The United States can help the IMF to rethink how it lends p.325

The funding powerhouse should encourage the International Monetary Fund to prioritize research into sustainable development.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00959-3

Funders, now is the time to invest big in COVID drugs p.326

Vaccine development has been a resounding success. But the medicine cabinet should have been better stocked.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00960-w

Is the standard model broken? Physicists cheer major muon result p.333

The muon’s magnetic moment is larger than expected — a hint that new elementary particles are waiting to be discovered.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00898-z

How could a COVID vaccine cause blood clots? Scientists race to investigate p.334

Researchers are searching for possible links between unusual clotting and the Oxford–AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00940-0

Why US coronavirus tracking can’t keep up with concerning variants p.336

The country has an enormous virus-sequencing capacity, but funding and coordination roadblocks are holding it back.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00908-0

After the WHO report: what’s next in the search for COVID’s origins p.337

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00877-4

Oldest DNA from a Homo sapiens reveals surprisingly recent Neanderthal ancestry p.339

Ancient human lineages interbred commonly in Europe, as well as the Middle East.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00916-0

The race for antiviral drugs to beat COVID — and the next pandemic p.340

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00958-4

An exceptional view of phase transitions in non-equilibrium systems p.355

Phase transitions in certain non-equilibrium systems cannot be described using the classical laws of statistical mechanics. A mathematical approach involving features called exceptional points now solves this far-reaching problem.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00886-3

Relax to grow more hair p.356

A stress hormone has been found to signal through skin cells to repress the activation of hair-follicle stem cells in mice. When this signalling is blocked, hair growth is stimulated. Stressed humans, watch out.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00656-1

Dynamics of polarization vortices revealed in a ferroelectric material p.359

Vortices of electrical polarization have been observed to vibrate at extremely high frequencies in a material called a ferroelectric. Such motion could be directly controlled by electric fields for ultrafast data processing.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00887-2

A critical period that shapes neuronal motor circuits p.360

A mechanism has been found in fruit flies that enables cells called astrocytes to signal to neurons, closing a developmental window during which locomotor behaviour is shaped.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00680-1

Non-reciprocal phase transitions p.363

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03375-9

A quantum magnetic analogue to the critical point of water p.370

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03411-8

Subterahertz collective dynamics of polar vortices p.376

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03342-4

Pseudo-halide anion engineering for α-FAPbI3 perovskite solar cells p.381

Incorporation of the pseudo-halide anion formate during the fabrication of α-FAPbI3 perovskite films eliminates deleterious iodide vacancies, yielding solar cell devices with a certified power conversion efficiency of 25.21 per cent and long-term operational stability.

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03406-5

Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures p.386

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03404-7

Dynamics of large effusive eruptions driven by caldera collapse p.392

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03414-5

Protecting the global ocean for biodiversity, food and climate p.397

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03371-z

Measuring human capital using global learning data p.403

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03323-7

Inter-mosaic coordination of retinal receptive fields p.409

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03317-5

Astrocytes close a motor circuit critical period p.414

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03441-2

Primate cell fusion disentangles gene regulatory divergence in neurodevelopment p.421

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03343-3

Corticosterone inhibits GAS6 to govern hair follicle stem-cell quiescence p.428

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03417-2

Fertilized egg cells secrete endopeptidases to avoid polytubey p.433

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03387-5

Detection of a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in South Africa p.438

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03402-9

Auto-aggressive CXCR6⁺ CD8 T cells cause liver immune pathology in NASH p.444

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03233-8

NASH limits anti-tumour surveillance in immunotherapy-treated HCC p.450

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03362-0

Expansible residence decentralizes immune homeostasis p.457

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03351-3

A vaccine targeting mutant IDH1 in newly diagnosed glioma p.463

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03363-z

Structural insights into the lipid and ligand regulation of serotonin receptors p.469

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03376-8