Browse Articles

REGEN-COV is a SARS-CoV-2 combined monoclonal antibody treatment which has been shown to be effective in randomised controlled trials. Here, the authors assess its real-world effectiveness using data from Israel during the Delta wave and find that it reduced the risk of hospitalisation, severe disease and death.

Respiratory syncytial virus is a major pathogen with burden observed and associated with childhood infection. Here the authors characterise a cationic adjuvant formulation and show single immunisation results in protection in a murine neonate model of respiratory syncytial virus infection.

High extraction capacity with precise selectivity to trace amounts of gold over a wide range of co-existing elements remains a challenge for effective e-waste recycling. Here, authors demonstrate the excellent performance of rGO for gold extraction from e-waste leachate, even at minute concentrations.

TPC2 is a lysosomal ion channel permeable to both calcium and sodium ions. Here, the authors show that TPC2 can selectively increase its calcium permeability when simultaneously challenged by both its natural activators- NAADP and PI(3,5)P₂.

Fluids released from progressive breakdown of minerals at increasing pressure within a mélange may explain the trace element systematics and stable thallium isotope data of the Kamchatka arc lavas from volcanic front to back arc.

The study of complexity in quantum systems is a fascinating topic, which however is still in its infancy, especially at the experimental level. Here, the authors report on the observation of “small-world” characteristics in the network of quantum correlations within chains of up to 23 superconducting qubits long.

Battery solid-state electrolytes rely on mixed polyanion networks to attain high ionic conductivities. Here, the authors investigate the effect of polyanion mixing on the solid-state electrolyte ion conductivity via theoretical calculations and electrochemical measurements.

Tumour hypoxia is an important factor in tumorigenesis and cancer therapy. Here, the authors present a micro oxygenation factory, capable of providing an oxygen supply through photosynthesis, and demonstrate its utility in cancer therapy.

In this genomic study on Alpine whitefish radiations, the authors reveal details on the genetic architecture underlying the repeated eco-morphological diversification and the role of hybridization in the evolution of endemic whitefish species.

The thymus generates all T cells, including those that underly autoimmune diseases. Here, using deep sequencing, the authors profile human medullary thymic epithelial cells and establish a web portal to query their transcriptome, which may serve as a tool to help identify the drivers of autoimmunity.

Here, the authors show that Weddell seal mothers mobilize endogenous iron stores during lactation to provide to pups, resulting in iron concentrations in milk 100x higher than terrestrial mammals. This was associated with reduced dive durations in the mother, a cost of reproduction.

Animals have evolved varied strategies for predator avoidance. Here the authors find that Drosophila can recognize threats from younger parasitoid wasps via the perception of their search performance, and reduce egg laying through the reduction of octopamine neuronal signalling.

Intracranial germ cell tumors (IGCTs) are rare brain tumors mainly diagnosed in children and young adults. Here, the authors conduct a genome-wide association study for IGCTs, identify a risk locus at BAK1, and characterize its functional consequences.

Understanding structure-property relationship of dye arrays is of great importance for designing organic photonic and photovoltaic materials. Here, authors present a slip-stacked perylene bisimide array as a model system to investigate singlet fission mechanisms by depending upon interchromophoric interaction.

Here the authors revealed a role for the protein deacetylase SIRT2 in Golgi stress, particularly induced by bacterial infection. Shigella secrete effector proteins such as IcsB, which transfers fatty acyl groups to modify host proteins to evade host immune surveillance. The upregulated SIRT2 counteracts this function by removing the fatty acyl groups and enhancing the killing of Shigella.

Whole-genome recoding has been shown to enable nonstandard amino acids, biocontainment and viral resistance in bacteria. Here the authors extend this to human cells using base editing to convert TAG to TAA for 33 essential genes via a single transfection followed by examining base-editing genome-wide.

The identification of molecular biomarkers in cancer of unknown primary site (CUP) cases may enable the improvement of prognosis in these patients. Here, the authors integrate whole genome/exome, transcriptome and methylome data in 70 CUP patients, recommend therapies based on their analysis and report clinical outcome data.

CrI3 is a van der Waals material which exhibits magnetic ordering down to the monolayer limit. Here, using ultrafast optical spectroscopy, Padmanabhan and Buessen et al. investigate the coupling between the magnetically ordered spins and lattice distortions, finding a coherent spin-coupled phonon mode.

Zika virus (ZIKV), the causative agent of virus-induced brain damage in newborns, is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus. Here, Obadia et al. characterize ZIKV vector competence of 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 different countries to inform about epidemic risk. They find that African ZIKV strain shows higher transmission efficiency compared to American and Asian ZIKV strains and that Ae. aegypti mosquitoes have highest susceptibility to infections, while Culexmosquitoes are largely non-susceptible.

Phage contamination is a persistent problem in industrial biotechnology processes employing bacterial strains. Here, the authors report the construction of E. coli host strains with broad antiphase activities via the genomic integration of the Ssp defense system and mutations of components essential for phage infection cycles.