The world’s scientific panel on biodiversity needs a bigger role p.7

IPBES, the international panel of leading biodiversity researchers, should be consulted on how best to measure species loss.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02339-3

The global research community must not abandon Afghanistan p.8

Here’s how Afghanistan’s scholars can be supported.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02340-w

Afghanistan’s terrified scientists predict huge research losses p.15

For 20 years, science has blossomed in Afghanistan. Now many researchers are fleeing and those who remain face lost funding and the threat of persecution.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02353-5

Genetic patterns offer clues to evolution of homosexuality p.17

Massive study finds that genetic markers associated with same-sex encounters might aid reproduction. But some scientists question the conclusions.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02312-0

Home seismometers provide crucial data on Haiti’s quake p.18

A volunteer network helps to monitor aftershocks and illuminate the country’s earthquake hazards.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02279-y

Australia’s cane toads evolved as cannibals with frightening speed p.19

Study finds that the noxious pests have become so numerous, they’ve developed a taste for each other — as well as defences to ward off such attacks.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02317-9

The Venezuelan health-care workers secretly collecting COVID stats p.20

Faced with government suppression and limited resources, doctors and nurses are quietly working with research networks to report reliable data.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02276-1

What’s next for lab-grown human embryos? p.22

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02343-7

Benzene rings broken for chemical synthesis p.33

Benzene rings are almost unbreakable in typical reaction conditions. Chemistry has now been developed that selectively breaks these rings open, highlighting their potential as building blocks for making open-chain molecules.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02322-y

cGAS-like receptors put a sting into the evolution of immune defence p.34

Aspects of how immune defence processes evolved remain mysterious. Studies of the fly Drosophila melanogaster reveal previously unknown details of a defence pathway with echoes of, but key differences from, a human pathway.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02119-z

Molecular memristors offer a path to ultra-efficient computing p.36

Future progress in computing calls for innovative ways to map the physical characteristics of materials to the logic functions needed by computing architectures. An electronic device called a molecular memristor provides a way forward.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02323-x

Insights into a receptor that lets insects sense scents p.37

In insects, odorant receptor proteins form membrane ion channels that open on binding to an odorant molecule. The structures of an inactive and an active channel lend insights into how insects detect and distinguish between odours.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02076-7

A brain signal that coordinates thought with metabolism p.39

In a brain structure called the hippocampus, sharp wave-ripples — oscillatory hallmarks of an ‘offline’ mode of cognitive processing — have been found to predict dips in glucose concentrations in the body.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-02122-4

Measuring the density structure of an accretion hot spot p.41

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03751-5

Emergent hydrodynamics in a strongly interacting dipolar spin ensemble p.45

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03763-1

Decision trees within a molecular memristor p.51

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03748-0

Scalable production of high-performing woven lithium-ion fibre batteries p.57

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03772-0

Cleaving arene rings for acyclic alkenylnitrile synthesis p.64

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03801-y

Enantioselective synthesis of ammonium cations p.70

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03735-5

The contribution of insects to global forest deadwood decomposition p.77

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03740-8

A metabolic function of the hippocampal sharp wave-ripple p.82

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03811-w

Quantitative lineage analysis identifies a hepato-pancreato-biliary progenitor niche p.87

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03844-1

APRIL limits atherosclerosis by binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans p.92

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03818-3

SARS-CoV-2 RBD antibodies that maximize breadth and resistance to escape p.97

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03807-6

Broad sarbecovirus neutralization by a human monoclonal antibody p.103

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03817-4

cGAS-like receptors sense RNA and control 3′2′-cGAMP signalling in Drosophila p.109

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03743-5

Two cGAS-like receptors induce antiviral immunity in Drosophila p.114

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03800-z

A clinically applicable integrative molecular classification of meningiomas p.119

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03850-3

The structural basis of odorant recognition in insect olfactory receptors p.126

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03794-8

DAXX represents a new type of protein-folding enabler p.132

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03824-5