2020-06-19

封面图展示的是在感染后，SARS-CoV-2（图中蓝色部分）利用宿主机制产生用于复制的多蛋白。病毒主蛋白酶（图中黄色部分）在多蛋白裂解中扮演了一个关键的角色，因此它是一个潜在的药物靶点。研究人员设计了2种抗病毒化合物，用来抑制主要蛋白酶的活性，从而防止病毒复制。临床前研究表明，这些化合物是非常有前途的治疗候选药物。

Upon infection, SARS-CoV-2 (blue) uses host machinery to produce polyproteins for replication. The viral main protease (yellow) plays a key role in polyprotein cleavage and thus is a potential drug target. Researchers have designed two antiviral compounds that inhibit activity of the main protease to prevent viral replication. Preclinical studies show that these compounds are promising therapeutic candidates.

2020-06-26

封面插图展示的是格陵兰雪橇犬，它们在做着其祖先做了无数代的工作。通过对1只9 500年前犬的基因组进行测序显示，现代的犬，特别是雪橇犬，在全新世早期就与狼的基因不同了。在所有的现代雪橇犬中，格陵兰雪橇犬与最早的雪橇犬有着最为相似的基因血统，从而着重强调了对这个品种的保护价值。

Greenland sled dogs do the same job their ancestors have done for countless generations. Sequencing of a 9500-year-old dog genome reveals that modern dogs—particularly sled dogs—were genetically distinct from wolves by the early Holocene. Of all modern sled dogs, the Greenland sled dog shares the most genomic ancestry with the first sled dogs, emphasizing the conservation value of this breed.

2020-07-03

封面插图展示的是被矿物质染成蓝色的La Poza Azul II，它是墨西哥北部沙漠绿洲城市夸特罗谢内加斯数以百计的涌泉池之一，这里保存着与古代海洋近似的种类繁多的微生物。然而农业排水系统正在时刻威胁着这片独特的绿洲生态系统。

Tinged blue with minerals, La Poza Azul II is one of hundreds of spring-fed pools in Cuatro Ciénegas, an oasis in the desert of northern Mexico that preserves a vast diversity of microbes resembling those in ancient oceans. Drainage for agriculture threatens the unique ecosystems of this oasis.

2020-07-10

封面图上展示的是一种埃及果蝠，当它们成年以后就会像封面上的这只果蝠一样离开自己的栖息地。通过观察大量的埃及果蝠，科学家发现蝙蝠会利用一种认知地图在复杂的环境中为自己导航。

Monitoring large numbers of Egyptian fruit bats, like this one leaving its colony, and doing so as they mature into adults, suggests that bats navigate through their complex environment using a cognitive map.