France’s leadership academy needs more science and inclusion p.7

The renowned École Nationale d’Administration is closing. Its replacement could set an example to the world.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01459-0

Wanted: rules for pandemic data access that everyone can trust p.8

In the wake of COVID, a pandemic treaty could be a way to agree on data access before the next emergency strikes.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01460-7

Divisive COVID ‘lab leak’ debate prompts dire warnings from researchers p.15

Allegations that COVID escaped from a Chinese lab make it harder for nations to collaborate on ending the pandemic — and fuel online bullying, some scientists say.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01383-3

Scientific image sleuth faces legal action for criticizing research papers p.17

Researchers say the complaint filed against Elisabeth Bik could have a ‘chilling effect’ on scholarly criticism.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01430-z

Limit on lab-grown human embryos dropped by stem-cell body p.18

The International Society for Stem Cell Research relaxed the famous 14-day rule on culturing human embryos in its latest research guidelines.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01423-y

What scientists know about new, fast-spreading coronavirus variants p.19

Key questions remain about how quickly B.1.617 variants can spread, their potential to evade immunity and how they might affect the course of the pandemic.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01390-4

Controversial forestry experiment will be largest-ever in United States p.20

At the Elliott State Forest in Oregon, researchers will explore how best to balance timber production with conservation.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01256-9

How did Neanderthals and other ancient humans learn to count? p.22

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01429-6

Charge-carrying films for solar cells made quickly and cleanly p.27

Organic semiconductors used in a promising class of solar cell are processed in a ‘doping’ step to improve the transport of charge carriers. A fast doping method has been developed that might enable mass production of these cells.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01378-0

Host ubiquitin protein tags lipid to fight bacteria p.28

Host cells battle invading bacteria using a degradation process facilitated by the protein ubiquitin. The discovery of the host enzyme responsible and its bacterial target reveals that this process defies convention.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01267-6

Hunting the strongest accelerators in our Galaxy p.30

Twelve candidates for the most powerful astrophysical particle accelerators in the Milky Way have been detected. This advance will help to uncover the nature of these exotic objects.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01377-1

Mapping micronutrients in grain and soil unearths hidden hunger in Africa p.31

A diet containing insufficient micronutrients can harm human health. Maps that pinpoint areas of Africa associated with micronutrient-poor grains now offer a way to target interventions that tackle such deficiencies.

doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01268-5

Ultrahigh-energy photons up to 1.4 petaelectronvolts from 12 γ-ray Galactic sources p.33

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03498-z

Telecom-heralded entanglement between multimode solid-state quantum memories p.37

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03481-8

Heralded entanglement distribution between two absorptive quantum memories p.41

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03505-3

Signatures of moiré trions in WSe₂/MoSe₂ heterobilayers p.46

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03541-z

CO2 doping of organic interlayers for perovskite solar cells p.51

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03518-y

Intrinsic toughening and stable crack propagation in hexagonal boron nitride p.57

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03488-1

Asymmetric response of interfacial water to applied electric fields p.62

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03504-4

Widespread deoxygenation of temperate lakes p.66

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03550-y

The nutritional quality of cereals varies geospatially in Ethiopia and Malawi p.71

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03559-3

A high-quality bonobo genome refines the analysis of hominid evolution p.77

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03519-x

Cortex-dependent corrections as the tongue reaches for and misses targets p.82

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03561-9

Drugs that inhibit TMEM16 proteins block SARS-CoV-2 spike-induced syncytia p.88

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03491-6

Sensory neuron-derived TAFA4 promotes macrophage tissue repair functions p.94

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03563-7

An aged immune system drives senescence and ageing of solid organs p.100

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03547-7

AI-based pathology predicts origins for cancers of unknown primary p.106

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03512-4

Ubiquitylation of lipopolysaccharide by RNF213 during bacterial infection p.111

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03566-4

MIR-NATs repress MAPT translation and aid proteostasis in neurodegeneration p.117

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03556-6

Structures of mammalian RNA polymerase II pre-initiation complexes p.124

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03554-8

Structure of the human Mediator–RNA polymerase II pre-initiation complex p.129

doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03555-7