Reviews & Analysis

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  • An artificially intelligent controller can station a stratospheric balloon for weeks at a time without full knowledge of surrounding winds, opening up the prospect of unsupervised environmental monitoring.

    • Scott M. Osprey
    News & Views
  • The first detection of neutrinos produced by the Sun’s secondary solar-fusion cycle paves the way for a detailed understanding of the structure of the Sun and of the formation of massive stars.

    • Gabriel D. Orebi Gann
    News & Views
  • The fossil record traces the origin of the modern bird skull as birds evolved from their dinosaurian ancestors. Now the discovery of a bizarre fossil reveals a surprising diversion during this process of facial transformation.

    • Daniel J. Field
    News & Views
  • This review discusses how single-cell profiling and other technological advances are increasing our understanding of the mechanisms of fibrosis, thereby accelerating the discovery, development and testing of new treatments.

    • Neil C. Henderson
    • Florian Rieder
    • Thomas A. Wynn
    Review Article
  • As the COVID-19 pandemic rages globally, interest in antiviral treatments has never been higher. Antibodies are key defence components, and engineering them to better exploit their natural functions might boost therapeutic options.

    • Xiaojie Yu
    • Mark S. Cragg
    News & Views
  • An analysis of worldwide data finds that human mobility has a hierarchical structure. A proposed model that accounts for such hierarchies reproduces differences in mobility behaviour across genders and levels of urbanization.

    • Elsa Arcaute
    News & Views
  • The discovery that the receptor protein LDLRAD3 is essential for infection of human cells by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus could inform strategies to combat this potentially lethal infection.

    • James Zengel
    • Jan E. Carette
    News & Views
  • Atmospheric particles that increase levels of cellular oxidants when inhaled might be especially harmful. An analysis reveals which emissions should be limited to minimize the potential adverse health effects of such particles in Europe.

    • Rodney Weber
    News & Views
  • Experiments conducted deep beneath a mountain have provided the most precise measurements yet of a key nuclear reaction that occurred seconds after the Big Bang — refining our knowledge of the constituents of the Universe.

    • Brian D. Fields
    News & Views
  • What determines the chemical make-up of human blood? Measurement of the contributions of factors ranging from genetics to lifestyle has now identified diet and gut microbes as key predictors of blood’s molecular composition.

    • Patrick H. Bradley
    • Katherine S. Pollard
    News & Views
  • The authors review how the presence of organized crime in the fisheries sector hinders progress towards the development of a sustainable ocean economy and highlight practical opportunities to address this problem at both the local and the global level.

    • Emma Witbooi
    • Kamal-Deen Ali
    • Omar Salas
    Perspective
  • When determining whether gut microbes affect human health, it is hard to distinguish between a causal and a correlative relationship. Analysis of microbial links to human traits and habits correlated with disease offers a step forward.

    • Sigal Leviatan
    • Eran Segal
    News & Views
  • Many receptor proteins of the GPCR family exist in multiple isoforms. A comprehensive analysis of different combinations of GPCR isoforms that produce diverse signalling patterns in cells has implications for drug development.

    • Joshua C. Snyder
    • Sudarshan Rajagopal
    News & Views
  • The origins of millisecond-long bursts of radio emissions, known as fast radio bursts, from beyond our Galaxy have been enigmatic. The detection of one such burst from a Galactic source helps to constrain the theories.

    • Amanda Weltman
    • Anthony Walters
    News & Views