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Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03157-9A reinforcement learning algorithm that explicitly remembers promising states and returns to them as a basis for further exploration solves all as-yet-unsolved Atari games and out-performs previous algorithms on Montezuma’s Revenge and Pitfall.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03285-wAn improved device design for perovskite-based photovoltaic cells enables a certified power conversion efficiency of 25.2 per cent, translating to 80.5 per cent of the thermodynamic limit for its bandgap, which approaches those achieved by silicon solar cells.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03282-zQuark–antiquark annihilation measurements provide a precise determination of the ratio of down and up antiquarks within protons as a function of momentum, which confirms the asymmetry between the abundance of down and up antiquarks.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03169-5The C. elegans neuropil is shown to be organized into four strata composed of related behavioural circuits, and its design principles are linked to the developmental processes that underpin its assembly.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00459-4The latest science news, in brief.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03235-6Identification of a metabolic checkpoint involving lipid signalling that is specific to regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in the tumour microenvironment raises the possibility of targeting this checkpoint for treatment of cancer.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03232-9Spatial and temporal variations among individual human cell proteomes are comprehensively mapped across the cell cycle using proteomic imaging and transcriptomics.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03212-zA strategy that combines freeze-casting and salting-out treatments produces strong, tough, stretchable and fatigue-resistant poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03241-8Absolute microbial abundances delineate longitudinal dynamics of bacteria, fungi and archaea in the infant gut microbiome, uncovering drivers of microbiome development masked by relative abundances and revealing notable parallels to macroscopic ecosystem assemblies.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03284-xTwo complete volumetric reconstructions of the Caenorhabditis elegans main neuropil (the nerve ring) reveal multi-scale spatial organization that supports both conserved and variable circuitry, and enables the derivation of a modular structure–function model of the neuropil.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03272-1Exposure to a novel experience can ‘reset’ connections between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in mice, allowing them to overcome an existing learned behaviour and to replace it with a new one.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03298-5A peri-arteriolar niche in the bone marrow for osteogenesis and lymphopoiesis is maintained by mechanical stimulation and is depleted during ageing.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03288-7High-fidelity deterministic quantum state transfer and multi-qubit entanglement are demonstrated in a quantum network comprising two superconducting quantum nodes one metre apart, with each node including three interconnected qubits.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03269-wBreaks in mitochondrial DNA cause leakage of mitochondrial RNA into the cytoplasm, enhancing immune surveillance and synergizing with nuclear DNA damage to mount a robust type-I interferon immune response.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03270-3Depriving unicellular Dictyostelium discoideum of nutrients generates reactive oxygen species that sequester cysteine within glutathione, which maintains this amoeba in a nonproliferating state that promotes aggregation into a multicellular organism.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03304-wγ-ray spectroscopy experiments on the origin of spin in the products of nuclear fission of spin-zero nuclei suggest that the fission fragments acquire their spin after scission, rather than before.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03247-2In a rat model of short bowel syndrome, transplantation of small intestinal organoids into the colon partially restores intestinal function and improves survival—a proof of principle that organoid transplantation might have therapeutic benefit.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03203-0The mechanism of steady-state electron microbunching is demonstrated, providing a basis that will enable its full implementation in electron storage rings to generate high-repetition, high-power coherent radiation.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00470-9Game theory suggests that donating doses can help nations of all income levels.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00509-xThe surprising structure of protons, and a method for growing small intestines for transplantation.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00490-5Open repository will give free access to more than 160 million data points with details about individual infections.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00429-wDamage to DNA in a cellular organelle called the mitochondrion triggers an immune response in the nucleus. Mechanistic insights into this process shed light on how organelles communicate.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00431-2The structure of matter can be explored using the light emitted by particle accelerators. An experiment demonstrates how the properties of two such light sources — synchrotrons and free-electron lasers — can be combined.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00165-1Two male researchers became gender-equity allies after witnessing how female colleagues were treated in meetings and job interviews.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00469-2Scientists and artists are working together as never before, finds a Nature poll. Both sides need to invest time, and embrace surprise and challenge.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00421-4Cancer can evade destruction by the immune system if aided by immunosuppressive regulatory T cells. These cells depend on a lipid-production pathway in the tumour environment, a vulnerability that might be used to target them.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00503-3It’s a new beginning.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00430-3Protons are found in all atoms, so it might be surprising to learn that they contain antimatter. It now emerges that there is an imbalance in the types of antimatter in the proton — a finding for which there is no agreed theoretical explanation.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00477-2To scientists’ surprise, a 10,000-year-old bone found in an Alaskan cave belonged to a domestic dog — one of the earliest known from the Americas.

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00419-yA specialized type of bone-cell progenitor has been identified in the bone marrow, and shown to support the generation of immune cells called lymphocytes in response to movement.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03216-9Publisher Correction: Parallel convolutional processing using an integrated photonic tensor core

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00505-1High-resolution, full-colour video of the Perseverance rover landing on Mars. Plus, a life-sized kangaroo is the oldest known rock art in Australia and scientists are closing in on a complete human genome.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00491-4Researchers in Japan are trying to understand why thunderstorms fire out bursts of powerful radiation.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00472-7Hertha Ayrton’s Nature obituary: a monument to sexism in science

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00471-8OECD on climate finance: donors need to step up and enhance reporting

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00476-3Black carbon from fuel combustion in South Asia bolsters the effects of climate change on northern ice and snow.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00473-6Physics in Africa: invest to reform and transform

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00409-0Despite the widespread roll-out of several vaccines, it could be months before they can be ranked.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00468-3The Square Kilometre Array must invite the best ideas from around the globe to help it probe astronomy’s deepest questions.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00502-wNature wades through the literature on the coronavirus — and summarizes key papers as they appear.

Nature, Published online: 23 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00460-xUneven transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has had tragic consequences — but also offers clues for how best to target control measures.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00451-yEvaluations find apps are useful, but would benefit from better integration into health-care systems.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00463-8Business developer Cinzia Spinato helps nanoscientists to translate their inventions into marketable products.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00475-4The NASA spacecraft has also snapped more shots of its surroundings and listened to a Martian wind gust.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00408-1Nuclear fusion experiments with deuterium and tritium at the Joint European Torus are a crucial dress rehearsal for the mega-experiment.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00462-9Advances in sequencing technology mean that scientists are on the verge of finally finishing an end-to-end human genome map.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00497-yA milestone for fusion power, what the science says about COVID vaccines and transmission and prospects dim for Planet Nine.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00449-6The composition of a person’s microbiome could influence the health effects of swapping steak for vegetables and olive oil.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00478-1Simple one-celled organisms ‘recall’ the location of food using internal tubes made of a gel-like material.

Nature, Published online: 22 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03336-2Genomic Insights into the Formation of Human Populations in East Asia

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00481-6China adds to its protected animals list for the first time in 32 years. Plus, Perseverance lands on Mars and dreamers can answer questions and do math while asleep.

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00474-5John Tregoning reckons with gallows humour in a serious time.

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00441-0Advice to the Biden administration as it seeks to account for mounting losses from storms, wildfires and other climate impacts.

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00450-zControlling the pandemic will require shots that prevent viral spread, but that feature is difficult to measure.

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00457-6Scientists expect SARS-CoV-2 to become endemic, but what does that mean?

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00456-7Analysis of three astronomical surveys provides some of the best evidence yet against the existence of a giant planet at the fringes of the Solar System.

Nature, Published online: 19 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00434-zPhysicists fire lasers at electrons to understand how the particles gain and shed energy.

Nature, Published online: 18 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00464-7Health-care workers in sub-Saharan Africa continue to work without the protection of COVID vaccines. Plus, million-year-old Mammoth DNA is the oldest ever sequenced and a three-device quantum network.

Nature, Published online: 18 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00461-wAstronomer and engineer of the first observatory on the Moon.

Nature, Published online: 18 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00432-1Having stuck its nail-biting landing, the Perseverance rover will now collect rocks to return to Earth and record Mars sounds for the first time.

Nature, Published online: 18 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00428-xThanks to an unusual orientation, a cooling system maintains an internal temperature 12 ˚C lower than the outside air on a clear, sunny day.

Nature, Published online: 18 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03261-4Addendum: Butterfly effect and a self-modulating El Niño response to global warming

Nature, Published online: 18 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00448-7Cuba’s relatively closed economy could explain why it has fewer invasive plant species per unit area than other Caribbean islands.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03221-yUpon induction by thermogenic stimuli, creatine kinase B traffics to mitochondria to trigger the futile creatine cycle in thermogenic fat.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03251-6Using lanthanide-doped nanomaterials and flexible substrates, an approach that enables flat-panel-free, high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging is demonstrated and termed X-ray luminescence extension imaging.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03230-xStructures of the human sodium-dependent citrate transporter NaCT in complexes with citrate or a small-molecule inhibitor reveal how the inhibitor—which binds to the same site as citrate—arrests the transport cycle of NaCT.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03254-3Concerns about phytoplankton bloom trends in global lakes

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03149-9Polycarbonates and polyesters with materials properties like those of high-density polyethylene can be recycled chemically by depolymerization to their constituent monomers, re-polymerization yielding material with uncompromised processing and materials properties.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00399-zGeraldine Cox mixes the palettes of art and physics by illustrating phenomena such as light-interference patterns.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00444-xI don’t expect to get every grant I apply for, but the least agencies could do is give me a little feedback, says Juan Manuel Parrilla Gutierrez.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00445-wOil licences undermine Norway’s ocean leadership

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00447-8Nature is polling readers about the move to online meetings during the COVID pandemic.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00433-0A mutation that is common in northern Europe is less so in Africa.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00435-yBlood levels of a protein hint at the survival prospects of people over 90 years old.

Nature, Published online: 17 February 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03255-2Reply to: Concerns about phytoplankton bloom trends in global lakes