Get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track p.7

At the current rate, most of the goals will not be met. Here’s how the 2030 agenda can be put back on the right path.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03907-4

A better way for countries to track their progress on sustainability p.8

A US–Chinese team shows how sustainability metrics can be improved.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03908-3

Australian biobank repatriates hundreds of ‘legacy’ Indigenous blood samples p.11

The return is part of a groundbreaking approach that could inspire other institutions grappling with how to use historical samples ethically in research.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03906-5

United States to fund gun-violence research after 20-year freeze p.12

Government spending deal includes $25 million for studies of firearms safety.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03882-w

Low-carbon, virtual science conference tries to recreate social buzz p.13

The organizers of an international biology meeting asked psychologists to assess their attempts at retaining the advantages of traditional conferences.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03899-1

This AI researcher is trying to ward off a reproducibility crisis p.14

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03895-5

Russia joins race to make quantum dreams a reality p.14

National initiative aims to develop practical technologies that could mine databases and create ultra-secure communication networks.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03855-z

The science events to watch for in 2020 p.15

A Mars invasion, a climate meeting and human–animal hybrids are set to shape the research agenda.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03910-9

The super-cool materials that send heat to space p.18

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03911-8

Tuberculosis vaccine finds an improved route p.31

A widely used vaccine against tuberculosis has now been shown to provide almost complete protection when injected intravenously. This is a striking improvement over vaccination through the typical intradermal route.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03597-y

Food for thought about manipulating gut bacteria p.32

Knowing how dietary fibre nourishes gut microorganisms might suggest ways to boost health-promoting bacteria. A method developed to pinpoint bacteria that consume particular types of dietary fibre could advance such efforts.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03704-z

Infrared spectroscopy finally sees the light p.34

The reliance of infrared spectroscopy on light transmission limits the sensitivity of many analytical applications. An approach that depends on the emission of infrared radiation from molecules promises to solve this problem.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03866-w

AI shows promise for breast cancer screening p.35

Could artificial intelligence improve the accuracy of screening for breast cancer? A comparison of the diagnostic performance of expert physicians and computers suggests so, but the clinical implications are as yet uncertain.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03822-8

Galaxy cluster illuminates the cosmic dark ages p.36

Observations of a distant cluster of galaxies suggest that star formation began there only 370 million years after the Big Bang. The results provide key details about where and when the first stars and galaxies emerged in the Universe.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-019-03893-7

Spectroscopic confirmation of a mature galaxy cluster at a redshift of 2 p.39

The redshift of a seemingly mature galaxy cluster has been confirmed spectroscopically to be about 2 and photometry indicates that star formation began in the galaxies of the cluster at a redshift of about 12.

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1829-4

Localization and delocalization of light in photonic moiré lattices p.42

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1851-6

Inverse transition of labyrinthine domain patterns in ferroelectric thin films p.47

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1845-4

Field-resolved infrared spectroscopy of biological systems p.52

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1850-7

Atomic imaging of the edge structure and growth of a two-dimensional hexagonal ice p.60

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1853-4

Confinement of atomically defined metal halide sheets in a metal–organic framework p.64

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1776-0

The past and future of global river ice p.69

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1848-1

Assessing progress towards sustainable development over space and time p.74

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1846-3

The water lily genome and the early evolution of flowering plants p.79

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1852-5

RGF1 controls root meristem size through ROS signalling p.85

RITF1, a newly identified plant transcription factor, links signalling through the peptide hormone RGF1 to the balance of reactive oxygen species and thereby enhances the stability of another transcription factor, PLETHORA2, a master regulator of root stem cells.

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1819-6

International evaluation of an AI system for breast cancer screening p.89

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1799-6

Prevention of tuberculosis in macaques after intravenous BCG immunization p.95

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1817-8

Mutations that prevent caspase cleavage of RIPK1 cause autoinflammatory disease p.103

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1828-5

A dominant autoinflammatory disease caused by non-cleavable variants of RIPK1 p.109

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1830-y

Metabolic heterogeneity confers differences in melanoma metastatic potential p.115

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1847-2

Impaired cell fate through gain-of-function mutations in a chromatin reader p.121

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1842-7

Regulation of α-synuclein by chaperones in mammalian cells p.127

Chaperones interact with a canonical motif in α-synuclein, which can be prevented by phosphorylation of α-synuclein at Tyr39, whereas inhibition of this interaction leads to the localization of α-synuclein to the mitochondria and aggregate formation.

doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1808-9