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Nature, Published online: 17 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01330-2Beth Penrose describes her experiences starting a lab, recruiting staff and creating a research philosophy.

Nature, Published online: 17 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03498-zObservations of γ-rays with energies up to 1.4 PeV find that 12 sources in the Galaxy are PeVatrons, one of which is the Crab Nebula.

Nature, Published online: 17 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01311-5Starting a research group as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the world presented extra challenges.

Nature, Published online: 17 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01318-yFrom desert to gold mine — Frederick Reines was a larger-than-life physicist who did larger-than-life experiments.

Nature, Published online: 17 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01266-7Appreciation is growing of how our gut microbes shape health and disease. Now, a study of ancient human faeces sheds light on how microbial populations in the gut have changed during the past 2,000 years.

Nature, Published online: 17 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01322-2Nanoparticles carrying chemotherapeutic drugs could help people with cancer escape some of the drugs’ side effects, hopes Silvia Giordani.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01095-8The first gapless, telomere-to-telomere sequence of a human autosome, chromosome 8, is complete. Sequencing and assembly of the corresponding centromere in the chimpanzee, orangutan and macaque reveals details of its rapid evolution over the past 25 million years.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01319-xVisionary explorer of glasses and the limits of the liquid state.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01115-7In cells that divide symmetrically, a meshwork of actin cables is shown to maintain the uniform distribution of mitochondria around the mitotic spindle. Actin clouds and comet tails are assembled dynamically to shuffle mitochondria locally and ensure the equal and random inheritance of these organelles by the two daughter cells.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01287-2From Sri Lanka to Nepal, scientists with limited resources are working feverishly to discover which variants are driving outbreaks.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01112-wThe first viruses to colonize the infant gut are shown to arise from bacteria, with human-cell viruses colonizing the gut later, at around four months of age. Exclusive and partial breastfeeding were associated with fewer human viruses in the gut of infants compared with formula-feeding alone.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01308-0Scientists race to understand the threat posed by SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.617.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01300-8Stem cells carrying corrective genes offer hope for a devastating immune disorder.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01260-zGunk on ancient teeth yields bacterial DNA, allowing scientists to trace the oral microbiome’s evolution.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01324-0Delaying the second dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine could boost antibody responses in over-80s. Plus, China’s first rover on Mars and PLOS pushes to extend clout beyond biomedicine.

Nature, Published online: 14 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01301-7The Zhurong landing was the biggest test yet of China’s deep-space exploration capabilities. Within days, the rover could start to make geological discoveries.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01304-4NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft captures the ripples in interstellar plasma, a brain implant turns thoughts into text and how nature-based solutions can help cool the planet — if we act now.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01262-xLaboratory experiments provide a glimpse of what happens when rocks fail.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01258-7The first spacecraft to visit interstellar space has now become the first to make continuous measurements of waves in that remote realm.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01285-4A new variant stealthily took hold on two continents, highlighting the need for global genomic surveillance.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01261-yThe part of the brain that assesses tool usage is normally more focused on hands than on tools.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01259-6Quantum and ordinary clocks alike gain accuracy as they give off more heat.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01299-yOlder people who waited 11–12 weeks for their second jab had higher peak antibody levels than did those who waited only 3 weeks.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00749-xNature is asking former scientists from under-represented groups in the United States about their reasons for leaving, and where they ended up.

Nature, Published online: 13 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01907-3The publisher will launch five new journals, and has introduced a new business model that aims to spread the cost of publishing more fairly.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03469-4A cryogenic CMOS control chip operating at 3 K is used to demonstrate coherent control and simple algorithms on silicon qubits operating at 20 mK.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03547-7An aged, senescent immune system has a causal role in driving systemic ageing, and the targeting of senescent immune cells with senolytic drugs has the potential to suppress morbidities associated with old age.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01205-6Many scientific fields and industries rely on the synthesis of small organic molecules. A chemical reagent has been developed that allows such molecules to be made by ‘deleting’ nitrogen atoms from readily accessible precursors.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01297-0How the world failed to curb COVID, how the pandemic broke the evidence pipeline and tips for a perfect investor pitch.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03533-zTissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) within mitochondria hydrolyses phosphocreatine to initiate a futile cycle of creatine dephosphorylation and phosphorylation in thermogenic fat cells.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01284-5Communication breakdown between the World Health Organization, national leaders and the public caused the pandemic to explode in February 2020, investigation says.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03529-9Cryo-electron microscopy structures of Tetrahymena telomerase with telomeric DNA at several steps of nucleotide addition provide insights into the structural basis of telomere repeat synthesis.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03486-3A multi-layered electrolyte, in which a less stable electrolyte is sandwiched between two electrolyte layers that are more stable, can inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites in highly pressurized solid-state lithium metal batteries.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01246-xThe pandemic stress-tested the way the world produces evidence — and revealed all the flaws.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01206-5Known sources of formic acid could not explain the observed atmospheric concentrations of this compound. The discovery of a previously unknown pathway that generates formic acid in the atmosphere resolves this discrepancy.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01241-2Analysis suggests that to limit global temperature rise, we must slash emissions and invest now to protect, manage and restore ecosystems and land for the future.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01003-0Seasoned science entrepreneurs tell Adam Levy how to take the daunting first steps to commercializing your research.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01255-wThe pandemic has spawned too many uninformative clinical trials and reviews. Reform is needed to ensure the world gets the high-quality evidence it needs.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03462-xThe oxidation of hydrated formaldehyde from cloud droplets is the dominant source of atmospheric formic acid, increasing atmospheric acidity by reducing cloud and rainwater pH.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03548-6Whole-genome sequencing of haematopoietic colonies from human fetuses reveals the somatic mutations acquired by individual progenitors, which are used as barcodes to construct a phylogenetic tree of blood development.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03467-6Analyses and modelling of noble gases in groundwater show that the mean annual surface temperatures of low-altitude, low-to-mid-latitude land masses were about 6 °C cooler during the Last Glacial Maximum than during the Late Holocene.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03506-2A brain–computer interface enables rapid communication through neural decoding of attempted handwriting movements in a person with paralysis.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03540-0Analyses of hippocampal AMPA receptor–auxiliary subunit complexes provide insights into the predominant assemblies and organization of the AMPA receptor, TARP-γ8 and CNIH2/SynDIG4 and explain the mechanism of inhibition of a clinically relevant, brain-region-specific allosteric inhibitor.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03539-7DHO dehydrogenase regulates ferroptosis by preventing mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and its inhibition suppresses growth in tumours with low levels of GPX4.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03538-8RNA transcripts stimulate homologous recombination through the formation of DR-loops, intermediate structures that contain both DNA–DNA and DNA–RNA hybrids.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03532-0Ancient microbiomes from palaeofaeces are more similar to non-industrialized than industrialized human gut microbiomes regardless of geography, but 39% of their de novo reconstructed genomes represent previously undescribed microbial species.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01204-7Cells called fibroblasts can boost health yet also drive disease. Cell-lineage analysis has unveiled the first comprehensive atlas of fibroblasts from various healthy and diseased tissues, a result that has major clinical implications.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01292-5A new neural interface lets people type with their mind, and a crafting journey into materials science.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01273-8Sophie Dufour-Beauséjour chose an unusual way to capture an academic rite of passage, with a little help from her friends.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03610-3SARS-CoV-2 uses a multipronged strategy to impede host protein synthesis

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01245-yThe latest science news, in brief.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03606-zThe epidemiological impact of the NHS COVID-19 App

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01243-0There is no substitute for aggressive cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions. But the risks and benefits of technologies that could mitigate global warming need to be evaluated.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01249-8Andrew Robinson reviews five of the week’s best science picks.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00776-8A neural interface has been developed that could enable people with paralysis to type faster than they could using other technologies, by directly translating attempts at handwriting into text.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03448-9Nitrogen is ‘deleted’ from secondary amines using anomeric amide reagents, which react with the amine to form an isodiazene, after which nitrogen gas is released and the resulting carbon radicals combine to form a carbon–carbon bond.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01203-8Ferroptosis is a type of cell death driven by oxidative damage to lipid membranes. The discovery that organelles called mitochondria have an antioxidant system that counteracts ferroptosis might lead to new anticancer therapies.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03531-1In young mice, antigens from the gut microbiota are trafficked by CX3CR1+ dendritic cells from the gut to the thymus, where they induce the expansion of T cells that are specific to commensal microorganisms.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01293-4Unwanted visitors.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03517-zA cryo-electron microscopy structure of the inner membrane complex of the ESX-5 type VII secretion system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals an important role of interactions with MycP5 protease for complex integrity.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01281-8Despite many competing demands, there are compelling reasons for researchers to prioritize developing the skills that will improve their presentations.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03472-9Electric contacts of semimetallic bismuth on monolayer semiconductors are shown to suppress metal-induced gap states and thus have very low contact resistance and a zero Schottky barrier height.

Nature, Published online: 12 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03549-5Single-cell and genetic tools are used to characterize the diversity of fibroblasts across healthy and perturbed tissues in mice and humans.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01289-0How to protect yourself and your academic career from bullying. Plus, the month’s best science images and what we know about coronavirus variants now spreading in India.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01252-zStanding up to a persecutor is tough, particularly if they are your supervisor. But you can take steps to report abuse and protect yourself.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01274-7Variants 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.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01244-zProliferating military artificial intelligence will leave the world less safe — so we must focus on ethics and global cooperation.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01247-wThrough a tour of ten materials, a scientist explores knowing through doing.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01276-5Stop using ‘master–slave’ terminology in biology

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01218-1Value of Mexican nature reserve is more than monetary

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01275-6Afghanistan: vaccinate drug users against COVID-19

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01263-wBlue-flowered plants get the most scientific love; those with green or brown flowers, not so much.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01251-0A new rodent model of COVID-19 promises an easier and quicker way to test treatments and vaccines.

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01277-4COVID-19: build on Belgium’s psychosocial findings

Nature, Published online: 11 May 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03591-3Publisher Correction: Whole-genome doubling confers unique genetic vulnerabilities on tumour cells