Majorana bound states are an elusive but promising platform for future topological quantum computation. Here, the authors use local shot noise spectroscopy to determine the nature of charge transfer into zero-energy bound states in superconducting vortices and rule out the presence of impurity states.

Allylic substitution reactions have emerged as a powerful tool for the construction of C − C/X bonds. Here, the authors develop a migratory strategy of allylic arylation under the catalysis of nickel and lanthanide triflate.

Ketone α-alkylation at the more hindered site is challenging. Here, the authors report a highly regioselective nickel-catalysed allylic alkylation of unsymmetrical ketones at the more-hindered α-site with allylic alcohols.

The use of silicon for integrated quantum photonic technologies is currently hindered by the lack of suitable on-demand quantum light sources. Here, the authors fill this gap by demonstrating the creation of single atomic emissive centers in silicon and their efficient coupling with nanophotonic cavities.

The authors present a moving-parts-free approach for visualizing soliton motion in optical cavities that lifts the wavelength and speed constraints of contemporary pulsed laser diagnostic techniques.

Equatorial Atlantic sea-surface temperature anomalies force an eastward propagating atmospheric Kelvin wave, enabling the Atlantic to impact the Pacific, with the interaction of the Kelvin wave and the Maritime Continent critical in this teleconnection.

A dominant influence of anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases on Arctic sea ice area is detectable in all months. By scaling climate models’ sea ice response to best match observed trends, an ice-free Arctic in September is projected under all scenarios.

Striking spatial heterogeneity of the shallow rupture behaviour is revealed for the near-trench region in the 2011 Tohoku–Oki earthquake. Significant off-fault deformation is suggested to play a predominant role in near-trench tsunami excitation.

SARS-CoV-2 genome turnover is mediated by its N protein, but precise parameters driving the necessary RNA specificity have remained enigmatic. Here, Korn et al. reveal N’s N-terminal domain to distinguish regulatory viral RNA motifs with a preference for transiently folded elements of functional impact.

Spatial and intracellular control of three Argonaute proteins is crucial for anther development in rice. Two, AGO1b and AGO1d, may carry 1^st uracil–phasiRNAs as mobile signals from the somatic cell layers to the germ cells in the anther.

Whether or not deep neural networks require hierarchical representations to predict brain activity is not known. Here, the authors show that a multi-branch deep neural network can predict neural activity independently in visual areas in the absence of hierarchical representations.

The authors highlight the importance of kinetics in GPCR activation. Using solution NMR, they show that the transducer βarrestin1 and the β-arrestin1biased ligand ML314 kinetically tune the conformational ensemble of the neurotensin receptor 1.

CLE19 is a secreted peptide required for pollen development and other processes in Arabidopsis. Here the authors show that PXL1 and SERKs act as receptors and co-receptors for CLE19 and regulate tapetum transcriptional networks that promote pollen development.

Improved biomarker-based tools for diagnosis and risk prediction of venous thromboembolism (VTE) are needed. Here, the authors show that Complement Factor H Related 5 protein, a regulator of the alternative pathway of complement activation, is a VTE-associated plasma biomarker in 5 independent cohorts.

Patients with a mutant thyroid hormone receptor α1 are treated with high-dose thyroxine, but their heart rate remains low. Here, the authors show that the mutant receptor triggers cardiac reprogramming in the embryo, which prevents the response of specific ion channels and heart rate to the hormone.

DNA methylation analysis is a promising method to detect liver cancer. Here, the authors develop a 5 CpG site signature which can detect HCC at high specificity across multiple cohorts.

Lactobacillus-based probiotics have been reported to be beneficial for colitis through incompletely understood mechanisms. Here the authors identify an uncharacterized secreted enzyme named LPH from multiple probiotic Lactobacillus strains, which protects female mice from chemically induced colitis and colorectal cancer via NOD2 signalling.

Ragonnet-Cronin et al scanned SARS-CoV-2 genomes from >12,000 treated patients, identifying nine treatment-emergent mutations that increased in frequency after treatment with antibodies. In the laboratory, synthetic viruses harbouring those mutations escaped the antibodies, suggesting the mutations are driven by immune evasion.

Global COVID-19 vaccine distribution has been inequitable. In this mathematical modelling study, the authors estimate the proportion of deaths that could have been averted in twenty low- and lower-middle-income countries if vaccines had been more widely available early in the pandemic.

The potential for the mitigation of global non-CO₂ greenhouse gases is highly uncertain. Harmsen et al. estimate this uncertainty and show that it has large implications for the feasibility of reaching the Paris Climate Agreement targets.

The climate benefits of battery electric vehicles relative to internal combustion engine vehicles are favorable but usually delayed. The authors show the delay threshold in China and call for more attention to the temporal characteristics of climate benefits.

Humans and machines are increasingly participating in mixed collectives in which they can help or hinder each other. Here the authors show the way in which people treat machines differently than humans in a stylized society of beneficiaries, helpers, punishers, and trustors.

The low-carbon power transition could enhance global sustainable development goal (SDG) progress, but hinder that of developing economies under fossil fuel-based scenarios. Meanwhile, SDG synergies and trade-offs exist within and between economies.