A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20120-4

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20105-3

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19968-3.

Subduction is the primary driver of plate tectonics, yet we still do not fully understand how subduction zones initiate or the budgets of life-supporting elements recycled via subduction. At Nature Communications, we advocate for more transdisciplinary initiatives and collaborative projects, which are essential if we are to continue to bring new dynamics to subduction research.

Plasma-wakefield accelerators driven by intense particle beams promise to significantly reduce the size of future high-energy facilities. Such applications require particle beams with a well-controlled energy spectrum, which necessitates detailed tailoring of the plasma wakefield. Precise measurements of the effective wakefield structure are therefore essential for optimising the acceleration process

Spoiled perishable products, such as food and drugs exposed to inappropriate temperature, cause million illnesses every year. Risks range from intoxication due to pathogen-contaminated edibles, to suboptimal potency of temperature-sensitive vaccines. High-performance and low-cost indicators are needed, based on conformable materials whose properties change continuously and irreversibly depending on

The assembly of actin filaments into distinct cytoskeletal structures plays a critical role in cell physiology, but how proteins localize differentially to these structures within a shared cytoplasm remains unclear. Here, we show that the actin-binding domains of accessory proteins can be sensitive to filament conformational changes. Using a combination of live cell imaging and in vitro single molecule

Coupling between vibrational modes is essential for energy transfer and dissipation in condensed matter. For water, different O-H stretch modes are known to be very strongly coupled both within and between water molecules, leading to ultrafast dissipation and delocalization of vibrational energy. In contrast, the information on the vibrational coupling of the H-O-H bending mode of water is lacking

Miscarriage is a common, complex trait affecting ~15% of clinically confirmed pregnancies. Here we present the results of large-scale genetic association analyses with 69,054 cases from five different ancestries for sporadic miscarriage, 750 cases of European ancestry for multiple (≥3) consecutive miscarriage, and up to 359,469 female controls. We identify one genome-wide significant association (rs146350366

COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which jumped into the human population in late 2019 from a currently uncharacterised animal reservoir. Due to this recent association with humans, SARS-CoV-2 may not yet be fully adapted to its human host. This has led to speculations that SARS-CoV-2 may be evolving towards higher transmissibility. The most plausible mutations under putative natural

Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy, affecting both maternal and fetal health. In genome-wide association meta-analysis of European and Central Asian mothers, we identify sequence variants that associate with preeclampsia in the maternal genome at ZNF831/20q13 and FTO/16q12. These are previously established variants for blood pressure (BP) and the FTO variant has also been associated

Bioresorbable electronic stimulators are of rapidly growing interest as unusual therapeutic platforms, i.e., bioelectronic medicines, for treating disease states, accelerating wound healing processes and eliminating infections. Here, we present advanced materials that support operation in these systems over clinically relevant timeframes, ultimately bioresorbing harmlessly to benign products without

Targeting a specific chemokine/receptor axis in atherosclerosis remains challenging. Soluble receptor-based strategies are not established for chemokine receptors due to their discontinuous architecture. Macrophage migration-inhibitory factor (MIF) is an atypical chemokine that promotes atherosclerosis through CXC-motif chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4). However, CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions also mediate atheroprotection

Hop/Stip1/Sti1 is thought to be essential as a co-chaperone to facilitate substrate transfer between the Hsp70 and Hsp90 molecular chaperones. Despite this proposed key function for protein folding and maturation, it is not essential in a number of eukaryotes and bacteria lack an ortholog. We set out to identify and to characterize its eukaryote-specific function. Human cell lines and the budding yeast

The spontaneous self-assembly of multicellular ensembles into living materials with synergistic structure and function remains a considerable challenge in biotechnology and synthetic biology. Here, we exploit the aqueous two-phase separation of dextran-in-PEG emulsion micro-droplets for the capture, spatial organization and immobilization of algal cells or algal/bacterial cell communities to produce

A hallmark of type I CRISPR–Cas systems is the presence of Cas3, which contains both the nuclease and helicase activities required for DNA cleavage during interference. In subtype I-D systems, however, the histidine-aspartate (HD) nuclease domain is encoded as part of a Cas10-like large effector complex subunit and the helicase activity in a separate Cas3’ subunit, but the functional and mechanistic

The lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) is known to relay noxious information to the amygdala for processing affective responses. However, it is unclear whether the LPBN actively processes neuropathic pain characterized by persistent hyperalgesia with aversive emotional responses. Here we report that neuropathic pain-like hypersensitivity induced by common peroneal nerve (CPN) ligation increases nociceptive

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes play an essential role in improving clinical outcome of neuroblastoma (NB) patients, but their relationship with other tumor-infiltrating immune cells in the T cell-inflamed tumors remains poorly investigated. Here we show that dendritic cells (DCs) and natural killer (NK) cells are positively correlated with T-cell infiltration in human NB, both at transcriptional and

Intracellular traffic between compartments of the secretory and endocytic pathways is mediated by vesicle-based carriers. The proteomes of carriers destined for many organelles are ill-defined because the vesicular intermediates are transient, low-abundance and difficult to purify. Here, we combine vesicle relocalisation with organelle proteomics and Bayesian analysis to define the content of different

Infectious diseases are worldwide a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Fast and specific detection of pathogens such as bacteria is needed to combat these diseases. Optimal methods would be non-invasive and without extensive sample-taking/processing. Here, we developed a set of near infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanosensors and used them for remote fingerprinting of clinically important bacteria

Expanding the mass of pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells through re-activation of beta cell replication has been proposed as a therapy to prevent or delay the appearance of diabetes. Pancreatic beta cells exhibit an age-dependent decrease in their proliferative activity, partly related to changes in the systemic environment. Here we report the identification of CCN4/Wisp1 as a circulating factor

Fjord dynamics influence oceanic heat flux to the Greenland ice sheet. Submarine iceberg melting releases large volumes of freshwater within Greenland’s fjords, yet its impact on fjord dynamics remains unclear. We modify an ocean model to simulate submarine iceberg melting in Sermilik Fjord, east Greenland. Here we find that submarine iceberg melting cools and freshens the fjord by up to ~5 °C and

Modern microscopes used for biological imaging often present themselves as black boxes whose precise operating principle remains unknown, and whose optical resolution and price seem to be in inverse proportion to each other. With UC2 (You. See. Too.) we present a low-cost, 3D-printed, open-source, modular microscopy toolbox and demonstrate its versatility by realizing a complete microscope development

Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines are crucially involved in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Here we report that CaCl2 application into abdominal aorta induces AAA with intra-aortic infiltration of macrophages as well as enhanced expression of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) and MMP-9. Moreover, infiltrating macrophages express C-C chemokine receptor 5

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20090-7

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20098-z

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20117-z

Practically applied techniques for ultrasonic biomedical imaging employ delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming which can resolve two objects down to 2.1λ within the acoustic Fresnel zone. Here, we demonstrate a phononic metamaterial lens (ML) for detection of laterally subwavelength object features in tissue-like phantoms beyond the phononic crystal evanescent zone and Fresnel zone of the emitter. The ML

Genome-wide DNA demethylation is a unique feature of mammalian development and naïve pluripotent stem cells. Here, we describe a recently evolved pathway in which global hypomethylation is achieved by the coupling of active and passive demethylation. TET activity is required, albeit indirectly, for global demethylation, which mostly occurs at sites devoid of TET binding. Instead, TET-mediated active

The human γ-herpesviruses Kaposi sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are associated with many human malignancies. Viral glycoprotein H (gH) and glycoprotein L (gL) are crucial for the cell tropism by binding to specific receptors. Recently, EphA2 was identified as the specific entry receptor for both KSHV and EBV. Here, we characterized the crystal structures of KSHV

The ability of organisms to sense nutrient availability and tailor their metabolic states to withstand nutrient deficiency is critical for survival. To identify previously unknown regulators that couple nutrient deficiency to body fat utilization, we performed a cherry-picked RNAi screen in C. elegans and found that the transcription factor HLH-11 regulates lipid metabolism in response to food availability

Hepatic lipogenesis is normally tightly regulated but is aberrantly elevated in obesity. Fibroblast Growth Factor-15/19 (mouse FGF15, human FGF19) are bile acid-induced late fed-state gut hormones that decrease hepatic lipid levels by unclear mechanisms. We show that FGF15/19 and FGF15/19-activated Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP/NR0B2) have a role in transcriptional repression of lipogenesis. Comparative

Epigenetic differences may help to distinguish between PTSD cases and trauma-exposed controls. Here, we describe the results of the largest DNA methylation meta-analysis of PTSD to date. Ten cohorts, military and civilian, contribute blood-derived DNA methylation data from 1,896 PTSD cases and trauma-exposed controls. Four CpG sites within the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor repressor (AHRR) associate with

Compound events (CEs) are weather and climate events that result from multiple hazards or drivers with the potential to cause severe socio-economic impacts. Compared with isolated hazards, the multiple hazards/drivers associated with CEs can lead to higher economic losses and death tolls. Here, we provide the first analysis of multiple multivariate CEs potentially causing high-impact floods, droughts

Two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystal superlattices integrate diverse 2D layered materials enabling adjustable electronic and optical properties. However, tunability of the interlayer gap and interactions remain challenging. Here we report a solution based on soft oxygen plasma intercalation. 2D atomic crystal molecular superlattices (ACMSs) are produced by intercalating O2+ ions into the interlayer

Aging is a key risk factor for chronic diseases of the elderly. MicroRNAs regulate post-transcriptional gene silencing through base-pair binding on their target mRNAs. We identified nonlinear changes in age-related microRNAs by analyzing whole blood from 1334 healthy individuals. We observed a larger influence of the age as compared to the sex and provide evidence for a shift to the 5’ mature form

Although calcareous anatomical structures have evolved in diverse animal groups, such structures have been unknown in insects. Here, we report the discovery of high-magnesium calcite [CaMg(CO3)2] armor overlaying the exoskeletons of major workers of the leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex echinatior. Live-rearing and in vitro synthesis experiments indicate that the biomineral layer accumulates rapidly as ant

Escherichia coli is the leading cause of urinary tract infection, one of the most common bacterial infections in humans. Despite this, a genomic perspective is lacking regarding the phylogenetic distribution of isolates associated with different clinical syndromes. Here, we present a large-scale phylogenomic analysis of a spatiotemporally and clinically diverse set of 907 E. coli isolates, including

Optical atomic clocks are a driving force for precision measurements due to the high accuracy and stability demonstrated in recent years. While further improvements to the stability have been envisioned by using entangled atoms, squeezing the quantum mechanical projection noise, evaluating the overall gain must incorporate essential features of an atomic clock. Here, we investigate the benefits of

The abuse potential of ketamine limits its clinical application, but the precise mechanism remains largely unclear. Here we discovered that ketamine significantly remodels the endocannabinoid-related lipidome and activates 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) signaling in the dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus and putamen, CPu) of mice. Elevated 2-AG in the CPu is essential for the psychostimulant and reinforcing

Active learning—the field of machine learning (ML) dedicated to optimal experiment design—has played a part in science as far back as the 18th century when Laplace used it to guide his discovery of celestial mechanics. In this work, we focus a closed-loop, active learning-driven autonomous system on another major challenge, the discovery of advanced materials against the exceedingly complex synthe

The teeth of all vertebrates predominantly comprise the same materials, but their lifespans vary widely: in stark contrast to mammals, shark teeth are functional only for weeks, rather than decades, making lifelong durability largely irrelevant. However, their diets are diverse and often mechanically demanding, and as such, their teeth should maintain a functional morphology, even in the face of extremely

Versatile tools for gene expression regulation are vital for engineering gene networks of increasing scales and complexity with bespoke responses. Here, we investigate and repurpose a ubiquitous, indirect gene regulation mechanism from nature, which uses decoy protein-binding DNA sites, named DNA sponge, to modulate target gene expression in Escherichia coli. We show that synthetic DNA sponges can

Understanding the constraints that shape the evolution of antibiotic resistance is critical for predicting and controlling drug resistance. Despite its importance, however, a systematic investigation of evolutionary constraints is lacking. Here, we perform a high-throughput laboratory evolution of Escherichia coli under the addition of 95 antibacterial chemicals and quantified the transcriptome, resistance

Metals and polymers are dissimilar materials in terms of their physicochemical properties, but complementary in terms of functionality. As a result, metal-organic structures can introduce a wealth of novel applications in small-scale robotics. However, current fabrication techniques are unable to process three-dimensional metallic and polymeric components. Here, we show that hybrid microstructures

Enhancer RNAs (eRNA) are unstable non-coding RNAs, transcribed bidirectionally from active regulatory sequences, whose expression levels correlate with enhancer activity. We use capped-nascent-RNA sequencing to efficiently capture bidirectional transcription initiation across several human lymphoblastoid cell lines (Yoruba population) and detect ~75,000 eRNA transcription sites with high sensitivity

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20006-5

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20017-2

Bacteria and archaea employ CRISPR (clustered, regularly, interspaced, short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) systems as a type of adaptive immunity to target and degrade foreign nucleic acids. While a myriad of CRISPR-Cas systems have been identified to date, type I-C is one of the most commonly found subtypes in nature. Interestingly, the type I-C system employs a minimal Cascade effector

Chiral α-aryl glycines play a key role in the preparation of some bioactive products, however, their catalytic asymmetric synthesis is far from being satisfactory. Herein, we report an efficient nickel-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of N-aryl imino esters, affording chiral α-aryl glycines in high yields and enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). The hydrogenation can be conducted on a gram scale

In this perspective, I discuss a few basic concepts in fundamental mechanistic studies of electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction. Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction has the potential to sustainably produce carbon-based fuels and chemicals while mitigating the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. In this comment, the author discusses a few basic concepts in the fundamental mechanistic

Carboranes are a class of carbon-boron molecular clusters with three-dimensional aromaticity, and inherent robustness. These endowments enable carboranes as valuable building blocks for applications ranging from functional materials to pharmaceuticals. Thus, the chemistry of carboranes has received tremendous research interest, and significant progress has been made in the past decades. However, many

Ultra-long metal nanowires and their facile fabrication have been long sought after as they promise to offer substantial improvements of performance in numerous applications. However, ultra-long metal ultrafine/nanowires are beyond the capability of current manufacturing techniques, which impose limitations on their size and aspect ratio. Here we show that the limitations imposed by fluid instabilities

Magnetic skyrmions were thought to be stabilised only in inversion-symmetry breaking structures, but skyrmion lattices were recently discovered in inversion symmetric Gd-based compounds, spurring questions of the stabilisation mechanism. A natural consequence of a recent theoretical proposal, a coupling between itinerant electrons and localised magnetic moments, is that the skyrmions are amenable to

Softening of thermoelectric generators facilitates conformal contact with arbitrary-shaped heat sources, which offers an opportunity to realize self-powered wearable applications. However, existing wearable thermoelectric devices inevitably exhibit reduced thermoelectric conversion efficiency due to the parasitic heat loss in high-thermal-impedance polymer substrates and poor thermal contact arising

Multivalent polyions can undergo complex coacervation, producing membraneless compartments that accumulate ribozymes and enhance catalysis, and offering a mechanism for functional prebiotic compartmentalization in the origins of life. Here, we evaluate the impact of lower, more prebiotically-relevant, polyion multivalency on the functional performance of coacervates as compartments. Positively and

To function, biomolecules require sufficient specificity of interaction as well as stability to live in the cell while still being able to move. Thermodynamic stability of only a limited number of specific structures is important so as to prevent promiscuous interactions. The individual interactions in proteins, therefore, have evolved collectively to give funneled minimally frustrated landscapes but

By providing an effective way to leverage nonlinear phenomena in integrated devices, high-Q optical resonators have led to recent advances in on-chip photonics. However, developing fabrication processes to shape any new material into a resonator with extremely smooth surfaces on a chip has been an exceptionally challenging task. Here, we describe a universal method to implement ultra-high-Q resonators

Different pain types may be encoded in different brain circuits. Here, we examine similarities and differences in brain processing of visceral and somatic pain. We analyze data from seven fMRI studies (N = 165) and five types of pain and discomfort (esophageal, gastric, and rectal distension, cutaneous thermal stimulation, and vulvar pressure) to establish and validate generalizable pain representations

Several enzymes are known to have evolved from non-catalytic proteins such as solute-binding proteins (SBPs). Although attention has been focused on how a binding site can evolve to become catalytic, an equally important question is: how do the structural dynamics of a binding protein change as it becomes an efficient enzyme? Here we performed a variety of experiments, including propargyl-DO3A-Gd(III)