Featured
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Review Article
| Open AccessThe promise of data science for health research in Africa
In this Review article, the authors discuss emerging efforts to build ethical governance frameworks for data science health research in Africa and the opportunities to advance these through investments by African governments and institutions, international funding organizations and collaborations for research and capacity development.
- Clement A. Adebamowo
- , Shawneequa Callier
- & Sally N. Adebamowo
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Article
| Open Access
The global costs of extreme weather that are attributable to climate change
Neman and Noy estimate the global climate change costs of extreme weather and find that US\(\$\) 143 B/yr of the costs of extreme events is attributable to climatic change. The majority of this is due to human loss of life.
- Rebecca Newman
- & Ilan Noy
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Article
| Open Access
Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China
Electric cooking and air-to-air heat pump adoption in China advances carbon neutrality and the rural energy transition, with the transformation costs offset by monetized health benefits in most provinces.
- Teng Ma
- , Silu Zhang
- & Yang Xie
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Article
| Open Access
Reducing risks of antibiotics to crop production requires land system intensification within thresholds
Crop intensification has increased agricultural production albeit with an increase in field antibiotic pollution. Here, Chen et al. project how antibiotic pollution undermines production and how intensification needs to be kept below a threshold.
- Fangkai Zhao
- , Lei Yang
- & Liding Chen
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Article
| Open Access
The neglected role of abandoned cropland in supporting both food security and climate change mitigation
This work demonstrates how global abandoned cropland is an untapped land resource. If recultivated and reforested strategically, it can provide substantial carbon sequestration and food production potential to support our shared climate and food security goals.
- Qiming Zheng
- , Tim Ha
- & Lian Pin Koh
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Article
| Open Access
A global-temporal analysis on Phytophthora sojae resistance-gene efficacy
Rps genes are used to manage the major soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae, which causes Phytophthora stem and root rot (PRR). Here, the authors show that widely used Rps genes are no longer effective for managing PRR in the United States, Canada and Argentina.
- Austin G. McCoy
- , Richard R. Belanger
- & Martin I. Chilvers
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Comment
| Open AccessEngineered and natural gene drives: mechanistically the same, yet not same in kind
We propose the use of the terms natural gene drive (NGD) and engineered gene drive (EGD) arguing against James et al.
1 , who think both should be included within the term “gene drive”, based on their mechanistic similarities.- Raul F. Medina
- & Jennifer Kuzma
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Article
| Open Access
Earthworms contribute significantly to global food production
Earthworms contribute to plant growth. Here, Fonte et al. conduct a global meta-analysis and estimate that earthworms contribute to roughly 6.5% of global grain (maize, rice, wheat, barley) production and 2.3% of legume yields, equivalent to over 140 million metric tons annually.
- Steven J. Fonte
- , Marian Hsieh
- & Nathaniel D. Mueller
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Article
| Open Access
Location is a major barrier for transferring US fossil fuel employment to green jobs
This study tests the case for the absorption of current fossil fuel workers in emerging green jobs from the perspective of their skills and location. It finds location to be a barrier in a Just Transition for these workers.
- Junghyun Lim
- , Michaël Aklin
- & Morgan R. Frank
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Article
| Open Access
Carbon intensity of global crude oil trading and market policy implications
Dixit et al. trace emissions from the extraction and transport of oil. They quantify emissions variability among crude blends and suggest how this variability could be used to further reduce emissions under scenarios for reduced future oil demand.
- Yash Dixit
- , Hassan El-Houjeiri
- & Steven R. H. Barrett
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Article
| Open Access
A net-zero emissions strategy for China’s power sector using carbon-capture utilization and storage
This study indicates that allowing up to 20% abated fossil fuel in China’s power generation system could reduce the power shortage rate by up to 9% in 2050, and increase system resilience during weather events relative to a zero fossil fuel system.
- Jing-Li Fan
- , Zezheng Li
- & Bo Shen
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Article
| Open Access
Causal inference from cross-sectional earth system data with geographical convergent cross mapping
Temporal causation models perform poorly in causal inference for variables with limited temporal variations. This paper establishes a causal inference model, which can reveal the nonlinear complex casual associations based on cross-sectional Earth System data.
- Bingbo Gao
- , Jianyu Yang
- & Jinfeng Wang
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Article
| Open Access
Nonlinear El Niño impacts on the global economy under climate change
Here the authors find economic damage from El Niño far greater than benefits from La Niña on the global economy, leading to an increased economic loss as ENSO variability intensifies under greenhouse warming.
- Yi Liu
- , Wenju Cai
- & Ying Zhang
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Article
| Open Access
Air quality related equity implications of U.S. decarbonization policy
U.S. federal climate policies can reduce air pollutant emissions and associated health impacts from fine particulate matter. However, near-term CO2 reductions alone are insufficient to address racial/ethnic disparities in pollution exposure.
- Paul Picciano
- , Minghao Qiu
- & Noelle E. Selin
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Article
| Open Access
Cross-national analyses require additional controls to account for the non-independence of nations
Nations are connected in many ways, yet cross-national analyses often assume they are independent. Here, the authors show that previous studies may not have sufficiently accounted for this non-independence of nations.
- Scott Claessens
- , Thanos Kyritsis
- & Quentin D. Atkinson
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Article
| Open Access
Natural plant growth and development achieved in the IPK PhenoSphere by dynamic environment simulation
The PhenoSphere is a unique plant cultivation facility in which field-like environments can be simulated. Here, the authors find that a single season simulation is superior to an averaged season and to a climatized glasshouse cultivation to elicit field-like phenotypes evaluated in 11 maize lines.
- Marc C. Heuermann
- , Dominic Knoch
- & Thomas Altmann
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Comment
| Open AccessZoonotic malaria requires new policy approaches to malaria elimination
WHO guidelines for classification of malaria elimination in a country require that the risk of human infection from zoonotic, as well as nonzoonotic, malaria parasites is negligible. In this Comment, the authors discuss the implications of this policy for countries, such as Malaysia, with no recent reported nonzoonotic cases but ongoing zoonotic transmission.
- Kimberly M. Fornace
- , Chris J. Drakeley
- & Kamruddin Ahmed
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Article
| Open Access
The impact of methane leakage on the role of natural gas in the European energy transition
Cost-optimal European energy transition with CO2 and methane neutrality objective is studied. While renewables are the key drivers of climate neutrality, the continuous role of natural gas requires high levels of both CO2 and methane abatement.
- Behrang Shirizadeh
- , Manuel Villavicencio
- & Gunhild A. Reigstad
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Article
| Open Access
Food inflation and child undernutrition in low and middle income countries
The 21st Century has witnessed a series of global food crises, though little is known about how rising food prices affect child nutrition. The authors show that increases in the real price of food elevate the risk of a child being wasted, which in turn poses a serious risk for their survival.
- Derek Headey
- & Marie Ruel
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Article
| Open Access
Neurofunctional underpinnings of individual differences in visual episodic memory performance
The neural basis of individual differences in episodic memory performance is not well understood. Here, the authors show in a large fMRI dataset that activity of the hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex accounts for individual variability in memory performance.
- Léonie Geissmann
- , David Coynel
- & Dominique J. F. de Quervain
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Article
| Open Access
Quantifying the causal impact of biological risk factors on healthcare costs
Understanding the causal impact that risk factors have on healthcare cost is critical to evaluate healthcare interventions. Here, authors show that waist circumference, body mass index, and blood pressure have robust causal impact on healthcare cost.
- Jiwoo Lee
- , Sakari Jukarainen
- & Andrea Ganna
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Article
| Open Access
Global fossil fuel reduction pathways under different climate mitigation strategies and ambitions
An analysis of the IPCC AR6 scenarios database explores how quickly coal, oil, and gas production and use should be reduced in line with net-zero goals, and points to the need to adopt phase-out benchmarks alongside other climate mitigation targets.
- Ploy Achakulwisut
- , Peter Erickson
- & Steve Pye
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Article
| Open Access
Digital twin based monitoring and control for DC-DC converters
In this work, authors explore DC-DC converter monitoring and control and demonstrate a generalizable digital twin based buck converter system that enables dynamic synchronization even under reference value changes, physical system model variation, and physical controller failure.
- Zhongcheng Lei
- , Hong Zhou
- & Guo-Ping Liu
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Article
| Open Access
Global land and water limits to electrolytic hydrogen production using wind and solar resources
This study composes a country-specific analysis of land and water requirements for electrolytic hydrogen production, revealing nations constrained in achieving self-sufficiency in hydrogen supply and nations who can become hydrogen exporters.
- Davide Tonelli
- , Lorenzo Rosa
- & Francesco Contino
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Article
| Open Access
Benefit-cost analysis of coordinated strategies for control of rabies in Africa
Control of rabies in Africa through mass vaccination of dogs may be compromised by cross-border transmission. Here, the authors use mathematical modelling and a benefit-cost analysis to demonstrate that coordinating rabies control measures across borders could lead to the elimination of dog rabies in Africa.
- A. Bucher
- , A. Dimov
- & J. Zinsstag
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessUncertainty and bias in Liggio et al. (2019) on CO2 emissions from oil sands operations
- Long Fu
- & Allan H. Legge
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Article
| Open Access
Subjective socioeconomic status and income inequality are associated with self-reported morality across 67 countries
People differ in the extent to which they experience a lack of economic resources compared to others. Here, the authors show that such experiences at the individual level as well as income inequality at the national level are associated with self-reported morality-related outcomes.
- Christian T. Elbæk
- , Panagiotis Mitkidis
- & Tobias Otterbring
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Article
| Open Access
Survey of open science practices and attitudes in the social sciences
Open science practices are becoming more common in the social sciences, but there is limited data on their popularity and prevalence. Here, using survey data, the authors provide evidence that levels of adoption are relatively high and underestimated by many in the field.
- Joel Ferguson
- , Rebecca Littman
- & John-Henry Pezzuto
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Article
| Open Access
Universal patterns in egocentric communication networks
Personal communication networks through mobile phones and online platforms can be characterized by patterns of tie strengths. The authors propose a model to explain driving mechanisms of emerging tie strength heterogeneity in social networks, observing similarity of patterns across various datasets.
- Gerardo Iñiguez
- , Sara Heydari
- & Jari Saramäki
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Article
| Open Access
Adoption of climate-resilient groundnut varieties increases agricultural production, consumption, and smallholder commercialization in West Africa
The adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties has the potential to build farmers’ climate resilience. Here, the authors show that adoption of climate-resilient groundnut varieties in West Africa benefits all households, with the biggest gains accruing to small-scale farmers.
- Martin Paul Jr Tabe-Ojong
- , Jourdain C. Lokossou
- & Hippolyte D. Affognon
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Article
| Open Access
Adjusting 1.5 degree C climate change mitigation pathways in light of adverse new information
Emerging limitations on climate and low-carbon technology would require adjusting our 15.C climate change mitigation pathways. However, this could increase average annual emissions reductions to around 3GtCO2/year using a broad portfolio of mitigation measures.
- Ajay Gambhir
- , Shivika Mittal
- & Jason A. Lowe
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Article
| Open Access
The cost of electrifying all households in 40 Sub-Saharan African countries by 2030
Solar-powered standalone systems drastically lower the cost of electrifying sub-Saharan Africa. Household electrification can be provided at 7c USD per person per day on average. To reflect inter- and intra-country variance, policymakers should consider electrification cost curves.
- Florian Egli
- , Churchill Agutu
- & Tobias S. Schmidt
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Article
| Open Access
CD36 mediates SARS-CoV-2-envelope-protein-induced platelet activation and thrombosis
Aberrant coagulation and thrombosis are associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, the authors show that the E protein are associated with coagulation disorders in COVID-19 patients and could directly enhance platelet activation and thrombosis through a CD36/p38 MAPK/NF-kB signaling axis.
- Zihan Tang
- , Yanyan Xu
- & Tingting Liu
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Article
| Open Access
Geospatial mapping of distribution grid with machine learning and publicly-accessible multi-modal data
Granular geospatial information of distribution grids is needed for various power system applications. Here the authors develop a machine-learning-based model which can accurately map distribution grids in both the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Zhecheng Wang
- , Arun Majumdar
- & Ram Rajagopal
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Article
| Open Access
National quantifications of methane emissions from fuel exploitation using high resolution inversions of satellite observations
High-resolution satellite data enables a unique verification of national methane emissions worldwide. Global estimates are 63 Tg a−1 for oil-gas, 30% higher than the UNFCCC reports due to under-reporting by four largest emitters, and 33 Tg a−1 for coal, consistent with previous estimates.
- Lu Shen
- , Daniel J. Jacob
- & Jintai Lin
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Article
| Open Access
Truck platooning reshapes greenhouse gas emissions of the integrated vehicle-road infrastructure system
Truck platooning allows for trucks to travel synchronously in close proximity to improve fuel efficiency. Here, authors evaluate the decarbonization effects of platooning on the vehicle-road system at a large-scale road network level revealing a trade-off between emission reduction and cost rise.
- Huailei Cheng
- , Yuhong Wang
- & Tian Jin
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Article
| Open Access
Inequalities in COVID-19 severe morbidity and mortality by country of birth in Sweden
The impacts of COVID-19 have been more severe in certain population groups, including migrants. In this total-population study from Sweden, the authors investigate the association between country of birth and COVID-19 related hospitalisation and death and describe how it changed over the first two years of the pandemic.
- Mikael Rostila
- , Agneta Cederström
- & Sol P. Juárez
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Perspective
| Open Access
A reflection on polymer electrolytes for solid-state lithium metal batteries
Polymer electrolytes are attractive candidates for rechargeable lithium metal batteries. Here, the authors give a personal reflection on the structural design of coupled and decoupled polymer electrolytes and possible routes to further enhance their performance in rechargeable batteries.
- Ziyu Song
- , Fangfang Chen
- & Heng Zhang
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Article
| Open Access
A lignin-derived material improves plant nutrient bioavailability and growth through its metal chelating capacity
Biorefinery lignin waste has little value in the market. Here, Liu et al. find that water-soluble lignin, converted from sulfuric acid lignin, improves plant iron bioavailability and growth through a metal chelating capacity comparable to the metal chelator EDTA.
- Qiang Liu
- , Tsubasa Kawai
- & Baohai Li
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Article
| Open Access
How climate policy commitments influence energy systems and the economies of US states
In the US, states vary in their efforts to address climate change. Stronger state climate policies reduce CO2 emissions without harming the economy, but these reductions are unlikely to meet the goals in the Paris Climate Accord.
- Parrish Bergquist
- & Christopher Warshaw
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Article
| Open Access
The contribution of corporate initiatives to global renewable electricity deployment
Corporate procurement initiatives, such as RE100, can increase their impact on the energy transition by formulating ambitious interim targets and sourcing requirements, and by orchestrating corporate interests in countries with less ambitious renewable energy targets.
- Florian Egli
- , Rui Zhang
- & Bjarne Steffen
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Article
| Open Access
Near-term pathways for decarbonizing global concrete production
This work quantifies the climate benefits of efficiently utilizing concrete through improved material and structural design, and it shows that over 75% of CO2 emissions from global concrete production could be cut with already implementable measures
- Josefine A. Olsson
- , Sabbie A. Miller
- & Mark G. Alexander
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Article
| Open Access
Overcoming attenuation bias in regressions using polygenic indices
Measurement error in polygenic indices attenuates their power to predict complex traits. Here, the authors compare two approaches addressing this attenuation bias and provide guidance on which approach to apply in various scenarios.
- Hans van Kippersluis
- , Pietro Biroli
- & Cornelius A. Rietveld
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Article
| Open Access
Continuous estimation of power system inertia using convolutional neural networks
The increase of intermittent energy sources and renewable energy penetration generally results in reduced overall inertia, making power systems susceptible to disturbances. Here, authors develop an AI-based method to estimate inertia in real-time and test its performance on a heterogeneous power network.
- Daniele Linaro
- , Federico Bizzarri
- & Angelo M. Brambilla
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Article
| Open Access
Global air pollution exposure and poverty
This study shows that 716 million of the world’s lowest income people live in areas with unsafe levels of air pollution, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. With limited access to healthcare, they are especially vulnerable.
- Jun Rentschler
- & Nadezda Leonova
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Article
| Open Access
Hearing of malaria mosquitoes is modulated by a beta-adrenergic-like octopamine receptor which serves as insecticide target
Malaria mosquitoes use their ears to detect the flight tones of mating partners in the swarm as part of the courtship ritual. Here, the authors describe the auditory role of octopamine as a modulator of auditory plasticity in malaria mosquitoes and identify the main receptors involved in this process.
- Marcos Georgiades
- , Alexandros Alampounti
- & Marta Andrés
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Article
| Open Access
An open resource combining multi-contrast MRI and microscopy in the macaque brain
Linking microscale cellular structures to macroscale features of the brain is required to fully understand its structure and function. Here, the authors present a resource which combines multi-contrast microscopy and MRI of a single whole macaque brain to facilitate multimodal analyses.
- Amy F. D. Howard
- , Istvan N. Huszar
- & Karla L. Miller
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Article
| Open Access
Interconnectedness enhances network resilience of multimodal public transportation systems for Safe-to-Fail urban mobility
The growing interconnectedness of networked infrastructures has a complex impact on resilience in urban environments. Xu and Chopra quantify these effects using network resilience analysis and highlight the benefits of topological interconnectedness within multimodal public transportation systems.
- Zizhen Xu
- & Shauhrat S. Chopra
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Article
| Open Access
A spatio-temporal analysis investigating completeness and inequalities of global urban building data in OpenStreetMap
Building data is needed for assessing progress towards urban Sustainable Development Goals. An international team of scientists studies the spatial distribution of buildings in all cities globally and unveils their uneven coverage in OpenStreetMap.
- Benjamin Herfort
- , Sven Lautenbach
- & Alexander Zipf
Cost-effectiveness requirements for implementing artificial intelligence technology in the Women’s UK Breast Cancer Screening service