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Trace soil minerals are a critical determinant of both crop productivity and the mineral concentration of crops, therefore potentially impacting the nutritional status of human populations relying on those crops. We link health data from nearly 0.3 million children and one million adult women across India with over 27 million soil tests drawn from a nationwide soil health program. We find that soil zinc availability is positively associated with children's linear height growth, and soil iron availability is positively associated with hemoglobin levels. The link between soil zinc and childhood stunting is particularly robust—a one standard deviation increase in satisfactory soil zinc tests is associated with approximately 11 fewer children stunted per 1000. We also find that this zinc-stunting relationship is strongest in wealthier households. Our results suggest that soil mineral availability impacts human nutritional status and health in at least some areas of India, and that agronomic fortification may be a beneficial intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People living near oil and gas development are exposed to multiple environmental stressors that pose health risks. Some studies suggest these risks are higher for racially and socioeconomically marginalized people, which may be partly attributable to disparities in exposures. We examined whether racially and socioeconomically marginalized people in California are disproportionately exposed to oil and gas wells and associated hazards. We longitudinally assessed exposure to wells during three time periods (2005–2009, 2010–2014, and 2015–2019) using sociodemographic data at the census block group‐level. For each block group and time period, we assessed exposure to new, active, retired, and plugged wells, and cumulative production volume. We calculated risk ratios to determine whether marginalized people disproportionately resided near wells (within 1 km). Averaged across the three time periods, we estimated that 1.1 million Californians (3.0%) lived within 1 km of active wells. Nearly 9 million Californians (22.9%) lived within 1 km of plugged wells. The proportion of Black residents near active wells was 42%–49% higher than the proportion of Black residents across California, and the proportion of Hispanic residents near active wells was 4%–13% higher than their statewide proportion. Disparities were greatest in areas with the highest oil and gas production, where the proportion of Black residents was 105%–139% higher than statewide. Socioeconomically marginalized residents also had disproportionately high exposure to wells. Though oil and gas production has declined in California, marginalized communities persistently had disproportionately high exposure to wells, potentially contributing to health disparities. Plain Language Summary: People living near oil and gas wells are exposed to pollutants that may adversely affect their health. We investigated whether racially or socioeconomically marginalized people in California had disproportionately higher exposure to wells. We also assessed whether disparities were wider in areas with more intensive oil and gas production. We examined changes in neighborhood‐level sociodemographic characteristics in three time periods: 2005–2009, 2010–2014, and 2015–2019. For each neighborhood and time period, we estimated the number of wells and the total volume of oil and gas produced within 1 km (0.62 miles). We estimated that approximately 1.1 million Californians (3.0%) lived within 1 km of active wells between 2005 and 2019. The proportion of Black residents living near active wells was 42%–49% higher than the proportion of Black residents across California, and the proportion of Latinx residents near active wells was 4%–13% higher than their statewide proportion. For Black people, the disparities were widest in Los Angeles County neighborhoods with the most intensive production. Socioeconomically marginalized people also had disproportionately high exposure. Most disparities persisted throughout the 15‐year study period. Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically marginalized people had disproportionately high exposure to wells, potentially contributing to health disparities. Key Points: Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically marginalized people persistently had disproportionately high exposure to oil and gas developmentThe widest observed disparities were for Black people residing in neighborhoods with the most intensive oil and gas productionDisparities in exposure to oil and gas development may contribute to previously reported health disparities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitotic checkpoint (also called spindle assembly checkpoint, SAC) is a signaling pathway that safeguards proper chromosome segregation. Correct functioning of the SAC depends on adequate protein concentrations and appropriate stoichiometries between SAC proteins. Yet very little is known about the regulation of SAC gene expression. Here, we show in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe that a combination of short mRNA half‐lives and long protein half‐lives supports stable SAC protein levels. For the SAC genes mad2+ and mad3+, their short mRNA half‐lives are caused, in part, by a high frequency of nonoptimal codons. In contrast, mad1+ mRNA has a short half‐life despite a higher frequency of optimal codons, and despite the lack of known RNA‐destabilizing motifs. Hence, different SAC genes employ different strategies of expression. We further show that Mad1 homodimers form co‐translationally, which may necessitate a certain codon usage pattern. Taken together, we propose that the codon usage of SAC genes is fine‐tuned to ensure proper SAC function. Our work shines light on gene expression features that promote spindle assembly checkpoint function and suggests that synonymous mutations may weaken the checkpoint. Synopsis: The proper function of the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint requires the concentrations of checkpoint proteins to be within narrow ranges. Here, the gene expression characteristics and the contribution of codon usage to the expression of key checkpoint proteins are examined Short mRNA half‐lives combined with long protein half‐lives ensure stable protein levels over time and between cells.Nonoptimal codon usage in mad2 and mad3 contributes to their short mRNA half‐lives.Mad1's codon usage bias is important for proper expression despite not greatly influencing mRNA half‐life.Mad1‐Mad1 homodimers assemble co‐translationally from a single mRNA, which may be promoted by Mad1's codon usage pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]