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Many beneficial effects of exercise are mediated by factors secreted from the exercising muscle, so-called myokines. Here, the authors identify what might be the first exercised-induced adipokine, TGF-β2, which is secreted from subcutaneous fat in response to exercise-induced increases in serum lactate levels and has beneficial metabolic effects in mice.

Explosive volcanic eruptions in the extratropics have cooled the climate in their hemisphere more than tropical eruptions, suggests an analysis of reconstructions since ad 750 and simulations with an atmosphere–aerosol model.

Asprosin, a recently identified secreted hormone from adipose tissue, acts centrally to promote food intake.

Simon Gayther and colleagues report 3 new risk variants for mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) on the basis of an analysis of 1,644 MOC cases and 21,693 controls. They confirm an eQTL association between the HOXD9 promoter and risk SNPs at 2q31.1 using chromosome conformation capture analysis and show that HOXD9 overexpression associates with neoplastic transformation.

Large-scale invasive species control initiatives are motivated by laudable desires for native species recovery and economic benefits, but they are not without risk. Management interventions and policies should include evidence-based risk–benefit assessment and mitigation planning.

How tumors evade control by natural killer cells is ill defined. Smyth and colleagues show that natural killer cells in the tumor microenvironment can convert into type I innate lymphoid cells and intermediate type I innate lymphoid cells that favor tumor growth and metastasis.

How plate tectonic subduction is initiated is unclear. Analysis of sediments and rock cores taken from the Izu–Bonin–Mariana subduction zone trench suggests subduction started spontaneously in this region around 50 million years ago.

After neurotransmitter release evoked by intense stimulation, synaptic vesicles are retrieved either by clathrin-mediated endocytosis or by activity-dependent bulk endocytosis (ADBE), both of which require the GTPase dynamin I. Here the authors show that presynaptic glycogen synthase kinase-3 specifically regulates synaptic vesicle retrieval during ADBE via phosphorylation of dynamin I.

As the global climate changes, drought is expected to reduce productivity and tree survival across many forests; however, the relative influence of climate variables on forest decline remains poorly understood. A drought-stress index based on tree-ring data—newly developed for the southwestern United States—is found to be equally influenced by evaporation (primarily temperature driven) and precipitation and may serve as a holistic forest-vigour indicator in water-limited forests.

The growth rates of freshly formed aerosol particles influence what fraction of these can reach sizes large enough to affect cloud formation and climate. Here, the authors show that the nano-particle growth in a sulphuric acid containing system can be enhanced by the presence of ions or small acid-base clusters.

Receptor Interacting Protein Kinase 2 (RIPK2) mediates innate immune signalling in response to intracellular pathogens, but its aberrant activation contributes to autoimmune pathologies. Here Nachbur et al.describe a RIPK2 inhibitor that is effective in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic allergic inflammatory disease with a complex underlying genetic etiology. Here, the authors identify a series of rare variants in DSP and PPL in multiplex families with EoE and uncover a pathogenic role for desmosomal dysfunction in EoE.

A new high-resolution record for the Antarctic Zone shows persistent anti-phasing of high interglacial ocean productivity and high glacial dust deposition, suggesting a close inter-hemispheric coupling of cryosphere, ocean and atmosphere.

Accelerating progress in land-climate science requires a renewed focus on developing theory to complement and underpin Earth system models and observations.

The 12 January 2010 M_w 7.0 Haiti earthquake exhibited primarily strike-slip motion but unusually generated a tsunami. An extensive field survey reveals that coastal strike-slip fault systems produce relief conducive to rapid sedimentation, erosion and slope failure, so that even modest predominantly strike-slip earthquakes can cause potentially catastrophic slide-generated tsunamis.

The Younger Dryas — during which Northern Hemisphere temperatures cooled drastically in just a few years — is perhaps the best-known example of abrupt climate change, but its global extent is under debate, particularly in the record of glacial behaviour in New Zealand. These authors present evidence for glacial retreat in New Zealand during the Younger Dryas, supporting the hypothesis that Northern Hemisphere climate changes caused Southern Hemisphere warming through a series of climate feedbacks.

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation modulates global weather and climate. Analyses of large-scale environmental indices show that it also affects the frequency of tornado and hail events in the central United States, which may help with predictability.

The geographic extent of cooling associated with the Antarctic Cold Reversal is unclear. Dating of glacial moraines in New Zealand suggests that the cooling extended into the southern mid-latitudes, possibly as a result of the northward migration of the southern subtropical front.

When basal meltwater refreezes, the resulting warm ice can influence the flow dynamics of the ice sheet above. An analysis of airborne gravity and radar data identifies extensive basal-ice units across the northern Greenland ice sheet that coincide with areas of deformed ice and fast ice flow.

Mid-ocean ridges are composed of segmented faults and magma reservoirs. Seismic images from the East Pacific Rise show that the magma reservoirs are segmented on the same fine scale as the surface faults, and that distinct lava eruptions are sourced from largely isolated magma lenses.

Persistence of resistant leukemic cells after therapy is the main cause of relapse. Here, the authors show that mesenchymal stem cells-derived PML is involved in the maintenance of leukemia cells through Cxcl1 and IL6 and that PML inhibition enhances sensitivity to chemotherapy.

Tin Aung, Chiea-Chuen Khor and colleagues report the results of a genome-wide association study of exfoliation syndrome. They replicate a known association at LOXL1 and identify a previously unreported association at CACNA1A.

Paul Thompson and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for hippocampal, intracranial and total brain volume. They identify a locus at 12q24 associated with hippocampal volume and a locus at 12q14 associated with intracranial volume.

In this Perspective, attendees of the Herrenhausen Tumour Heterogeneity meeting discuss the challenges in understanding tumour heterogeneity and propose ways forward for overcoming these hurdles.

Georgia Chenevix-Trench and colleagues report meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies identifying six loci newly associated with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). They also test variants at the 12 known and 6 new EOC susceptibility loci for association in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

iNKT cells in adipose tissue are anti-inflammatory. Brenner and colleagues show that adipose iNKT cells have a unique transcriptional program, produce IL-2 and IL-10 and lack expression of the transcription factor PLZF.

Currently, there is no cure for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which can lead to chronic liver disease and liver cancer, and only a few biomarkers are available. This Roadmap provides an overview of HBV serum biomarkers and their challenges.

Winter warming in the Arctic will increase the CO₂ flux from soils. A pan-Arctic analysis shows a current loss of 1,662 TgC per year over the winter, exceeding estimated carbon uptake in the growing season; projections suggest a 17% increase under RCP 4.5 and a 41% increase under RCP 8.5 by 2100.

In this Consensus Statement, an expert panel compares and contrasts recommendations for the management of gout produced by rheumatology organizations and the American College of Physicians (ACP), and present the G-CAN position on the ACP guideline.

Elevated serum uric acid levels and gout are linked with the development of several comorbid conditions including hypertension, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. In this Review, the authors explore the mechanisms underlying these associations and discuss the potential of appropriate treatment strategies to improve cardiovascular and renal outcomes in patients with hyperuricaemia and gout.

The tuberculosis pandemic requires new methods for diagnosing and containing infections prior to active disease. Here, the authors performed a multi-site observational study within sub-Saharan Africa and present serum and plasma metabolic signatures that can predict the onset of active TB with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity.