Reviews & Analysis

Intricate molecular machineries, such as the ESCRT protein complexes, are well known for their ability to cut biological membranes. The discovery that membranes can also be severed by phase-separated condensates, through line tension force, reveals a previously unknown mechanism of membrane fission that highlights the fundamental role of condensates in cellular organization.

After a heart attack, immune cells are recruited to the brain to induce sleep, which suppresses inflammation in the heart and aids recovery. But if sleep is disrupted, excess inflammation worsens cardiac function and slows healing.

The current wave of papers from the Human Tumor Atlas Network represents a concerted effort to create multimodal atlases of tumours and their microenvironments, in various sites of origin. As well as the atlases, the initiative has generated a wealth of fresh insights into tumour biology, along with innovative tools to analyse these atlases in depth.

An innovative approach to 3D printing has been developed in which acoustic vibrations and light control the formation of a solid at an air–liquid interface. The strategy enables fast printing of objects with highly detailed features.

Analyses of ancient DNA from aurochs — large, wild cattle that co-existed with humans for millennia — reveals how early humans tamed these beasts and bred them with domesticated cattle for strength and resilience.

The nearby star Gliese 229 harbours a ‘brown dwarf’ companion: an object less massive than a star but more massive than a planet. High-resolution observations reveal that it is two objects, each about 30 times the mass of Jupiter, that circle one another every 12 days as they orbit their sun every few hundred years.

Materials called ferroelectrics are being used to build energy-efficient electronics, but their benefits diminish when their size is scaled down. A proposed solution using mechanical strain could transform computer microelectronics.

The isolation of the BRCA1 gene 30 years ago ushered in the era of genetic testing for breast and other cancers, launched a long-lasting patent battle and eventually led to a tailored cancer therapy.

How do odorant receptors in the human nose recognize a wide variety of scent molecules? The structures of engineered versions of these receptors finally provide much-needed answers to this fundamental question.

Precise calculations on the erection of Stonehenge’s boulders, and a bright aurora stretches between the stars, in our weekly peek at Nature’s archives.

How should people judge someone when they know a lot about that person’s social behaviour? Mathematical modelling reveals a simple and effective method for assigning reputations that uses several observations and forgives some bad actions. This strategy benefits society by maintaining cooperation even without complex norms or public institutions previously considered essential.

Multicellular species of animals and plants differ in form but look similar when their body plan is established — described as an hourglass-like pattern of development. Independently evolved brown algae develop this way, too.

Researchers have used artificial-intelligence models to create regulatory DNA sequences that drive gene expression in specific cell types. Such synthetic sequences could be used to target gene therapies to particular cell populations.

Burning crop waste causes devastating pollution in South Asia. When local administrators have appropriate incentives to control burning, incidents go down — a finding that could guide future efforts to manage air pollution.

Data can be stored on DNA, but the methods involve time-consuming DNA synthesis and must be done by experts. A user-friendly approach has been developed that potentially solves these problems.

The mechanisms that compensate for the loss of intestinal stem cells after injury are poorly defined. There is a population of intestinal cells, called tuft cells, that do not normally divide. When activated by immunological cues, these cells become proliferative and thus can act as a reserve stem-cell population.

Gene-edited stem cells can be used in regenerative therapies to treat diverse genetic diseases. Tracking the output of these cells over time reveals a commitment to lineages that meet disease-specific needs.

The lidar method for aerial archaeology identifies human-modified landscapes. Detection of a massive urban settlement on a mountainous Uzbekistan site challenges preconceptions about medieval urbanization high in Central Asia.

This study reveals that variability in sea surface temperature in key oceanic surface currents has a distinct and robust influence on the local atmospheric circulation, affecting precipitation and vertical motion (the rising and sinking of air). The findings enhance our understanding of how ocean dynamics shape climate variability outside the tropics.

This Perspective discusses the strengths and limitations of future biobank sampling strategies based on oversampling close relatives as opposed to the current population-based approach.