An analysis has revealed that global temperatures were warmer in the early twentieth century than was inferred from existing data sets. Revising these estimates could improve our understanding of global temperature change.

In rare diseases, rare mutations have long been thought of as the only contributor. Genetic analyses of people with such conditions now suggest that the effects of common genetic variants can stack up and contribute to disease risk.

As soil dries, plants limit water loss by closing tiny apertures called stomata in their leaves. A global analysis reveals that the soil water-content values at which this stomatal control starts depend on the hydraulic properties of the soil, and that plants’ ability to adapt to drought are specific to soil texture.

A neural network has learnt to correct the errors that arise during quantum computation, outperforming algorithms that were designed by humans. The strategy sets out a promising path towards practical quantum computers.