Andrew Robinson reviews five of the week’s best science picks.

A strong material becomes more rigid or more relaxed when its constituent gears are spun.

A long-running La Niña climate event could persist into 2023. Plus, breast cancer cells are more likely to go rogue at night, and research to quantify and reduce inequality.

The lineages’ rise seems to stem from their ability to infect people who were immune to earlier forms of Omicron and other variants.

‘Microorganism’ is a misnomer when it comes to centimetre-long Thiomargarita magnifica.

Membranes with methane-excluding pores can remove nitrogen and carbon dioxide from natural gas in an energy-efficient and cost-effective way.

Scientists can now check whether a journal website has been cloned before submitting their manuscript.

Chemist who developed ways to synthesize and depict bioactive products.

African researchers have been warning about monkeypox outbreaks for years. As vaccines are deployed globally, they worry they will be left behind.

Meteorologists are forecasting a third consecutive year of La Niña. Some researchers say similar conditions could become more common as the planet warms.

The heart, the first organ to develop, undergoes complex morphogenesis that when defective results in congenital heart disease (CHD). With current therapies, more than 90% of CHD patients survive into adulthood but often suffer premature death from heart failure (HF) and non-cardiac causes 1. To gain insight into poorly understood disease progression, we performed single nuclear RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq)

There is a well-documented gap in the observed number of scientific works produced by women and men in science, with clear consequences for the retention and promotion of women in science1. The gap might be a result of productivity differences2-5, or it might be due to women’s contributions not being acknowledged6,7. This paper finds that at least part of this gap is due to the latter: women in research

Low-powered technology based on entangled photons delivers clearer sound than a classical equivalent.

Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 22 June 2022

COVID has exposed stark inequality - we walk through the latest data

These extinct uber-predators occupied an ecological niche that has no known equivalent in the modern ocean.

Jasmin Graham has a passion for predators and promoting inclusive science.

In separate books, leading economists explore the wide-ranging changes needed to produce a more just society.

‘This is not an acceptable normal for the long run,’ says US COVID czar Ashish Jha. Plus, the biodiversity COP15 will move to Canada and a gentler sonar based on shrimp snaps.

Data reveal that to earn credit on scientific articles, women need to work harder than men.

Allison McClure describes how she secured her first postdoctoral position and shares her thoughts on how laboratories can attract candidates.

Randomized trials are changing the way governments and aid organizations study — and deliver — measures to reduce inequality and poverty.

Possible signature of a short-lived tetraneutron.

Tumour cells spread mainly when the body is resting.

Ignoring the challenges of research in low-income countries only perpetuates inequity.

Wide-ranging expertise and direct involvement of those affected will help to make inequality research more meaningful.

Researchers make ‘striking’ discovery that breast cancer cells are more likely to jump into the blood when people are resting.

It’s worth waiting for the right postdoctoral researcher to come along, says Caroline Hill. But how do you choose the best candidate?

Reconstruction of 26,000 marine microbial genomes led to identification of new enzymes and biochemical compounds.

Experiments are transforming development research – but scientists must ensure the benefits reach those most in need.

Better data and new statistical techniques could enable researchers to measure the form of inequality that seems most harmful to society — inequality of opportunity.

Fabrication of an organic bipolar junction transistor.

A pathway that mediates mechanical itch.

Human activities have caused global temperatures to increase by 1.25°C, and the current emissions trajectory suggests that we will exceed 1.5°C in less than 10 years. Though the growth rate of global carbon dioxide emissions has slowed and many countries have strengthened their emissions targets, current midcentury net zero goals are insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial

The in vivo pathogenicity, transmissibility, and fitness of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant are unclear. We compared these virological attributes of this new variant of concern with those of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant in a Syrian hamster model of COVID-19. Omicron-infected hamsters lost significantly less body weight and exhibited reduced clinical scores, respiratory tract viral burdens

Cells of most bacterial species are around 2 micrometers in length, with some of the largest specimens reaching 750 micrometers. Using fluorescence, x-ray, and electron microscopy in conjunction with genome sequencing, we characterized Candidatus ( Ca. ) Thiomargarita magnifica, a bacterium that has an average cell length greater than 9000 micrometers and is visible to the naked eye. These cells grow

Changing the course of Earth’s climate is increasingly urgent, but there is also a concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the adaptive capacity of the rapidly changing biosphere. Adaptation ultimately underpins the resilience of Earth’s complex systems; species, communities, and ecosystems shift and evolve over time. Yet oncoming changes will seriously challenge current natural resource management

Global-scale surveys of plankton communities using “omics” techniques have revolutionized our understanding of the ocean. Lipidomics has demonstrated the potential to add further essential insights on ocean ecosystem function but has yet to be applied on a global scale. We analyzed 930 lipid samples across the global ocean using a uniform high-resolution accurate-mass mass spectrometry analytical workflow

David et al . claim that vestibular shape does not reflect function and that we did not use phylogenetic inference methods in our primary analyses. We show that their claims are countered by comparative and direct experimental evidence from across Vertebrata and that their models are empirically unverified. We did use phylogenetic methods to test our hypotheses. Moreover, their phylogenetic correction