Communication between epithelial and mesenchymal cells in pancreatic cancer leads to a poor prognosis. The molecular basis for this signalling has now been revealed.

Commercially available mRNA vaccines against COVID have been shown to train patients’ immune systems to kill cancer cells. Combining these vaccines with standard-of-care immune therapy overwhelms tumour defences and is associated with improved survival, both in animal models and in large cohorts of people with cancer.

A comprehensive genome analysis suggests that women have more genetic risk variants for major depressive disorder than do men, with stronger links to metabolic traits.

Climate change is threatening coral reefs worldwide. A comprehensive tree-like representation of evolutionary relationships between stony coral species captures the group’s spectrum of traits. It shows that shallow-water species that have mutually beneficial relationships with microalgae have been more vulnerable and less resilient than their deep-water counterparts across past adverse environmental events.