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| Open AccessDNA methylation atlas of the mouse brain at single-cell resolution
A comprehensive survey of the epigenome from 45 regions of the mouse cortex, hippocampus, striatum, pallidum and olfactory areas using single-nucleus DNA methylation sequencing enables identification of 161 cell clusters with distinct locations and projection targets and provides insights into the regulatory landscape underlying neuronal diversity and spatial regulation.
- Hanqing Liu
- , Jingtian Zhou
- & Joseph R. Ecker
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Research Highlight |
Genomics reveals a simple cause for newborns’ complex illness
A constellation of congenital disabilities is traced to a single gene that affects tissue development.
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News & Views |
Modern Polynesian genomes offer clues to early eastward migrations
A genome-wide analysis of modern populations in Polynesia suggests the direction and timing of ancient Polynesian migrations. This model bears consistencies and inconsistencies with models based on archaeology and linguistics.
- Patrick V. Kirch
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Article |
Paths and timings of the peopling of Polynesia inferred from genomic networks
Analysis of genomic networks from 430 modern individuals across 21 Pacific island populations reveals the human settlement history of Polynesia.
- Alexander G. Ioannidis
- , Javier Blanco-Portillo
- & Andrés Moreno-Estrada
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News & Views |
Ebola virus can lie low and reactivate after years in human survivors
A genomic comparison of Ebola virus from the 2021 outbreak in Guinea with sequences from the West African outbreak that ended in 2016 suggests that the virus can remain latent in human survivors for an extended period of time.
- Robert F. Garry
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News |
First ancient human DNA found from key Asian migration route
Sulawesi has some of the world’s oldest cave art, but ancient human remains have been scarce — now a fossil with DNA hints at a mysterious lineage of people.
- Bianca Nogrady
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Outlook |
Can CRISPR cure sickle-cell disease?
Early trials show promise, but the challenge will be reaching those most in need.
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Outlook |
Gene therapies close in on a cure for sickle-cell disease
As multiple genetic strategies advance through the clinic, important safety questions remain to be answered.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Outlook |
Collect more data from Africa to improve gene therapy
Despite the continent being the epicentre of sickle-cell disease, too few Africans are included in genome-wide association studies.
- Ambroise Wonkam
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News Round-Up |
Babbling bats, autocorrected genes and COVID antibodies
The latest science news, in brief.
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Article |
Extensive phylogenies of human development inferred from somatic mutations
Somatic mutations obtained from laser microdissected biopsies of human tissues are used to reconstruct the developmental phylogenies of these tissues back to the zygote.
- Tim H. H. Coorens
- , Luiza Moore
- & Michael R. Stratton
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Technology Feature |
Innovative tools take aim at antibiotic-resistant microbes
Diagnostics that rely on bacterial movements, genomics and machine learning could help to address a global crisis.
- Jyoti Madhusoodanan
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News |
Gene errors, electric cars — the week in infographics
Nature highlights three key infographics from the week in science and research.
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News |
Autocorrect errors in Excel still creating genomics headache
Despite geneticists being warned about spreadsheet problems, 30% of published papers contain mangled gene names in supplementary data.
- Dyani Lewis
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Research Highlight |
How the daddy-long-legs gets long legs
A single genetic toolkit gives rise to the spider-lookalike’s slender gams and to the grasping legs of related animals.
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News & Views |
Deranged chromatin drives uterine fibroid tumours
A previously unknown subgroup of uterine fibroid tumours is driven by mutations that result in disruption of the DNA–protein complex chromatin. The findings could inform the management of this common condition.
- Zehra Ordulu
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News |
Genetic variations could one day help predict timing of menopause
Study provides hints about the factors that govern reproductive lifespan — and how they could eventually be harnessed to extend fertility.
- Heidi Ledford
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Research Highlight |
The surprising place where pot farming first blossomed
Humans first began cultivating cannabis, a source of both fibres and drugs, some 12,000 years ago.
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Technology Feature |
Single-cell analysis enters the multiomics age
A rapidly growing collection of software tools is helping researchers to analyse multiple huge ‘-omics’ data sets.
- Jeffrey M. Perkel
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Outlook |
Cracking the genetic code of autoimmune disease
Genomic analysis is helping reserachers to understand the causes of autoimmunity, but it will not be easy to translate this into treatments.
- Simon Makin
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News |
WHO should lead on genome-editing policy, advisers say
World Health Organization committee says it’s too soon to allow heritable gene editing, but points to paths forward for other applications.
- Heidi Ledford
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News & Views |
Human genetic variants identified that affect COVID susceptibility and severity
An individual’s genetics can influence their risk of infection and the severity of disease symptoms. A large international study has identified parts of the human genome that can affect the risk of severe COVID-19.
- Samira Asgari
- & Lionel A. Pousaz
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Research Highlight |
A hunter-gather’s tooth yields the oldest known strain of plague
Genomic analysis suggests that the Black Death began as a less virulent and less transmissible disease.
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News |
Deleted coronavirus genome sequences trigger scientific intrigue
Partial SARS-CoV-2 sequences from early outbreaks in Wuhan were removed from a US government database by the scientists who deposited them.
- Ewen Callaway
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Technology Feature |
Five trendy technologies: where are they now?
A look at notable research tools and projects that have rocketed to prominence reveals some common routes to success.
- Jyoti Madhusoodanan
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News |
How scientists are embracing NFTs
Is a trend of auctioning non-fungible tokens based on scientific data a fascinating art fad, an environmental disaster or the future of monetized genomics?
- Nicola Jones
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News & Views |
A base-pair view of interactions between genes and their enhancers
A technique reveals how folded chromosomal DNA interacts in the nucleus, providing information at the level of single base pairs. The achievement offers an unprecedented level of detail about how gene activity is regulated.
- Anne van Schoonhoven
- & Ralph Stadhouders
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Correspondence |
Diagnostic genomic laboratories should share their data
- Kok-Siong Poon
- & Evelyn Siew-Chuan Koay
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Research Highlight |
Babies with mystery illnesses benefit from genome sequencing
Rapid genomic sequencing on admission to hospital leads to more-precise care for sick infants.
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News |
A complete human genome sequence is close: how scientists filled in the gaps
Researchers added 200 million DNA base pairs and 115 protein-coding genes — but they’ve yet to entirely sequence the Y chromosome.
- Sara Reardon
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News |
‘The perfect storm’: lax social distancing fuelled a coronavirus variant’s Brazilian surge
Genomic analysis draws a link between a devastating second COVID wave in Brazil and increased travel and contact.
- Ewen Callaway
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Research Summary |
Protein architecture of the yeast genome
Use of chromatin immunoprecipitation with exonuclease treatment (ChIP–exo) determines the positional organization of hundreds of chromosomal proteins throughout the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. The resulting ultra-high-resolution map provides insight into the regulation of genes, enhancers, replication origins, centromeres, subtelomeres and transposons.
- B. Franklin Pugh
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Research Summary |
Mining the gaps of chromosome 8
The first gapless, telomere-to-telomere sequence of a human autosome, chromosome 8, is complete. Sequencing and assembly of the corresponding centromere in the chimpanzee, orangutan and macaque reveals details of its rapid evolution over the past 25 million years.
- Glennis A. Logsdon
- & Evan E. Eichler
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Article |
Lineage tracing of human development through somatic mutations
Whole-genome sequencing of haematopoietic colonies from human fetuses reveals the somatic mutations acquired by individual progenitors, which are used as barcodes to construct a phylogenetic tree of blood development.
- Michael Spencer Chapman
- , Anna Maria Ranzoni
- & Ana Cvejic
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News |
Coronavirus variants are spreading in India — what scientists know so far
Variants including B.1.617 have been linked to India’s surge in infections. Researchers are hurrying to determine how much of a threat they pose.
- Gayathri Vaidyanathan
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News |
Why some researchers oppose unrestricted sharing of coronavirus genome data
Global-south scientists say that an open-access movement led by wealthy nations deprives them of credit and undermines their efforts.
- Amy Maxmen
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Article
| Open AccessA high-quality bonobo genome refines the analysis of hominid evolution
A high-quality bonobo genome assembly provides insights into incomplete lineage sorting in hominids and its relevance to gene evolution and the genetic relationship among living hominids.
- Yafei Mao
- , Claudia R. Catacchio
- & Evan E. Eichler
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Article
| Open AccessTowards complete and error-free genome assemblies of all vertebrate species
The Vertebrate Genome Project has used an optimized pipeline to generate high-quality genome assemblies for sixteen species (representing all major vertebrate classes), which have led to new biological insights.
- Arang Rhie
- , Shane A. McCarthy
- & Erich D. Jarvis
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Article
| Open AccessUniversal nomenclature for oxytocin–vasotocin ligand and receptor families
A revised, universal nomenclature for the vertebrate genes that encode the oxytocin and vasopressin–vasotocin ligands and receptors will improve our understanding of gene evolution and facilitate the translation of findings across species.
- Constantina Theofanopoulou
- , Gregory Gedman
- & Erich D. Jarvis
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Article |
Expanded diversity of Asgard archaea and their relationships with eukaryotes
Comparative analysis of 162 genomes of Asgard archaea results in six newly proposed phyla, including a deep branch that is provisionally named Wukongarchaeota, and sheds light on the evolutionary history of this clade.
- Yang Liu
- , Kira S. Makarova
- & Meng Li
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Article
| Open AccessEvolutionary and biomedical insights from a marmoset diploid genome assembly
A trio-binning approach is used to produce a fully haplotype-resolved diploid genome assembly for the common marmoset, providing insight into the heterozygosity spectrum and the evolution of the sex-differentiation region.
- Chentao Yang
- , Yang Zhou
- & Guojie Zhang
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Article |
Somatic mutation landscapes at single-molecule resolution
NanoSeq is used to detect mutations in single DNA molecules and analyses show that mutational processes that are independent of cell division are important contributors to somatic mutagenesis.
- Federico Abascal
- , Luke M. R. Harvey
- & Iñigo Martincorena
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Research Highlight |
An unprecedented genomic analysis helped to curb an Ebola outbreak
Despite extraordinary challenges, scientists managed to sequence a high percentage of Ebola virus genomes from a deadly wave of infections.
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News |
Oldest DNA from a Homo sapiens reveals surprisingly recent Neanderthal ancestry
Ancient human lineages interbred commonly in Europe, as well as the Middle East.
- Ewen Callaway
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Article
| Open AccessThe structure, function and evolution of a complete human chromosome 8
The complete assembly of human chromosome 8 resolves previous gaps and reveals hidden complex forms of genetic variation, enabling functional and evolutionary characterization of primate centromeres.
- Glennis A. Logsdon
- , Mitchell R. Vollger
- & Evan E. Eichler
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News |
Why US coronavirus tracking can’t keep up with concerning variants
The country has an enormous virus-sequencing capacity, but funding and coordination roadblocks are holding it back.
- Amy Maxmen
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News |
WHO report into COVID pandemic origins zeroes in on animal markets, not labs
Scientists say the conclusions make sense but note that supporters of the lab-leak theory are unlikely to be satisfied.
- Amy Maxmen
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Article |
Breast tumours maintain a reservoir of subclonal diversity during expansion
Single-cell analysis of genomes from primary human breast tumours and cell lines shows that chromosomal aberrations continue to evolve during primary tumour expansion, resulting in a milieu of subclones within the tumour.
- Darlan C. Minussi
- , Michael D. Nicholson
- & Nicholas E. Navin
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Correspondence |
Genomics data: the broken promise is to Indigenous people
- Krystal S. Tsosie
- , Keolu Fox
- & Joseph M. Yracheta