Measurements of the masses of exoplanets orbiting a young star have identified a system of low-density ‘super-puff’ planets.

Surprising fossil finds in a Moroccan quarry reveal 773,000-year-old hominin specimens that are close to the ancestor of modern humans.

A long-standing question has been how viral RNAs that use genetic codes different from those used in human cells can still drive efficient viral protein production during infection. It emerges that the sequences of 5′ untranslated regions in viral RNAs drive codon-usage-independent translation by blocking mRNA circularization, enabling viruses to evade the host’s codon-usage control of translation.

Researchers identify the neurons involved in the emotional distress associated with pain, and design a genetic approach that could soothe suffering without opioid drugs.