasting (two components of the double burden of malnutrition) in 105 LMICs shows that overweight has increased from 5.2% in 2000 to 6.0% in children under 5 in 2017. Although overall wasting decreased over the same period, most countries are not on track to meet the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025.

A genome-wide association study in more than 400,000 individuals identifies 139 new signals for lung function. These variants can predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in independent, transancestral cohorts.

Trans-ethnic analyses of exome array data identify new risk loci for type 2 diabetes. Fine-mapping analyses using genome-wide association data show that the index coding variants represent the likely causal variants at only a subset of these loci.

A transancestral exome-wide association study for body-fat distribution identifies protein-coding variants that are significantly associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index.

Genome-wide data from 400 individuals indicate that the initial spread of the Beaker archaeological complex between Iberia and central Europe was propelled by cultural diffusion, but that its spread into Britain involved a large-scale migration that permanently replaced about ninety per cent of the ancestry in the previously resident population.

FlyWire presents a neuronal wiring diagram of the whole fly brain with annotations for cell types, classes, nerves, hemilineages and predicted neurotransmitters, with data products and an open ecosystem to facilitate exploration and browsing.

Data from over 700,000 individuals reveal the identity of 83 sequence variants that affect human height, implicating new candidate genes and pathways as being involved in growth.

Mangrove forests protect communities from storms and support fisheries. Here, the authors show that the association with economic growth has shifted from negatively impacting mangroves to enabling mangrove expansion, and that community forestry is promoting mangrove expansion.

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.

By applying operant conditioning, behavioral manipulation, in vivo electrophysiology, computational modeling, and closed-loop optogenetics, the authors reveal a mechanism for action timing in mice mediated by the secondary auditory cortex.