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Understanding collective behaviour is an important aspect of managing the pandemic response. Here the authors show in a large global study that participants that reported identifying more strongly with their nation reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies in the context of the pandemic.

Wang et al. present T cell receptor sequencing of serial tumor and blood samples from TIL-treated patients with non-small cell lung cancer, identifying tumor-reactive clonotypes expressing dysfunctional programs in patients lacking clinical benefit.

Transplantation of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is the only reported cure of HIV-1. Here, authors describe an autologous HSC transplant therapy with cells engineered for multilayered resistance to HIV-1 through CCR5 knockout and secretion of HIV inhibiting antibodies by B cell progeny.

IL-33 induces tertiary lymphoid structures.

Prohibiting changes to author names on published works can harm vulnerable people.

COVID-19 and locust swarms have threatened international agricultural supply chains. Here, the possible impacts on wheat, rice and maize trade are modelled, showing that trade restrictions could create food price spikes and localized food shortages.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

The Omicron variant evades vaccine-induced neutralization but also fails to form syncytia, shows reduced replication in human lung cells and preferentially uses a TMPRSS2-independent cell entry pathway, which may contribute to enhanced replication in cells of the upper airway. Altered fusion and cell entry characteristics are linked to distinct regions of the Omicron spike protein.

Two neutral compounds containing a zero-valent s-block metal, beryllium, have now been isolated and fully characterized. Structural characterization, supported by calculations, show that these brightly coloured complexes adopt a closed-shell singlet configuration with a Be(0) metal centre and an unusually strong three-centre two-electron π-bond across the C–Be–C unit.

A study of the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in England between September 2020 and June 2021 finds that interventions capable of containing previous variants were insufficient to stop the more transmissible Alpha and Delta variants.

Mathematical modelling of 15 years of data from South Africa reveals the spread and vaccine-driven changes in fitness and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

T_H17 cells comprise a subset of CD4⁺ T cells that coordinate the inflammatory response in host defence but are pathogenic in autoimmunity. Here, the AP-1 transcription factor BATF is shown to have a critical role in T_H17 cell differentiation, with Batf^−/− mice displaying a defect in T_H17 differentiation and resistance to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Here we describe an open collaborative effort termed the ‘Ruminant T2T Consortium’. It aims to generate complete diploid assemblies for many species of ruminants to examine chromosomal evolution in the context of natural selection and domestication.

A phase I clinical trial of an adjuvant personalized mRNA neoantigen vaccine, autogene cevumeran, in patients with pancreatic ductal carcinoma demonstrates that the vaccine can induce T cell activity that may correlate with delayed recurrence of disease.

A new spatial transcriptomic approach reveals astrocyte heterogeneity across layers of the mammalian cerebral cortex. Astrocytes diversify into superficial-, mid- and deep-layer subtypes distinct from neuronal laminae, yet instructed by neuronal cues.

The expression of each of the roughly 22,000 genes of the mouse genome has been mapped, at cellular resolution, across all major structures of the mouse brain, revealing that 80% of all genes appear to be expressed in the brain.

RNA-binding proteins play key roles in controlling gene expression in many organisms. Here, Chu et al. identify hundreds of RNA-binding proteins in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and show that a major transcription factor uses its helix-turn-helix ___domain to bind RNAs near intrinsic transcription terminators.

Thymic epithelial tumors are associated with increased risk of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced myotoxicities, and the presence of anti-acetylcholine-receptor antibodies has the potential to serve as a biomarker for ICI-induced myocarditis in patients with cancer.

FRAP analysis often relies on simplified assumptions that can affect measurement accuracy. Here the authors present a Python-based FRAP analysis software using simulations instead of simplified theoretical models to fit the data, which accounts for complex sample geometries and bleach conditions.

Seronegative healthcare workers with an innate signature of infection preferentially expand pre-existing T cells targeting the conserved replication transcription complex of SARS-CoV-2 in abortive infection.

In a new study including 200 families who experienced perinatal death, adding genomic analyses to standard autopsies improved the identification of underlying pathogenic causes and informed genetic counseling.

Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from patients with SARS-CoV-2-induced respiratory failure suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infects alveolar macrophages to cause release of T cell chemoattractants, thereby inducing local inflammatory cytokine release and further T cell activation, ultimately resulting in a positive feedback loop that drives alveolar inflammation.

Epilepsies are common brain disorders and are classified based on clinical phenotyping, imaging and genetics. Here, the authors perform genome-wide association studies for 3 broad and 7 subtypes of epilepsy and identify 16 loci - 11 novel - that are further annotated by eQTL and partitioned heritability analyses.

African microbiomes are much neglected and previous studies have disproportionately focused on the Global North. Africa harbours substantial genetic diversity in terms of its ecosystems, humans and animals. In this Comment, we highlight the lack of information regarding microbiome datasets from Africa and propose mechanisms for increasing microbiome research in Africa.

John Bell and colleagues report that cross-talk between tumor and cancer-associated fibroblasts mediated by FGF2 can enhance efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy.

In an inter-laboratory study, the authors compare the accuracy and performance of three optical density calibration protocols (colloidal silica, serial dilution of silica microspheres, and colony-forming unit (CFU) assay). They demonstrate that serial dilution of silica microspheres is the best of these tested protocols, allowing precise and robust calibration that is easily assessed for quality control and can also evaluate the effective linear range of an instrument.