Volume 554 Issue 7690, 1 February 2018

Sequencing and assembly of the 32-Gb genome of the Mexican axolotl reveals that it lacks the developmental gene Pax3, which is essential in other vertebrates; the genome sequence could improve our understanding of the evolution of the axolotl’s remarkable regenerative capabilities.

An improved genome assembly for Schmidtea mediterranea shows that the genome is highly polymorphic and repetitive, and lacks multiple genes encoding core components of cell biological mechanisms.

Oncogenic dosage variation along distinct evolutionary routes defines fundamental aspects of pancreatic cancer biology and phenotypic diversification.

Analysis of the light curves of outbursts in black-hole X-ray binaries suggests that throughout the accretion process mass is lost from the accretion disks through strong, magnetically driven disk winds.

Asteroseismic ‘sounding’ reveals the internal chemical stratification of the white dwarf KIC08626021, which has a central homogeneous core—composed of 86 per cent oxygen—that has a mass of 0.45 solar masses.

For a suitably designed organic multilayer structure, optically or electrically generated electrons confined to a thin fullerene channel can diffuse over surprisingly long distances of several centimetres.

A tiny soft-bodied robot is described that can be magnetically actuated to swim, climb, roll, walk and jump, while carrying a load.

A photocatalytic strategy is described that generates diazomethyl radicals as direct equivalents of carbynes, which are often too reactive to use, enabling the functionalization of a range of medically useful compounds.

Analysis of pollen records from North America and Europe reveals a warming trend over the Holocene, consistent with climate-model simulations.

Lithic assemblages from the archaeological site of Attirampakkam, India, document processes of transition from Acheulian to Middle Palaeolithic cultures and substantial behavioural changes around 385,000 years ago and thereafter.

A newly designed honeycomb maze presents several advantages over current spatial navigation assays that include greater control over the rat’s choices throughout the task and the collection of electrophysiological data during navigation.

Analysis of transplantation of single haematopoietic stem cells in mice defines stable lineage-restricted fates in long-term self-renewing multipotent stem cells, including a class of multipotent stem cells that exclusively replenishes the megakaryocyte/platelet lineage.

Mutations associated with Treacher Collins syndrome perturb the subnuclear localization of an RNA helicase involved in ribosome biogenesis through activation of p53 protein, illustrating how disruption in general regulators that compromise nucleolar homeostasis can result in tissue-selective malformations.

Members of a family of marine dsDNA non-tailed bacterial viruses have short, 10-kb genomes, infect a broader range of hosts than tailed viruses and belong to the double jelly roll capsid lineage of viruses, which are associated with diverse bacterial and archaeal hosts.

A report of RNA 5-methylcytosine oxidation by mammalian Tet2, showing that Tet2 promotes infection-induced myelopoiesis in mice via a mechanism involving the repression of Socs3 mRNA, a previously unknown regulatory role of Tet2 at the epitranscriptomic level.

Mammalian mitochondria use folate-bound one-carbon units generated by the enzyme SHMT2 to methylate tRNA, and this modification is required for mitochondrial translation and thus oxidative phosphorylation.