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Comparison of genome-wide association studies of HTT CAG repeat expansion in blood to expansion-driven clinical traits in Huntington’s disease identifies shared and distinct modifiers implicating DNA mismatch repair with tissue and cell-type specificity.

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.

Here, the authors perform large trans-ancestry fine-mapping analyses identifying large numbers of association signals and putative target genes for colorectal cancer risk, advancing our understanding of the genetic and biological basis of this cancer.

Secondary and exploratory analyses of the phase 3 NRG GY018 trial show that, in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, first-line treatment with pembrolizumab together with paclitaxel and carboplatin leads to prolonged progression-free survival, according to blinded independent central review.

The authors measure picosecond spin pumping in FeRh as a function of temperature by optical pump-THz emission spectroscopy. In the antiferromagnetic phase of FeRh enhanced spin pumping above the value measured in the ferromagnetic phase is observed.

COVID-19 can be associated with neurological complications. Here the authors show that markers of brain injury, but not immune markers, are elevated in the blood of patients with COVID-19 both early and months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in those with brain dysfunction or neurological diagnoses.

A multi-ancestry genome-wide association study meta-analysis, combined with transcriptome- and methylome-wide association analyses, identifies risk loci associated with colorectal cancer. Credible effector genes and their target tissues are also highlighted, showing that over a third probably act outside the colonic mucosa.

Ordinary baryonic particles account for only one-sixth of the total matter in the Universe, the rest being the mysterious 'dark matter'. This paper presents high-fidelity maps of the large-scale distribution of dark matter, resolved in both angle and depth. The results are consistent with predictions of gravitationally induced structure formation.

Neuroinflammation has been proposed to accompany the peripheral inflammation observed in PTSD. Here, authors find lower in vivo and postmortem levels of neuroimmune marker TSPO (translocator protein) in PTSD, in association with greater PTSD severity and higher plasma CRP.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 control impacted transmission of other pathogens including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Here, the authors perform phylodynamic analyses of RSV genomes from New Zealand to explore dynamics before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

A genome-wide association study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 identifies genetic signals that relate to important host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage that may be targeted by repurposing drug treatments.

An ensemble of climate model simulations, as well as hydrological modelling and flood risk mapping, are used to show the role of anthropogenic warming on the extreme rainfall that caused the 2013/14 floods in southern England.

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.

Wildfire can lead to shifts in forest composition to more deciduous tree cover, which can have a biophysical cooling effect on climate. This study finds no net increase in deciduous cover or biophysical cooling over boreal North America in recent decades, despite widespread landscape scale change.

A systematic review of evidence, across the key pillars of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, outlines milestones that need to be met to enable the broad clinical implementation of precision medicine in diabetes care.

Satellites provide clear evidence of greening trends in the Arctic, but high-resolution pan-Arctic quantification of these trends is lacking. Here the authors analyse high-resolution Landsat data to show widespread greening in the Arctic, and find that greening trends are linked to summer warming overall but not always locally.

The FarmGTEx Project aims to understand genetic control of gene activity under diverse biological and environmental contexts in domestic animals, providing a foundation for improving animal precision breeding, adaptation and human health.

Ho, Nyaga et al. develop a machine learning approach for ranking tissue-specific gene regulatory affects, used here for type 1 diabetes SNPs. They identify the lung as a site where these regulatory impacts can be most impactful, which may contribute to understanding the link between respiratory issues and risk of islet autoantibody seroconvernsion.

The SuperBIT telescope spent more than a month being carried through the stratosphere by a scientific balloon, imaging space from above 99.5% of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Theoretician who contributed widely to condensed-matter physics.

This study examines the tempo and drivers of penguin diversification by combining genomes from all extant and recently extinct penguin lineages, stratigraphic data from fossil penguins and morphological and biogeographic data from all extant and extinct species. Together, these datasets provide new insights into the genetic basis and evolution of adaptations in penguins.

Young, McInnes, Massey et al. systematically review published studies evaluating features associated with heterogenous treatment effects for SGLT2-inhibitor and GLP1-receptor agonist therapies in people with type 2 diabetes. They find limited current evidence on treatment effect heterogeneity, for glycaemic, cardiovascular and renal outcomes.

An analysis of 2,173 individuals from the MetaCardis cohort quantifies the individual and combinatorial effects of a range of drugs on host health, metabolome and gut microbiome in cardiometabolic disease.

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is a ubiquitous human ectoparasite with global distribution. Here, the authors sequence the genome of the bed bug and identify reductions in chemosensory genes, expansion of genes associated with blood digestion and genes linked to pesticide resistance.

An exciting genome-wide association study in the British population for seven common diseases. This analysis confirms previously identified loci and provides strong evidence for many novel disease susceptibility loci.

Magnetic skyrmions are promising objects for future spintronic devices. However, a better understanding of their dynamics is required. Here, the authors show that in contrast to predictions the skyrmion Hall angle is independent of their diameter and motion is dominated by disorder and skyrmion-skyrmion interactions in the system.

TMAO is known to be atherothrombotic. Here the authors show that i) kidney function is the main determinant of serum TMAO, ii) TMAO increases kidney scarring with TGF-β1 signalling and iii) anti-diabetic drugs with reno-protective properties such as GLP1R agonists reduce plasma TMAO.

The approximately 5-Gb tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) genome assembly provides a resource for analysing amniote evolution, and highlights the imperative for meaningful cultural engagement with Indigenous communities in genome-sequencing endeavours.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis with a significant genetic component. Here, the authors analyse immune-related genetic markers in 1,962 PsA patients and 8,923 controls to identify novel PsA risk loci and highlight distinct genetic differences between psoriasis and PsA.

A global dataset of the satellite-tracked movements of pelagic sharks and fishing fleets show that sharks—and, in particular, commercially important species—have limited spatial refuge from fishing effort.

An association model that estimates dominance and additive effects applied to imputed whole-genome data from cattle allows for the mapping of recessive syndromes in the absence of disease classification by using proxy phenotypes such as body weight.

Rival experimental methods to determine the Universe's expansion are contending to become the fashionable face of cosmology. Fresh theoretical calculations make one of them the hot tip for next season.