Scientists must rise above politics — and restate their value to society p.153

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02379-w

Syriza may have lost the election, but Greece’s research reforms deserve to stay p.153

The incoming government should respect its predecessor’s research policies, including public-funding increases and an independent national funding agency.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02323-y

‘Tropical Trump’ sparks unprecedented crisis for Brazilian science p.161

Tensions are rising as Jair Bolsonaro’s administration questions the work of government scientists and institutes debilitating cuts to research funding.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02353-6

Speculative ‘supergravity’ theory wins US$3-million prize p.162

Three physicists honoured for theory that has been hugely influential — but might not be a good description of reality.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02397-8

India’s geologists champion law to protect fossil treasures p.163

Scientists estimate that several hundred geological sites are threatened by the prospect of vandalism or development.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02361-6

‘No one is immune’: Alaska’s scientists despair over plan to shrink state universities p.164

The University of Alaska’s governing board plans to consolidate campuses to cope with a 40% cut in state funding.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02344-7

‘Mosaic’ HIV vaccine to be tested in thousands of people across the world p.165

The experimental vaccine targets more strains of the virus than any other ― and seems to have longer lasting effects.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02319-8

Humans versus Earth: the quest to define the Anthropocene p.168

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02381-2

A versatile cold-molecule collider p.180

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02356-3

Flower power as human cancer cells compete with normal cells p.181

Cells compete for survival during development. It emerges that mammalian cells on a path to form a tumour express specific versions of the protein Flower when they vie for survival with surrounding normal cells.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02161-y

Genomic mechanisms for the evolution of flightlessness in steamer ducks p.182

The ability to fly has been lost in many groups of birds. A comparison of the wing structures and genomes of flighted and non-flighted species of steamer duck highlights a possible mechanism for the loss of flight.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02234-y

Yeast cells handle stress by reprogramming their metabolism p.184

Stressed yeast cells take up the amino acid lysine and reprogram their metabolism to free up supplies of a stress-relieving molecule. Lysine uptake therefore increases the tolerance of yeast cells to stress.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02288-y

The future of groundwater in sub-Saharan Africa p.185

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02337-6

Global maps of soil-dwelling nematode worms p.187

Accurate estimates of the biodiversity of soil animals are essential for conservation efforts and to understand the animals’ role in carbon cycles. Such information is now available on a global scale for nematode worms.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-02197-0

Collisions between cold molecules in a superconducting magnetic trap p.189

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1446-2

Soil nematode abundance and functional group composition at a global scale p.194

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1418-6

A human liver cell atlas reveals heterogeneity and epithelial progenitors p.199

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1373-2

De novo design of bioactive protein switches p.205

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1432-8

A dominant population of optically invisible massive galaxies in the early Universe p.211

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1452-4

Signatures of tunable superconductivity in a trilayer graphene moiré superlattice p.215

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1393-y

Visualizing electrostatic gating effects in two-dimensional heterostructures p.220

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1402-1

Controlling organization and forces in active matter through optically defined boundaries p.224

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1447-1

Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa p.230

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1441-7

Deep roots for mid-ocean-ridge volcanoes revealed by plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions p.235

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1448-0

Non-photosynthetic predators are sister to red algae p.240

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1398-6

Cholera toxin promotes pathogen acquisition of host-derived nutrients p.244

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1453-3

Lysine harvesting is an antioxidant strategy and triggers underground polyamine metabolism p.249

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1442-6

Absence of NKG2D ligands defines leukaemia stem cells and mediates their immune evasion p.254

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1410-1

Flower isoforms promote competitive growth in cancer p.260

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1429-3

Modular and tunable biological feedback control using a de novo protein switch p.265

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1425-7

Mechanisms of RALF peptide perception by a heterotypic receptor complex p.270

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1409-7