A hydrogen-rich compound has taken the lead in the race for a material that can conduct electricity with zero resistance at room temperature and ambient pressure — the conditions required for many technological applications.

A group of neuronal cells in the airways have been shown to detect chemicals, called prostaglandins, that are produced by immune cells during infection with a respiratory virus. Once stimulated, the neurons relay this signal to the brain. Mice in which the function of these neurons is impaired show less sickness behaviour after influenza infection than do control animals.

Unexpected smoke-particle chemistry is shown to be the link between intense wildfires and stratospheric ozone loss. As the climate changes, more-frequent and more-intense fires might delay the recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer.

A high-quality reference genome has been generated for the broad bean (also known as the faba or fava bean). The sequence could be used to identify ways to increase yield, improve pest resistance and more.