News & Comment

The Global Plastics Treaty presents an opportunity to “end plastic pollution”. Legacy plastics will continue to fragment to secondary microplastics for decades, without additional mitigation measures. We identify this flux as a “fragmentation gap”, currently overlooked in global policy targets.

This paper is a call to action. By publishing concurrently across journals like an emergency bulletin, we are not merely making a plea for awareness about climate change. Instead, we are demanding immediate, tangible steps that harness the power of microbiology and the expertise of researchers and policymakers to safeguard the planet for future generations.

Reporting in Nature Communications, Kjeldsen and colleagues describe a redox mechanism of insulin clearance based on separation of A- and B chains. Exploiting an ultra-long-acting analog protected from classical clearance pathways, the study highlights principles of protein stability in pharmacology.

Snakebite envenoming causes a significant public health burden in Africa. In this Comment, the authors describe the limitations of current snakebite control measures and emphasise the need for more funding to reduce future harm.

A greater degree of Late Quaternary hominin morphological variability is present in eastern Asia than previously assumed. Indeed, a number of distinct populations are present, some that now have new specific names: Homo floresiensis; H. luzonensis; H. longi; H. juluensis. With this piece, we describe the various groupings based on the current hominin fossil record of eastern Asia.

Geobiology, the study of interactions between living organisms and the solid Earth, is characterized by fluid scientific borders allowing flexibility to ask questions unfettered by disciplinary boundaries. In collaboration with Communications Biology, Communications Earth and Environment, and Scientific Reports, Nature Communications has launched a collection focused on advances made in the field of geobiology.

New developing area of NeuroAI at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence has many open challenges, one of which is training the new generation of experts. In this Comment, the authors provide resources and outline training needs and recommendations for junior researchers working across artificial intelligence and neuroscience.

One of the main themes of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity is Digital Sequence Information (DSI): genomic or related data deposited in publicly accessible databases in a digital language. These sequences are important for research in areas such as biodiversity conservation and bioprospecting. Some characteristics of organisms that stimulate the commercial use of biodiversity may have been developed by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and therefore, they have associated traditional knowledge. We present proposals of the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities on this topic.

Antimicrobial resistance is a One Health problem that impacts humans, animals, and the environment. In this Comment, the authors discuss evidence for antimicrobial resistance transmission to humans, highlighting contrasting pictures between high- and low/middle-income settings.

The integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs is facing implementation challenges due to the silo approaches. We present the three interconnected foci (SDG interactions, modeling, and tools) at the science-policy interface to address these challenges. Accounting for them will support accelerated SDG progress, operationalizing the integration and indivisibility principles.

As multiple UN fora develop parallel rules for sharing benefits from digital sequence information, we urge better coordination. International policymakers should focus on harmonizing new benefit-sharing rules to ensure open access to data, database interoperability, and better benefit sharing outcomes.

Enhancing the clinical trial capabilities within Africa is essential to augment the continent’s pandemic prevention, preparedness and response efforts. Here, we describe the critical challenges of clinical trials in Africa and draw upon the lessons learnt from the Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials (CONCVACT) experience, such as the importance of regional collaboration, capacity building and establishing standardized protocols.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived models are a well-established preclinical tool, with the ability to retain the genetics of the individual from which they are derived. Here we comment on the global representation and accessibility of such cellular tools from African population groups.

This comment aims to provide a generalized framework for discussing negative compressibility in materials, especially with the context of metamaterials and open poroelastic systems, going beyond a strict thermodynamic interpretation.

This poster demonstrates the development of drug-resistant cancer cell lines and their application in cancer research.

Flexible organic photovoltaics and energy storage systems have profound implications for future wearable electronics. Here, the authors discuss the transformative potential and challenges associated with the integrative design of these systems for energy harvesting.

Compressing global energy and industrial system decarbonization into less than three decades creates unique social, technical, financial and political risks. Here we introduce ‘off-ramps’ as one potential approach to manage these whilst still driving rapid emissions reductions.

Plant nitrogen source in the soil is challenging to track. Compiling the most comprehensive global δ¹⁵N dataset, a new study shows the plant use of various available soil nitrogen forms (ammonium, nitrate, and organic nitrogen) is strongly controlled by temperature.

Liang et al. present an industrial perspective on the evolving landscape of laser technology used in advanced LiDAR systems. The authors discuss recent trends, practical considerations within the industry, current challenges, and potential solutions, explicitly focusing on VCSEL/AR-VCSEL-based technologies and their strong potential for commercial LiDAR applications.

Neuronal activity consumes cellular energy and generates carbon dioxide (CO₂). To counter this metabolic challenge, synaptic signalling communicates with nearby microvasculature to increase local blood flow. Is this process solely based on feedforward synaptic signalling, or is the generated CO₂ also involved? This question was addressed in mice in a new Nature Communications publication by Tournissac and colleagues where they showed that neurovascular coupling is not affected by exogenous CO₂ or its associated acidification.