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The biosynthesis of the methylated sesquiterpene sodorifen, which features a cryptic methylation pattern, has now been studied through extensive labelling experiments and computational chemistry. The methyl group formation is now understood to come from methylene carbons of the substrate farnesyl diphosphate and the absolute configuration of the biosynthetic intermediate presodorifen diphosphate has been revised.

Sarcomas are a group of mesenchymal malignancies which are molecularly heterogeneous. Here, the authors develop an in vivo muscle electroporation system for gene delivery to generate distinct subtypes of orthotopic genetically engineered mouse models of sarcoma, as well as syngeneic allograft models with scalability for preclinical assessment of therapeutics.

Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at the national scale tracks emerging variants.

Comparative analysis of Y chromosomes across 29 primate species reveals rapid evolution and shows different patterns of evolution among regions of the Y chromosome during primate diversification.

Artificial intelligence (AI) system is known to improve dermatologists’ diagnostic accuracy for melanoma. This group applies the eye-tracking technology on dermatologists when diagnosing dermoscopic images of melanomas and reports improved balanced diagnostic accuracy when using an X(explainable) AI system comparing to the standard one.

Second-generation oxidation boosts the production of anthropogenic organic aerosol, according to an analysis of urban haze in an experimental chamber.

Targeting of diseased cells is key to the development of next-generation pharmaceuticals, but is often hindered by a lack of specific cell surface markers. Here the authors develop an RNA-based approach, which allows precise control of gene expression, with translation only occurring within preselected cell types of interest.

Mutations in the serine/threonine kinase ataxia teleangiectasia mutated (ATM) have been linked to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cohorts. Here Russellet al. show that loss of ATM induces a greater number of proliferative precursor lesions in a mouse model, recapitulating many features of human PDAC subtypes.

Solid ammonium nitrate particles are formed in the upper troposphere during the Asian monsoons, which bring large amounts of ground ammonia to this altitude, according to integrated analyses of measurements on ammoniated aerosol, together with model simulations.

Here, the authors identify a cognitive reserve-related activity pattern underlying successful memory encoding. They further derive individual reserve scores that predict the maintenance of cognitive performance in the face of Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Zeiser and colleagues show that CAR T cell therapy results in upregulation of the TGFβ-activated kinase-1 (TAK1)–NF-κB–p38 MAPK pathway in microglia, causing neurocognitive defects, and find that TAK1 inhibition can reduce immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome.

Characterization of seminal root number variation in the root systems of >9,000 global maize accessions and its wild relatives provides insights into root trait adaptation to environments during domestication and global expansion.

The spatial architecture of multiple myeloma remains to be explored. Here, the authors perform bulk and single cell sequencing for samples from newly diagnosed patients and reveal gene signatures associated with focal lesions and spatial heterogeneity in the tumour microenvironment.

A model that predicts the force behaviour for solid/liquid-dielectric multilayer stacks independent of actuator design, and solely based on the material properties, can be used to develop actuators that provide a steady force output under constant-voltage operation.

The strong birefringence of liquid crystalline nanospheres in the body of the Pacific cleaner shrimp enables brilliant whiteness by overcoming undesirable optical crowding effects.

Suo et al. show that sulfonium-based molecules afford formamidinium lead iodide perovskites protection against environmental stress factors, improved phase stability and solar cells retaining efficiency over 4,500-h operational stability tests.

While in 3D materials melting is a single, first-order phase transition, in 2D systems, it can also proceed via an intermediate phase. For a skyrmion lattice in Cu₂OSeO₃, magnetic field variations can tune this quasiparticle 2D solid into a skyrmion liquid via an intermediate hexatic phase with short-range translational and quasi-long-range orientational order.

The genomes of two fern species, Azolla filiculoides and Salvinia cucullata, are reported and provide insights into fern-specific whole-genome duplications, fern-specific insect-resistant gene evolution and fern–cyanobacterial symbiosis.

Optimizing COVID-19 vaccination strategies for patients under immunosuppressive medication is of high importance. In this clinical trial including non-seroconverted immunosuppressed patients, a homologous mRNA booster vaccination resulted in higher seroconversion rate than a switch to a vector-based vaccine.

Here the authors present a SARS-CoV2 seroepidemiological observational study from a random, household-based study population in a small town in Germany, showing the effect of a super-spreading event on infection rate, severity, and potentially infection fatality rate.

Societal upheaval occurred across Eurasia in the sixth and seventh centuries. Tree-ring reconstructions suggest a period of pronounced cooling during this time associated with several volcanic eruptions.

The intensity correlations in incoherently scattered X-rays from a free-electron laser can be exploited to image 2D objects with a resolution close to or below the diffraction limit.

The splitting of electron pairs, which is essential for electron-based quantum information processing, can now be obtained with electron pairs that have been generated on-demand.

Classic monodirectional promoters are of limited use for multiple gene co-expression. Here the authors generate a library of 168 bidirectional promoters for the yeast K. phaffii (syn. P. pastoris) with diverse expression profiles to optimize metabolic pathway design.

Renal angiomyolipomas (AML) contain a mix of clonal tumour cells. Here, through reverse tumour engineering experiments, mouse genetics and analyses of human AML tumours, the authors provide evidence that these mesenchymal tumours originate from renal proximal tubule epithelial cells.

Durable agonism of NPR1 achieved with a novel investigational monoclonal antibody could mirror the positive hemodynamic changes in blood pressure and heart failure identified in humans with lifelong exposure to NPR1 coding variants.

Continuous-rotation 3D electron diffraction is a powerful technique to determine structures from nanocrystals. A data treatment method that takes into account dynamical diffraction effects has now been shown to lead to more accurate structure models, better sensitivity to weak signals and a reliable determination of absolute configuration—even for materials containing only light atoms.

Analyses of genomes from 914 children, adolescents, and young adults provide a comprehensive resource of genomic alterations across a spectrum of common childhood cancers.

GPCRs are used for diverse sensing in eukaryotes. Here the authors use GPCRs to construct yeast-based biosensors, focussing on cannabinoids, and use these to screen agonists and antagonists, as well as generate a portable detection device.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses identify 26 risk loci for epilepsy, including 19 loci specific to genetic generalized epilepsy. Prioritized candidate genes implicate synaptic processes and overlap with targets of antiseizure medications.

Electro-optic modulators based on epitaxial barium titanate (BTO) integrated on silicon exhibit speeds up to 50 Gbit s^–1 while the Pockels coefficient of the BTO film is found to be approaching the bulk value.

Although there is extensive theory predicting the effects of population bottlenecks on mutation load, there is little empirical evidence from recent bottlenecks. Here, Grossen et al. compare the consequences of population bottlenecks in six ibex species for genome-wide variation and mutation load.

FR171456 is a bioactive chemical produced by some microorganisms. Here, the authors identify the enzyme NSDHL of the sterol synthesis pathway as the molecular target of FR171456, rendering it the first compound to specifically target this class of enzyme in yeast and mammalian cells.

Early stellarator designs suffered from high particle losses, an issue that can be addressed by optimization of the coils. Here the authors measure the magnetic field lines in the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, confirming that the complicated design of the superconducting coils has been realized successfully.

An exome-wide association study of six smoking phenotypes in up to 749,459 individuals identifies associations of rare coding variants in CHRNB2 that may reduce the likelihood of smoking.

Quantum electrodynamics predicts a rare process in which light is scattered by light. The ATLAS Collaboration reports signs of this elusive effect in the collisions of ultra-relativistic lead ions.

Combining the kinase inhibitor sorafenib with allogeneic stem cell transplantation boosts immune responses against a subtype of acute myelogenous leukemia, suggesting potential clinical benefit.