2023-09-15

封面图上展示的是一种名为冠蓝鸦的鸟，与其他鸦科鸣禽类似，这种鸟以其令人印象深刻的认知能力而闻名，这可能是因为它们的大脑相对较大。冠蓝鸦能够解决一些复杂的问题，学习许多发声方式，甚至模仿其他物种。一项新研究测试了包括冠蓝鸦在内的23种鸟类，发现声音学习能力更强的物种其解决问题的能力也更强，大脑也更大。

Blue jays, similar to other corvid songbirds, are known for their impressive cognitive abilities, presumably due to their relatively large brains. They can solve complex problems, learn many vocalizations, and even mimic other species. A new study tested 23 avian species, including the blue jay, and discovered that species with greater vocal learning abilities have greater problem-solving abilities and bigger brains.

2023-09-22

封面插图描绘了一幅人体形态的热点图拼贴画（红色和蓝色方块）。基础数据来自AlphaMissense，这是一种人工智能模型，用于为所有人类蛋白质编码基因中每种可能的错义变异生成致病性评分。目前，大多数人类错义变异的临床意义尚不清楚，这些预测数据可以作为一种社会资源以供研究。

This illustration depicts a human form out of a collage of heatmaps (red and blue squares). The underlying data come from AlphaMissense, an artificial intelligence model used to generate pathogenicity scores for every possible missense variant in all human protein-coding genes. The majority of human missense variants are currently of unknown clinical significance, and these predictions are made available as a community resource.

2023-09-29

封面图片拍摄的是印度夏季的一幕，展现了地球气候变暖如何挑战人类的耐力极限。除了对身体自我冷却的能力产生威胁外，全球变暖还促进了介体及水媒传染病的扩散，并可能暴露其他病原体。本期特刊探讨了对人类健康的威胁因素，以及我们应该如何缓和这些威胁。

A summer scene in India captures how Earth’s warming climate is pushing the limits of human endurance. Besides straining the body’s ability to cool itself, global warming is fostering the spread of vector- and waterborne diseases and is perhaps bringing other pathogens out of hiding. This special issue examines the threats to human health and how they can be mitigated. 

2023-10-06

封面图展示的是艺术家利用艺术手法描绘的一个沉积物核心，其中包括对使用古代DNA研究的生物体的描绘，这些古代DNA包含了猛犸象、桑树、古人类，以及来自古生态系统的花粉。古代DNA让我们得以一睹这些生物体和许多其他生物体及其分支的过去，这对我们理解进化、生态变化，甚至我们自己的历史产生了深远影响。

This artist’s rendering of a sediment core includes depictions of organisms studied using ancient DNA, including woolly mammoths, mulberries, hominins, and pollen from ancient ecosystems. Ancient DNA has granted us glimpses into the past for these and many other organisms, with ramifications for our understanding of evolution, ecological changes, and even our own history.