Europe must think more globally in crafting its pandemic response p.329

The EU has struggled to find a unified voice in the pandemic. A new plan is a strong start, but needs to be more outward-looking.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03246-9

Facial-recognition research needs an ethical reckoning p.330

The fields of computer science and artificial intelligence are struggling with the ethical challenges of biometrics. Researchers, funders and institutions must respond.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03256-7

COVID vaccine excitement builds as Moderna reports third positive result p.337

Preliminary data show that the immunization is 94% effective and seems to prevent severe infections.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03248-7

Joe Biden’s COVID plan is taking shape — and researchers approve p.339

The US president-elect has already announced a coronavirus advisory board and an updated strategy that researchers say follows the science.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03207-2

COVID mink analysis shows mutations are not dangerous — yet p.340

The analysis found the mutations probably won’t jeopardize vaccines, but scientists say the rampant spread means the animals still need to be killed.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03218-z

Where did COVID come from? WHO investigation begins but faces challenges p.341

Identifying the source will be tricky, and investigators will need to grapple with the sensitive political situation.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03165-9

Quantum computer race intensifies as alternative technology gains steam p.342

Trapped-ion systems are gaining momentum in the quest to make a commercial quantum computer.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03237-w

How to stop restaurants from driving COVID infections p.344

US mobile data suggests restaurants, gyms and cafes can be COVID hotspots — and reveals strategies for limiting spread.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03140-4

Is facial recognition too biased to be let loose? p.347

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03186-4

Resisting the rise of facial recognition p.350

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03188-2

The ethical questions that haunt facial-recognition research p.354

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03187-3

Potentially harmful aerosols concentrate in European urban centres p.369

Atmospheric particles that increase levels of cellular oxidants when inhaled might be especially harmful. An analysis reveals which emissions should be limited to minimize the potential adverse health effects of such particles in Europe.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03065-y

Universal assembly instructions for the placenta p.370

Our understanding of how mammalian embryos develop is based largely on mice. A study now reveals striking similarities and intriguing differences between mouse, cow and human embryos.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-02914-0

Hierarchies defined through human mobility p.372

An analysis of worldwide data finds that human mobility has a hierarchical structure. A proposed model that accounts for such hierarchies reproduces differences in mobility behaviour across genders and levels of urbanization.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03197-1

Identifying gut microbes that affect human health p.373

When determining whether gut microbes affect human health, it is hard to distinguish between a causal and a correlative relationship. Analysis of microbial links to human traits and habits correlated with disease offers a step forward.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03069-8

Interferon deficiency can lead to severe COVID p.374

Understanding what contributes to the development of severe COVID-19 would be of great clinical benefit. Analysis of people in whom this occurred pinpoints a key role for the signalling pathway mediated by type I interferon proteins.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-03070-1

LifeTime and improving European healthcare through cell-based interceptive medicine p.377

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2715-9

A blue ring nebula from a stellar merger several thousand years ago p.387

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2893-5

Observation of gauge invariance in a 71-site Bose–Hubbard quantum simulator p.392

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2910-8

The growth equation of cities p.397

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2900-x

The scales of human mobility p.402

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2909-1

Key role of chemistry versus bias in electrocatalytic oxygen evolution p.408

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2908-2

Sources of particulate-matter air pollution and its oxidative potential in Europe p.414

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2902-8

A yeast living ancestor reveals the origin of genomic introgressions p.420

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2889-1

Innate and plastic mechanisms for maternal behaviour in auditory cortex p.426

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2807-6

Spontaneous travelling cortical waves gate perception in behaving primates p.432

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2802-y

Persistent transcriptional programmes are associated with remote memory p.437

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2905-5

Initiation of a conserved trophectoderm program in human, cow and mouse embryos p.443

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2759-x

Host variables confound gut microbiota studies of human disease p.448

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2881-9

Enteric neurons increase maternal food intake during reproduction p.455

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2866-8

Paracrine signalling by cardiac calcitonin controls atrial fibrogenesis and arrhythmia p.460

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2890-8

Exuberant fibroblast activity compromises lung function via ADAMTS4 p.466

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2877-5

Gut-educated IgA plasma cells defend the meningeal venous sinuses p.472

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2886-4

Single-cell mutation analysis of clonal evolution in myeloid malignancies p.477

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2864-x

Molecular dissection of amyloid disaggregation by human HSP70 p.483

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2904-6

HSP40 proteins use class-specific regulation to drive HSP70 functional diversity p.489

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2906-4

The native structure of the assembled matrix protein 1 of influenza A virus p.495

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2696-8

Structural basis of GPBAR activation and bile acid recognition p.499

doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2569-1