Cell ‘atlases’ offer unprecedented view of placenta, intestines and kidneys

Hello Nature readers,
Today we learn about a gene variant linked with asymptomatic COVID, explore where we stand with malaria and discover cell atlases — a powerful and increasingly popular approach to studying the organs of the body.

Amazon oil drilling could damage reefs

Brazilian petrochemical company Petrobras wants to drill exploratory oil wells in the ocean near the mouth of the Amazon. Researchers worry that, if the plan gets approved, inevitable oil leaks could damage nearby ecosystems, including a vast reef system and the second-largest mangrove area in the world. Little is known about the reef, so “a comprehensive evaluation of the risks from oil and gas exploitation is currently impossible”, says marine ecologist Rodrigo de Moura.

Gene variant linked to asymptomatic COVID

A common variant in one of the HLA immune-system genes is linked with a much higher chance of having no symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This variant might give an advantage to the immune cells of people who have previously been exposed to ‘seasonal’ coronaviruses, which cause the common cold.

Organs mapped in cell ‘atlases’

Detailed maps of the cells in human organs show how the placenta commandeers the maternal blood supply, how kidney cells transition from healthy to diseased states and how cells in the intestine organize themselves into distinct neighbourhoods. Each of these atlases comprises hundreds of thousands of data points about gene activity and protein production in individual cells, which are then mapped to their specific location in the organ. “These cells organize themselves into neighbourhoods, towns, countries,” says Michael Snyder, a geneticist and co-author of the study looking at the intestine. “And it affects their function.”

Stanford president will resign

Neuroscientist Marc Tessier-Lavigne says he will resign as president of Stanford University in California after a review found problems with research produced by his laboratory — although he did not personally engage in research misconduct and was not aware of it at the time. “With the knowledge I have now, it is clear that the issues with these five papers [of which I am a principal author] require me to retract the trio of papers and correct the other two,” said Tessier-Lavigne.

Malaria: after the vaccine, what comes next?

The first vaccine for malaria, RTS,S, is being rolled out to children in a handful of countries in Africa, with more to benefit soon. It’s a ray of hope for a tenacious and deadly disease: it kills more than half a million people every year, and mortality rates have hardly changed since 2015. There are signs that drugs based on artemisinin, which are among the world’s best weapons against the disease, are losing their effectiveness. And climate change could help malaria to spread to new parts of the world. But researchers are fighting back. The next frontier could be even better vaccines that tackle the parasite at every stage of its life cycle. Monoclonal antibodies could offer another route to protection. And there is the possibility of suppressing or replacing mosquito populations using a gene drive — although the approach is controversial.

‘Robotics is fundamentally creative’

At the University Rover Challenge in May, the Monash University team from Australia placed second for the second consecutive year. Beyond its engineering prowess, the team was notable for another reason: roughly half its leaders were women, in a competition largely dominated by men. The group’s rover is a glaring shade of hot pink, impossible to miss amid a sea of black and silver competitors. “It’s a conversation starter because it’s an antithesis, and it shouldn’t be,” says student roboticist Chloe Chang. “Robotics is fundamentally creative.”