Tackling systemic racism requires the system of science to change p.313

In response to the global Black Lives Matter protests, many institutions pledged actions to combat racism. That’s not enough.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01312-4

Universal health care must be a priority — even amid COVID p.314

A focus on specific diseases has derailed efforts to achieve health care for all before. The world must not repeat that mistake with COVID-19.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01313-3

Coronavirus variants are spreading in India — what scientists know so far p.321

Variants including B.1.617 have been linked to India’s surge in infections. Researchers are hurrying to determine how much of a threat they pose.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01274-7

China has landed its first rover on Mars — here’s what happens next p.323

The Zhurong landing was the biggest test yet of China’s deep-space exploration capabilities. Within days, the rover could start to make geological discoveries.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01301-7

NASA reboots its role in fighting climate change p.324

Space agency aims to breathe new life into its Earth-science programme as US President Joe Biden pushes an ambitious climate agenda.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01230-5

Pfizer COVID vaccine protects against worrying coronavirus variants p.325

Data from Qatar provide strongest evidence yet that COVID-19 vaccines can stop strains thought to pose a threat to immunization efforts.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01222-5

How many COVID deaths are acceptable in a post-pandemic world? p.326

Even after mass vaccinations, some hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus are inevitable — but opinions differ on how many is too many for a return to relative normality.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01220-7

The mysterious microbes that gave rise to complex life p.328

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01316-0

How COVID is changing the study of human behaviour p.331

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01317-z

Previously unknown type of protein crosslink discovered p.343

Molecular crosslinks known as disulfides stabilize the 3D structures of many proteins, and sometimes regulate protein function. But disulfides are not alone — another type of regulatory protein crosslink has been discovered.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01135-3

Ultracold chemical reactions reveal the quantum mechanism of product formation p.344

Quantum chemistry is challenging to model computationally. An ultracold chemical reaction has now been used to test models with great precision, providing a benchmark for future quantum-chemistry calculations.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01264-9

Revolutionary view of two ways to split a mitochondrion p.346

Organelles called mitochondria divide in at least two contexts: during cell growth and in response to mitochondrial damage. The finding that division is different in these two contexts sheds light on the regulatory pathways involved.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01173-x

Conversations, and how we end them p.347

How we feel about the duration of our conversations has rarely been studied. New research has asked people about the lengths of their conversations, and whether they end when they want them to.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01074-z

Iron and nickel vapours are present in most comets p.349

The detection of iron and nickel vapours in a broad range of Solar System comets, and of nickel vapour in a comet from outside the Solar System, provides a glimpse into the organic chemistry of young planetary systems.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01265-8

Unconventional viral gene expression mechanisms as therapeutic targets p.362

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03511-5

The data-driven future of high-energy-density physics p.351

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03382-w

Iron and nickel atoms in cometary atmospheres even far from the Sun p.372

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03435-0

Gaseous atomic nickel in the coma of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov p.375

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03485-4

Precision test of statistical dynamics with state-to-state ultracold chemistry p.379

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03459-6

Tunable non-integer high-harmonic generation in a topological insulator p.385

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03466-7

Discovery, characterization and engineering of ligases for amide synthesis p.391

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03447-w

Overwintering fires in boreal forests p.399

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03437-y

Somatic mutation landscapes at single-molecule resolution p.405

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03477-4

Mouse prefrontal cortex represents learned rules for categorization p.411

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03452-z

Clofazimine broadly inhibits coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2 p.418

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03431-4

Bispecific IgG neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants and prevents escape in mice p.424

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03461-y

In vivo CRISPR base editing of PCSK9 durably lowers cholesterol in primates p.429

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03534-y

Distinct fission signatures predict mitochondrial degradation or biogenesis p.435

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03510-6

Neuronal enhancers are hotspots for DNA single-strand break repair p.440

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03468-5

Structure and dynamics of a mycobacterial type VII secretion system p.445

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03517-z

Structure of human telomerase holoenzyme with bound telomeric DNA p.449

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03415-4

Structures of telomerase at several steps of telomere repeat synthesis p.454

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03529-9

A lysine–cysteine redox switch with an NOS bridge regulates enzyme function p.460

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03513-3