Ule and colleagues discuss cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP) methods for characterizing the RNA binding partners of RNA-binding proteins and explore the data analysis workflows, best practices and applications for these techniques. The Primer also considers methods for characterizing the protein binding partners of specific RNAs and discusses how data from these complementary methods can be integrated into CLIP workflows.

This Primer on X-ray computed tomography explores the different experimental configurations for three-dimensional data acquisition as well as the fundamentals of three-dimensional data reconstruction, segmentation and analysis with examples across the physical and life sciences.

This Primer outlines the best ways to find, handle and analyse ancient DNA from various sources. The authors summarize ethical considerations and the importance of working closely with all stakeholders, including archaeologists, curators and descendant communities.

Dey et al. discuss the design and implementation of DNA origami, as well as the techniques used to analyse quality and construction. They summarize exciting new research areas where DNA nanotechnology is being used and future directions for the field.

This Primer on chromatin accessibility profiling methods discusses differences in the methods commonly used to determine chromatin states in different cell types, including ATAC-seq and ChIP–seq. The authors summarize applications in different areas of research, from single cells to tissues and whole organisms.

This Primer on chemical vapour deposition summarizes current and emerging experimental set-ups as well as common characterization approaches used to determine thin film formation and quality as applied to graphene and other novel 2D materials.