Reviews & Analysis

In this Perspective, the authors review the different applications for mobile phone data to support COVID-19 pandemic response, the relevance of these applications for infectious disease transmission and control, and potential sources and implications of selection bias in mobile phone data.

The strategy of modular construction makes it possible to create ordered materials with structures that are controlled at the molecular level. In this perspective article, the author shows how the approach has yielded a new generation of materials with extraordinary properties of porosity.

Structural lubricity is one of the most interesting concepts in modern tribology, which promises to achieve ultra-low friction over a wide range of length-scales. Here the authors highlight novel research lines in this area achievable by combining theoretical and experimental efforts on hard two-dimensional materials and soft colloidal and cold ion systems.

Accounting guidelines exist for carbon flows in terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, but not shelf sea sediments. In this Review, the authors explore whether effective management of carbon stocks accumulating in shelf seas could contribute to a nation’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.

Photon-induced charge separation phenomena are at the heart of light-harvesting applications but challenging to be described by quantum mechanical models. Here the authors illustrate the potential of machine-learning approaches towards understanding the fundamental processes governing electronic excitations.

Despite their widespread use, many fundamental questions about the internal structure of microgels are still open. Here the authors describe several pathways toward a complete understanding of microgel colloids based on recent experimental advances in nanoscale characterization.

Adult neurogenesis is involved in several physiological and pathological processes, however standardization for the quantification of new born neurons is lacking. Here, the authors provide guidance to improve reproducibility and rigour in cell quantification.

Retinoids are involved in a wide range of cellular functions; as such, delivery systems for retinoids are of significant clinical interest. Here the authors review the advances in preclinical and clinical testing regarding retinoid formulations in the context of regenerative medicine, brain, cancer, skin and immune diseases.

Catalytic hydrogenation of amides is a pivotal chemical transformation for both research labs and chemical production in industry. Here, the authors comprehensively review this topic by including state-of-art homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts that can hydrogenate amides and related compounds.

Why do human embryos need a yolk sac and how does it form? This Perspective by Thorsten Boroviak and Connor Ross explores the development and function of the yolk sac in primate embryogenesis.

Despite numerous advances in our understanding of subduction since the theory of plate tectonics was established, the mechanisms of subduction zone initiation remain highly controversial. Here, the authors present a transdisciplinary and expandable community database of subduction zone initiation events in the last 100 Ma, which establishes a clear direction for future research.

Scarcity of high-quality annotated data and mismatch between the development dataset and the target environment are two of the main challenges in developing predictive tools from medical imaging. In this Perspective, the authors show how causal reasoning can shed new light on these challenges.

Oceans provide important natural resources, but the management and governance of the ocean is complex and the ecosystem is suffering as a result. The authors discuss current barriers to sustainable ocean governance and suggest pathways forward.

The lack of scalable, high-quality insulators is a major problem hindering the progress on electronic devices built from 2D materials. Here, the authors review the current state-of-the-art and the future prospects of suitable insulators for 2D technologies.

Current environmental impact mitigation neglects over-consumption from affluent citizens as a primary driver. The authors highlight the role of bottom-up movements to overcome structural economic growth imperatives spurring consumption by changing structures and culture towards safe and just systems.

Itch is an important somatosensation, but the central mechanisms underlying it are not fully understood. Here, Chen and Sun review recent studies on the spinal and supraspinal circuits involved in itch processing.

Despite the new targeted and immunotherapies for metastatic melanoma, several patients show therapeutic plateau. Here, the authors review the current pre-clinical models of cutaneous melanoma and discuss their strengths and limitations that may help with overcoming therapeutic plateau.

Different methods are demonstrated in recent years to produce attosecond pulses. Here, the authors discuss recent development and future prospects of the generation of such pulses from gases and solids and their potential applications in spectroscopy and ultrafast dynamics in atoms, molecules and other complex systems.

As the field of metal-organic frameworks is maturing, understanding the dynamics of open frameworks is progressing and rational approaches are under development. Here, the authors outline challenges and potential routes to engineering the spatio-temporal evolution of dynamic metal-organic frameworks.

Between 2014 and 2023, 100,000 UK Biobank participants are undergoing brain, heart and abdominal MRI, as well as DXA and carotid ultrasound scans. In this review, authors provide a detailed overview of the rationale for the collection of these imaging data, the procedures of data collection and management, and the future directions of the UK biobank imaging enhancement.