Wednesday, 26 August 2026
365 articles · times in UTC
Nature News · 00:00
South Africa’s ‘registration law’ for scientists could be a template for the world — if the nation gets it right ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02568-4 The plan to force some scientists to register with a professional body could protect people and the environment, but the current version lacks clarity.
Nature News · 00:00
Like coffee and ice cream: an interview with Sam and Eli Morten ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02412-9 Joint operation.
Nature News · 00:00
Vaporization trick enables ‘tandem’ solar cells to be made at lower temperatures ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02469-6 A clever approach for evaporating a compound used to make perovskite semiconductors tackles a vexing challenge in scaling up next-generation solar cells.
Nature News · 00:00
Does the shingles vaccine cut heart disease risk? Mounting evidence suggests a link ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02663-6 Large study finds that people who received the ‘recombinant’ vaccine for the viral condition had a lower risk of cardiovascular problems.
Nature News · 00:00
Highest-ever ocean temperatures recorded as El Niño intensifies ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02681-4 Why extreme temperatures are expected to weaken ocean carbon sinks — plus, how mitochondrial injections could treat vision loss.
Nature News · 00:00
Automated prototyping of genetic codes ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10949-y A robotic, cell–free platform rapidly prototypes redesigned genetic codes, enabling the translation of proteins with reassigned codons and non-standard amino acids without altering living genomes.
Nature News · 00:00
Insights into longevity and virus-driven adaptation from Myotis bat genomes ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10932-7 Comparative and functional analyses of Myotis bats uncover unique patterns of adaptation in virus-interacting proteins and longevity-associated pathways, linking two hallmarks of bat biology.
Nature News · 00:00
Systems vaccinology and the architecture of human immunity ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10753-8 A review of the current state of the field of systems vaccinology discusses the challenges in translating insights into clinical and regulatory practice.
Nature News · 00:00
Ultrafast and reference-free sequence discovery in single-cell data ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10975-w Malva enables ultrafast, reference-free searching of raw single-cell sequences across millions of cells, transforming static transcriptomic atlases into dynamic resources for understanding the functions of sequences.
Nature News · 00:00
Cell-type-specific eQTLs underlie the genetic architecture of complex traits ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10577-6 Single-cell RNA-sequencing shows that cell-type-specific expression quantitative trait loci drive much of complex trait heritability, highlighting cell-type-specific gene regulation as key to linking genetic variants with traits.
Nature News · 00:00
Amphibious stem-insect sheds light on colonization of land ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10961-2 Restudy of a challenging fossil using cross-polarized light imaging and phylogenetic reconstruction identifies Chosha praecursor, a probable early-diverging insect, helping to bridge the longstanding ‘hexapod gap’ in the fossil record.
Nature News · 00:00
3D bulk-resolved g -wave altermagnetic order parameter in CrSb ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10902-z Quantum oscillation measurements map the g-wave altermagnetic order parameter in CrSb, establishing it as a prototypical unconventional magnet with momentum-dependent spin splitting.
Nature News · 00:00
Tidal tomography reveals a thermal anomaly beneath Mars’s crustal dichotomy ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10893-x Analysis of tracking data from Mars orbiters reveals time-variable gravity field behaviour reflecting the structure underlying the Martian crustal dichotomy and indicates the preservation of a 200–400 °C thermal anomaly in the present-day man…
Nature News · 00:00
Synergistic degradation of fucoidans in the ocean ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10980-z Efficient degradation of fucoidans depends on complementary bacterial guilds that cooperatively break backbone and side-chain sugars, revealing a conserved, globally relevant mechanism that shapes marine carbon cycling.
Nature News · 00:00
A binding-to-release strategy for targeted anticancer drug delivery ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10971-0 A binding-to-release drug conjugate strategy enables targeted payload release without cellular internalization, improving tumour specificity, efficacy and expanding therapeutic targets beyond conventional drug conjugates.
Nature News · 00:00
Critical zone processes limit alkalinity export from natural basaltic systems ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10936-3 Observations from natural volcanic watersheds demonstrate attenuation of alkalinity fluxes along the complete reactive pathways from soil to river that lead to reductions in exported alkalinity, indicating the limiting effects of critical zon…
Nature News · 00:00
Aberrant excitatory neuronal ERBB4 promotes Alzheimer’s disease pathology ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10964-z Neuroinflammation alone may be dispensable for early synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
Nature News · 00:00
The best-managed industrial waste in history ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02508-2 Expanded use of nuclear energy will protect the environment even without fresh options for waste disposal.
Nature News · 00:00
Five highlights from nuclear-power research ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02512-6 Advanced materials, cancer risk analysis and other developments from recent studies.
Nature News · 00:00
Harnessing nuclear power for a clean-energy future ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02505-5 Generating electricity using fission has a chequered past. New approaches such as smaller reactors could transform the technology into a more nimble source of always-on, carbon-free power.
Nature News · 00:00
The push to clear nuclear power’s waste-disposal hurdle ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02507-3 The technical issues have mostly been solved, but the long-term potential peril of radioactive material has made it difficult to find politically acceptable sites.
Nature News · 00:00
A raft of start-up firms is betting on nuclear fusion ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02511-7 The phenomenon that makes stars shine and hydrogen bombs explode has yet to be reliably tamed for energy generation. But that isn’t stopping companies from trying.
Nature News · 00:00
Are pro-nuclear politics a threat to public safety? ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02509-1 Oversight agencies suddenly face pressure to rapidly assess a range of relatively untested reactor designs.
Nature News · 00:00
The 46 companies scrambling to commercialize fusion for energy ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02513-5 Whether the billions of dollars of investment will lead to an inexhaustible source of clean electrical power is not yet known.
Nature News · 00:00
Video reconstruction of variable VLBI observations with neural fields ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10988-5 The kine neural reconstruction algorithm produces high-resolution, time-continuous very long baseline interferometry videos, enabling direct measurement of instantaneous plasma velocities and detailed kinematic analysis of relativistic astrop…
Nature News · 00:00
Smaller reactors bring nuclear power closer to fulfilling its promise ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02506-4 Shadowed by past disasters, nuclear engineers are developing different types of reactor, fuel, coolant and material that could help to make fission the zero-carbon energy technology of choice.
Nature News · 00:00
Can nuclear reactors hit the road? ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02510-8 Fission facilities that fit in a truck could provide portable power where it’s needed — but some people question whether it’s worth the cost, safety compromises and the risk of sending the raw materials for bombs into communities.
Nature News · 00:00
Using nuclear waste to power space missions ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02514-4 Researchers plan to use radioactive isotopes to power systems on a future Mars rover.
Nature News · 00:00
A practical recycling strategy for making thiophosphate molecules with enzymes ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02482-9 An enzymatic platform for constructing the thiophosphate molecular motif without relying on large amounts of expensive reagents has been developed. The method lays the foundation for developing enzymatic cascades to synthesize thiophosphate-c…
Nature News · 00:00
This pulsating muscle graft mimics benefits of exercise ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02664-5 Mice with the surgical implant developed more muscle mass, strength and bone density.
Nature News · 00:00
Endocannabinoids facilitate reward engagement through retrograde gain control ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10967-w A key role for retrograde neuromodulatory signalling in motivated behaviour is shown through dynamic endocannabinoid release within a thalamostriatal circuit that regulates behavioural engagement during reward seeking.
Nature News · 00:00
Primate-specific regulation of the human glycosphingolipid gatekeeper UGCG ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10927-4 Cryogenic electron microscopy structures of full-length human UGCG, the gatekeeper that dictates the scale and composition of glycosphingolipid diversity, are reported, showing that it uses a metal-independent catalytic mechanism driven by an…
Nature News · 00:00
Granule cells reorient cortical trajectories to separate contexts ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10946-1 Simultaneous imaging of premotor cortex and cerebellar granule cells in mice learning two skills in parallel shows that trajectories generalize in cortex but coherently reorient apart in granule cells, supporting generalization and separation…
Nature News · 00:00
Long-read sequencing reveals pre-meiotic gene conversion in sperm ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10901-0 Single-molecule long-read sequencing of human sperm reveals variation in recombination across donors and that a substantial fraction of non-crossover gene conversions arises before meiosis, distinct from PRDM9-driven recombination and associa…
Nature News · 00:00
Infrared absorption spectroscopy of a single polyatomic molecular ion ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10915-8 Non-destructive single-molecule absorption spectroscopy is achieved by detecting photon recoil from a trapped molecular ion, enabling single-photon-sensitive measurements of molecular vibrational transitions.
Nature News · 00:00
Spontaneously charged water drops induce corrosion ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10941-6 Experiments have shown that spontaneously charged water drops can damage coatings on metal surfaces, leading to corrosion of the metal.
Nature News · 00:00
Plasma-jet movie is astronomy’s summer blockbuster ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02522-4 Just 116 images exist of the active galaxy 3C 345 — but an AI-driven algorithm has created a highly detailed video of the plasma jets blasted from its centre.
Nature News · 00:00
The baffling science of SSRIs: how do they really work? ↗Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02570-w The world’s most popular antidepressant drugs are under fire. But are they really harder to quit than heroin?