Reviews & Analysis

By comparing DNA sequences across hundreds of species of primates and other mammals, an analysis identifies non-coding regulatory elements that are conserved only in primates and that could have important roles in complex traits and diseases in humans.

A series of structures of the eukaryotic protein-synthesis machinery are imaged at high resolution in defined states of the elongation phase of protein synthesis. Analysis suggests that there are underlying molecular mechanisms that increase the accuracy of translation of genetic information in eukaryotes.

There is a long-standing assumption that large, densely populated cities inherently foster interactions between a diverse range of people. Analysis of 1.6 billion person-to-person encounters in the United States reveals that big cities are actually pockets of extreme segregation, highlighting a need for strategic urban design that fosters more integrated environments.

Exposure to the complex mix of pesticides used in agriculture in Europe significantly reduces bumblebees’ health. This suggests that current risk-assessment processes, in which pesticides are assessed separately, are not fit for purpose. Continuous monitoring is needed to quantify the real-world effects of pesticides on pollinator health.

The full promise of materials structured at the nanoscale can be realized only if they can be manufactured more efficiently and at the sizes required for device integration. An innovative method takes advantage of thermodynamic and kinetic effects to control the growth of stacked 2D nanosheets that can be used for practical applications from the nanoscale to the macroscale.

The spike protein of BA.2.86 — a subvariant of Omicron — has a large number of mutations, and binds to its receptor in host cells with high affinity. Despite these characteristics, BA.2.86 is no more resistant to antibodies from vaccinated individuals than are the dominant variants that are currently in circulation.

Clostridioides difficile can form iron-storage organelles known as ferrosomes. These protect bacteria from iron toxicity and promote infection by acting as a countermeasure to the host’s defence mechanism of iron sequestration.

In 2019, Cyclone Idai caused devastating flooding in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park when ecological studies of mammals were already under way. Small-bodied species and those in low-lying areas were affected most, suggesting that animals’ sensitivity to extreme weather depends on traits such as body size and habitat use.

Advanced materials engineered at the microscale have the potential to achieve unparalleled mechanical performance under extreme conditions. A laser-based characterization method enables the fast measurement of extreme properties in these materials, by extracting them from the sample’s vibrational ‘fingerprint’, without touching or permanently deforming the structure.

In both humans and bacteria, viral infections lead to the activation of enzymes that generate cyclic nucleotides as messengers to start the immune response. However, how bacteria sense viral invasion was unknown. A structured viral RNA molecule produced during infection has now been identified as a molecular trigger of the bacterial enzyme.

Amphotericin B is a clinically vital antifungal drug, but it has high renal toxicity. The compound kills cells by forming sponge-like aggregates on the cell surface that remove molecules called sterols from the cell membrane. High-resolution structures of these sterol sponges guided rational development and synthesis of a new class of antifungals that are better for renal health.

The number of helium atoms that gradually bind to a single sodium ion at the surface of a liquid helium nanodroplet has been measured as a function of time, as has the amount of energy that dissipates during this process. These findings provide a much-needed glimpse of the early steps of ion solvation.

How accurately a person recalls the COVID-19 pandemic is affected by motivational factors, including how they feel about their vaccination status. The recollections of vaccinated and unvaccinated people are skewed in opposite directions, leading to different retrospective narratives about the pandemic. This distorted recall influences how individuals evaluate past political action, and will complicate preparation for future crises.

The neural pathways involved in syncope, or fainting, are not well understood. Studies in mice have identified a defined subset of vagal sensory neurons that connect the heart and brain. Stimulation of these neurons causes reduced heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and neuronal activity in the brain, resulting in syncope.

Many human diseases lack accurate mouse models because it is technically difficult to create extensively genetically humanized mice. A technique that allows large stretches of DNA to be rapidly rewritten in mouse embryonic stem cells can be used to produce improved animal models.

A type of light-sensitive cell in one of the visual systems of fruit flies transmits two chemical messengers, histamine and acetylcholine, in response to the same light signal. These two molecules act on distinct neurons that have different functions: one type creates an image and the other synchronizes biological rhythms with the day–night cycle.

Superconducting detectors are a leading technology for the detection of single photons, but have been limited in the number of pixels that they can offer. A 400,000-pixel superconducting nanowire single-photon detector camera provides an improvement by a factor of 400 compared with the current state of the art.

A single chip that integrates optical and electronic analog computing modules provides a strategy for creating all-analog computing processors with a speed and energy efficiency that are several orders of magnitude higher than those of state-of-the-art digital processors.

Amphibians are the most vulnerable vertebrates worldwide, with 41% of species threatened with extinction. Habitat loss is the most common threat, and climate change is the main driver of increased extinction risk. Investment in amphibian conservation must be scaled up drastically and urgently to prevent further extinctions and reverse declines.

Quantum electrodynamics, the archetypical theory of electromagnetic interactions, describes the behaviour of charged particles and photons using quantum field theory. Measuring the g factor of a bound electron in a hydrogen-like tin ion (¹¹⁸Sn⁴⁹⁺) provides one of the most stringent tests so far of quantum electrodynamics in strong electric fields.