Cash-transfer programmes have emerged as central components of poverty-reduction strategies in many countries, and became even more common during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of 37 low- and middle-income countries finds that these programmes led to marked reductions in population-level mortality in adult women and young children.

Astronomers have used observations of infrared light to measure the heat emanating from an Earth-sized exoplanet known as TRAPPIST-1b. Their findings reveal that the planet is a bare rock, devoid of any atmosphere.

Biophysical and sociopolitical factors have been integrated into a set of measures of planetary change that aim to pinpoint safe and just thresholds for all living things. The exercise is immensely ambitious and inevitably challenging.

A protein has been discovered that binds to the lighter members of the rare-earth family of metals more strongly than to the heavier ones — an amazing feat, given the chemical similarities of these elements.