One of the fundamental biological processes in life is the cell cycle leading from DNA replication to cell division. While it has been studied for decades and our knowledge has matured, sophisticated experimental approaches have rejuvenated the field. In addition, cell cycle regulators have emerged as cancer therapy targets. This collection showcases ground-breaking cell cycle papers and reviews, ranging from basic discoveries to clinical applications.

Research interest is growing in profiling noncoding RNAs and understanding their biological functions in health and disease contexts.

Plants are continuously exposed to a variety of stresses from their environment; to thrive, plants must be capable of raising a wide range of responses to those stresses. Deeper understanding of plant stress responses will provide new opportunities for increasing plant resilience and improving crop productivity in the face of climate change and emerging food shortages. In this Focus, we present three Reviews discussing the roles of reactive oxygen species, hormones and small RNAs in plant abiotic- and biotic-stress responses. We also include a selection of Journal Clubs and Research Highlights, as well as recent related research articles from other Nature Portfolio journals. Together, we aim to draw attention to the diversity and versatility of mechanisms governing plant resilience and immunity.

This Collection showcases recent articles from Nature Cell Biology, Nature Metabolism and Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology covering cellular to systemic metabolic regulation. This selection accompanies the Nature Conference “Metabolic Communication Across Biological Scales” and provides a resource about current trends and directions in this field.

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian "for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch."

A series of Reviews and Comments on the molecular and cellular changes that occur during ageing and ageing-associated disorders, and on how targeting these changes could modulate healthspan and lifespan.

A series of short articles that provides a platform for Young Investigators/Early Career Researchers to share their experiences and thoughts on their careers, and to offer advice on how to navigate in a challenging and rapidly-evolving research environment. Come back to this page as we add more content!

This focus features Reviews and selected short articles that discuss the mechanisms and functions of phase separation, examining the roles of RNA and the properties and disease-relevance of the nucleolus and protein condensates. We also include a Roadmap to study and elucidate the cellular roles of condensates, and a selection of recent primary research articles from the Nature journals.

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, and their function is often compromised in disease and ageing. This focus issue brings together Reviews and Comments that discuss several aspects of mitochondrial function and the cellular mechanisms that are in place to maintain a functional mitochondrial network. They also discuss the bases of mitochondrial diseases and strategies to prevent their transmission to offspring.

This collection of primary research articles, reviews and protocols focuses on an emerging topic of mechanobiology, highlighting the broad involvement of mechanical forces in different biological contexts, their roles in development, physiology and disease, and how these forces are sensed and transduced to produce biologically-relevant responses. The collection also showcases new technical approaches to modulate mechanobiology, which in the future could be used to control cell fate and behaviour for therapeutic benefits.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for their pioneering work in gene-editing.

Immune cells journey throughout the body surveilling for signs of danger or damage.