Featured
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Outlook |
How liquid biopsies allow smarter lung-cancer treatment
Technologies that count tumour cells in the blood promise to improve survival times.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Outlook |
New lung-cancer drugs extend survival times
The disease remains highly lethal but advances in immunotherapy and targeted drugs bring a flicker of hope.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Article |
A molecular cell atlas of the human lung from single-cell RNA sequencing
Expression profiling on 75,000 single cells creates a comprehensive cell atlas of the human lung that includes 41 out of 45 previously known cell types and 14 new ones.
- Kyle J. Travaglini
- , Ahmad N. Nabhan
- & Mark A. Krasnow
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Where I Work |
Top banana: developing varieties that resist disease
Leena Tripathi uses CRISPR gene-editing technology to protect bananas and other staple crops across Africa against killer pathogens.
- Abdullahi Tsanni
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Article |
Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics
A dataset of the genomes of 363 species from the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project shows increased power to detect shared and lineage-specific variation, demonstrating the importance of phylogenetically diverse taxon sampling in whole-genome sequencing.
- Shaohong Feng
- , Josefin Stiller
- & Guojie Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessProgressive Cactus is a multiple-genome aligner for the thousand-genome era
The Progressive Cactus program can create reference-free alignments of hundreds of large vertebrate genomes efficiently, and is used for the alignment of more than 600 amniote genomes.
- Joel Armstrong
- , Glenn Hickey
- & Benedict Paten
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Analysis
| Open AccessA comparative genomics multitool for scientific discovery and conservation
A whole-genome alignment of 240 phylogenetically diverse species of eutherian mammal—including 131 previously uncharacterized species—from the Zoonomia Project provides data that support biological discovery, medical research and conservation.
- Diane P. Genereux
- , Aitor Serres
- & Elinor K. Karlsson
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Book Review |
Timely book tells the CRISPR story so far
A gene-editing primer maps the solid ground better than the quagmires. By Natalie Kofler
- Natalie Kofler
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Editorial |
Africa’s people must be able to write their own genomics agenda
Genomics on the continent is finally getting the attention it deserves from international donors — but more funding needs to come from national and regional sources, too.
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Perspective |
Strategic vision for improving human health at The Forefront of Genomics
In this Perspective, authors from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) present a vision for human genomics research for the coming decade.
- Eric D. Green
- , Chris Gunter
- & Teri A. Manolio
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Article
| Open AccessContrasting signatures of genomic divergence during sympatric speciation
Population genomic analyses of Midas cichlid fishes in young Nicaraguan crater lakes suggest that sympatric speciation is promoted by polygenic architectures.
- Andreas F. Kautt
- , Claudius F. Kratochwil
- & Axel Meyer
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Article
| Open AccessExome sequencing and characterization of 49,960 individuals in the UK Biobank
Exome sequences from the first 49,960 participants in the UK Biobank highlight the promise of genome sequencing in large population-based studies and are now accessible to the scientific community.
- Cristopher V. Van Hout
- , Ioanna Tachmazidou
- & Aris Baras
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Article |
Cell-type-specific 3D epigenomes in the developing human cortex
Analysis of cis-regulatory chromatin interactions, open chromatin and transcriptomes for different cell types isolated from mid-gestational human cortex samples provides insights into gene regulation during development.
- Michael Song
- , Mark-Phillip Pebworth
- & Yin Shen
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Article |
The genomic landscapes of individual melanocytes from human skin
A combination of clonal expansion and DNA amplification is used to sequence genetic material from individual melanocytes, shedding light on the mutational landscape of these cells and the development of melanomas.
- Jessica Tang
- , Eleanor Fewings
- & A. Hunter Shain
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Outlook |
Precision oncology
Cancer treatments that target the characteristics of an individual's tumour could have a wider impact.
- Richard Hodson
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Outlook |
The RNA and protein landscape that could bring precision medicine to more people
The limitations of genomic data have led to a deeper exploration of transcriptomic and proteomic data in cancer.
- Simon Makin
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Outlook |
The future of tissue-agnostic drugs
Some people with cancer are already benefiting from drugs that target genetic features regardless of the tissue involved. But these early successes could be the exceptions.
- Julianna Photopoulos
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Outlook |
Making radiation oncology more personal
The technology to fine-tune radiotherapy to an individual is here, but a lack of research is holding back its use.
- Amanda B. Keener
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Outlook |
Building better CAR-T therapies
The current technique requires a person’s own cells, but using the cells of healthy donors could allow more people to benefit.
- Anthony King
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Outlook |
Health-care inequality could deepen with precision oncology
Failure to address systemic bias in health-care provision and genetic databases will make existing disparities worse.
- Jyoti Madhusoodanan
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Outlook |
The potential of real-world data
Janssen’s Craig Tendler talks to Nature about how data collected by the company after a drug is approved can be used to improve treatment.
- Julian Nowogrodzki
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Outlook |
Research round-up: Precision oncology
Targeted treatments for children, a fresh approach to protein analysis and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.
- Laura Vargas-Parada
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Comment |
Don’t ignore genetic data from minority populations
Efforts to build representative studies are defeated when scientists discard data from certain groups. Instead, researchers should work to balance statistical needs with fairness.
- Chief Ben-Eghan
- , Rosie Sun
- & Simon Gravel
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Article |
Functionally uncoupled transcription–translation in Bacillus subtilis
In Bacillus subtilis, unlike in Escherichia coli, transcription and translation of genes are not tightly coupled, and pioneering ribosomes lag substantially behind RNA polymerases.
- Grace E. Johnson
- , Jean-Benoît Lalanne
- & Gene-Wei Li
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Matters Arising |
Reply to: APP gene copy number changes reflect exogenous contamination
- Ming-Hsiang Lee
- , Christine S. Liu
- & Jerold Chun
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Matters Arising |
APP gene copy number changes reflect exogenous contamination
- Junho Kim
- , Boxun Zhao
- & Eunjung Alice Lee
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News Q&A |
‘We felt we had beaten it’: New Zealand’s race to eliminate the coronavirus again
Genomics could reveal details about the source of the country’s first outbreak in more than 100 days, says epidemiologist Amanda Kvalsvig.
- Dyani Lewis
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Research Highlight |
Fats in the blood linked to autism
Precision medicine offers insight into a particular form of the disorder.
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News & Views |
Tuatara genome reveals diverse insights into a remarkable reptile
The genome sequence of an unusual reptile called the tuatara sheds light on the species’ evolution and on conservation strategies. The work is a model of current best practice for collaborating with Indigenous communities.
- Rebecca N. Johnson
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Article
| Open AccessThe tuatara genome reveals ancient features of amniote evolution
The approximately 5-Gb tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) genome assembly provides a resource for analysing amniote evolution, and highlights the imperative for meaningful cultural engagement with Indigenous communities in genome-sequencing endeavours.
- Neil J. Gemmell
- , Kim Rutherford
- & Haydn Edmonds
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News & Views |
Expanded ENCODE delivers invaluable genomic encyclopedia
The third phase of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project has generated the most comprehensive catalogue yet of the functional elements that regulate our genes.
- Chung-Chau Hon
- & Piero Carninci
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News Round-Up |
Dinosaur retraction, Neanderthal pain and EU budget woe
The latest science news, in brief.
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Article
| Open AccessA large-scale binding and functional map of human RNA-binding proteins
A combination of five assays is used to produce a catalogue of RNA elements to which RNA-binding proteins bind in human cells.
- Eric L. Van Nostrand
- , Peter Freese
- & Gene W. Yeo
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Nature Podcast |
Why skin grows bigger as you stretch it
Skin's unusual response to stretching is finally explained, and the latest in a huge effort to map DNA.
- Nick Howe
- & Shamini Bundell
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Article
| Open AccessGlobal reference mapping of human transcription factor footprints
A high-density DNase I cleavage map from 243 human cell and tissue types provides a genome-wide, nucleotide-resolution map of human transcription factor footprints.
- Jeff Vierstra
- , John Lazar
- & John A. Stamatoyannopoulos
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Article
| Open AccessOccupancy maps of 208 chromatin-associated proteins in one human cell type
ChIP–seq and CETCh–seq data are used to analyse binding maps for 208 transcription factors and other chromatin-associated proteins in a single human cell type, providing a comprehensive catalogue of the transcription factor landscape and gene regulatory networks in these cells.
- E. Christopher Partridge
- , Surya B. Chhetri
- & Eric M. Mendenhall
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Article
| Open AccessIndex and biological spectrum of human DNase I hypersensitive sites
High-resolution maps of DNase I hypersensitive sites from 733 human biosamples are used to identify and index regulatory DNA within the human genome.
- Wouter Meuleman
- , Alexander Muratov
- & John Stamatoyannopoulos
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Article |
Genome-wide detection of tandem DNA repeats that are expanded in autism
Genome-wide analysis of tandem DNA repeats in the genomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and control participants reveals a strong contribution of tandem repeat expansions to the genetic aetiology and phenotypic complexity of autism spectrum disorder.
- Brett Trost
- , Worrawat Engchuan
- & Ryan K. C. Yuen
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News |
Neanderthal gene linked to increased pain sensitivity
People who have inherited nerve-altering mutations from the ancient hominins tend to experience more pain.
- Ewen Callaway
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Article
| Open AccessSix reference-quality genomes reveal evolution of bat adaptations
Reference-quality genomes for six bat species shed light on the phylogenetic position of Chiroptera, and provide insight into the genetic underpinnings of the unique adaptations of this clade.
- David Jebb
- , Zixia Huang
- & Emma C. Teeling
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Nature Podcast |
Graphene’s magic angle reveals a new twist
Probing the superconducting properties of graphene and bacteria that can use manganese to grow.
- Shamini Bundell
- & Nick Howe
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Article
| Open AccessTelomere-to-telomere assembly of a complete human X chromosome
High-coverage, ultra-long-read nanopore sequencing is used to create a new human genome assembly that improves on the coverage and accuracy of the current reference (GRCh38) and includes the gap-free, telomere-to-telomere sequence of the X chromosome.
- Karen H. Miga
- , Sergey Koren
- & Adam M. Phillippy
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News |
Ancient voyage carried Native Americans’ DNA to remote Pacific islands
Finding that some Polynesians have genetic ancestry from South America supports long-held theory that ancient populations met and produced offspring.
- Ewen Callaway
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Article |
Native American gene flow into Polynesia predating Easter Island settlement
Genomic analyses of DNA from modern individuals show that, about 800 years ago, pre-European contact occurred between Polynesian individuals and Native American individuals from near present-day Colombia, while remote Pacific islands were still being settled.
- Alexander G. Ioannidis
- , Javier Blanco-Portillo
- & Andrés Moreno-Estrada
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Article |
Massive haplotypes underlie ecotypic differentiation in sunflowers
Resequencing analyses of three species of wild sunflower identify large non-recombining haplotype blocks that correlate with ecologically relevant traits, soil and climate characteristics, and that differentiate species ecotypes.
- Marco Todesco
- , Gregory L. Owens
- & Loren H. Rieseberg
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News |
China’s massive effort to collect its people’s DNA concerns scientists
Genetic material is being collected from men across the country to help solve crimes, but researchers worry the data will be misused.
- David Cyranoski
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Editorial |
How diplomacy helped to end the race to sequence the human genome
Twenty years ago, the twentieth century’s last great scientific contest ended in a tie, aided by some deft statecraft from the White House.
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Article |
A dynastic elite in monumental Neolithic society
Skeletal remains from the Neolithic passage tomb at Newgrange (Ireland) represent the adult son of a first-degree incestuous union, suggesting that a politico-religious elite may have controlled the construction of Irish sites of this type.
- Lara M. Cassidy
- , Ros Ó Maoldúin
- & Daniel G. Bradley
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Technology Feature |
Alexa, do science! Voice-activated assistants hit the lab bench
Research-optimized tools can take notes, dictate instructions and answer questions, allowing researchers to work hands-free.
- Jeffrey M. Perkel