The world must learn from COVID before diving into a pandemic treaty p.165

A treaty might help countries to prepare for the next pandemic — but first they must study what went wrong during this one.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00866-7

Am I arguing with a machine? AI debaters highlight need for transparency p.166

With artificial intelligence starting to take part in debates with humans, more oversight is needed to avoid manipulation and harm.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00867-6

WHO report into COVID pandemic origins zeroes in on animal markets, not labs p.173

Scientists say the conclusions make sense but note that supporters of the lab-leak theory are unlikely to be satisfied.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00865-8

Scandal over COVID vaccine trial at Peruvian universities prompts outrage p.174

Researchers gave shots to politicians and family members, violating trial regulations — and damaging public trust.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00576-0

What it will take to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 p.176

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00727-3

Genetic therapies offer new hope against incurable brain diseases p.180

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00870-x

Adding is favoured over subtracting in problem solving p.189

A series of problem-solving experiments reveal that people are more likely to consider solutions that add features than solutions that remove them, even when removing features is more efficient.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00592-0

Quantum computer based on shuttling trapped ions p.190

A microchip-based quantum computer has been built incorporating an architecture in which calculations are carried out by shuttling atomic ions. The device exhibits excellent performance and potential for scaling up.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00844-z

Heating freezes electrons in twisted bilayer graphene p.191

Electrons usually move more freely at higher temperatures. But they have now been observed to ‘freeze’ as the temperature rises, in a system consisting of two stacked, but slightly misaligned, graphene sheets.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00843-0

Early humans far from the South African coast collected unusual objects p.193

Ostrich eggshells and crystals gathered more than 100,000 years ago shed light on the cultural evolution of early humans. Found in South Africa’s interior, they reveal that technological innovations occurred beyond its coast.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00795-5

The NIH Somatic Cell Genome Editing program p.195

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03191-1

Five carbon- and nitrogen-bearing species in a hot giant planet’s atmosphere p.205

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03381-x

Demonstration of the trapped-ion quantum CCD computer architecture p.209

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03318-4

Entropic evidence for a Pomeranchuk effect in magic-angle graphene p.214

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03319-3

Isospin Pomeranchuk effect in twisted bilayer graphene p.220

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03409-2

Diversity-oriented synthesis of polymer membranes with ion solvation cages p.225

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03377-7

A 200-million-year delay in permanent atmospheric oxygenation p.232

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03393-7

Earthquakes indicated magma viscosity during Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption p.237

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03400-x

Developmental and biophysical determinants of grass leaf size worldwide p.242

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03370-0

Innovative Homo sapiens behaviours 105,000 years ago in a wetter Kalahari p.248

Human populations in the southern Africa interior were collecting non-utilitarian objects at around 105,000 years ago, suggesting that the development of this innovative behaviour did not depend on exploiting coastal resources.

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03419-0

Initial Upper Palaeolithic humans in Europe had recent Neanderthal ancestry p.253

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03335-3

People systematically overlook subtractive changes p.258

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03380-y

Hunger enhances food-odour attraction through a neuropeptide Y spotlight p.262

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03299-4

State-dependent encoding of exploratory behaviour in the amygdala p.267

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03301-z

Cell competition constitutes a barrier for interspecies chimerism p.272

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03273-0

SARS-CoV-2 evolution during treatment of chronic infection p.277

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03291-y

BNT162b vaccines protect rhesus macaques from SARS-CoV-2 p.283

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03275-y

Monocyte-derived S1P in the lymph node regulates immune responses p.290

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03227-6

The AIM2 inflammasome exacerbates atherosclerosis in clonal haematopoiesis p.296

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03341-5

Breast tumours maintain a reservoir of subclonal diversity during expansion p.302

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03357-x

A high-resolution protein architecture of the budding yeast genome p.309

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03314-8