The continuous monitoring of vascular health achievable by implantable electronics can offer improved disease diagnosis and treatments. We developed a wireless nanomembrane system consisting of a smart stent and soft sensors to enable simultaneous monitoring of blood pressure, blood flow, and pulse rate.

The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis is known as one of the most infamous and deadliest pathogens in human history. Using archaeogenetics we reconstructed 17 ancient genomes from the late Neolithic and Bronze Age in Eurasia to explore its early diversity and evolution. Our data suggest ecological differences between these prehistoric strains and modern as well as other pandemic Y. pestis strains.

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants and is necessary for making proteins. We gathered a diverse set of published records measuring nitrogen availability throughout history (since the 1700s) in different areas of the world. Our research suggests that humans are changing ecosystems in ways making nitrogen less available to plants and the creatures that eat them.

Insects are a key part of the earth’s life support system, making reports of steep declines a great concern. Our study, one of the largest assessments of insect biodiversity to date, identifies climate change and intensive agriculture as key drivers of declines. We show that declines are most profound when these drivers are combined, but that preserving natural habitat can protect against loss.

Researchers rely on the human reference genome as a baseline to identify genetic differences between individuals, which are crucial for understanding human physiology, disease, and evolution. In this study, we focused on the implications of the first-ever complete human reference genome, which improves the identification of genetic variation and ushers in the beginning of a new era in genetics.

Novae have been observed for centuries in the night sky, unveiling just how dynamic our Universe can be. Our recent observations have revealed rapid and energetic bursts of light lasting tens of hours or less from some accreting white dwarfs. Although yet to be established, the mechanism triggering these events may be similar to novae, but one million times less energetic: a micronova.