Research Highlight |
Featured
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Research Briefing |
A jawless-fish genome untangles the history of vertebrate genome multiplications
Clarifying how genome duplication and triplication events shaped early vertebrate genomes has presented a challenge in evolutionary biology. The genome of the jawless hagfish provides a missing piece of this puzzle.
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Obituary |
Diana Wall obituary: ecologist who foresaw the importance of soil biodiversity
Environmental scientist who revealed the crucial role of underground animals in sustainability.
- Richard D. Bardgett
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Research Highlight |
CRISPR therapy restores some vision to people with blindness
People with an inherited condition that causes vision loss in childhood had vision improvements after treatment to replace a mutated gene.
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Article |
Rhizobia–diatom symbiosis fixes missing nitrogen in the ocean
- Bernhard Tschitschko
- , Mertcan Esti
- & Marcel M. M. Kuypers
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Outlook |
How ignorance and gender inequality thwart treatment of a widespread illness
Tens of millions of people have female genital schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease that few physicians have even heard of. Efforts are under way to move it out of obscurity and empower women and girls to access sexual and reproductive health care.
- Claire Ainsworth
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News Q&A |
The US Congress is taking on AI —this computer scientist is helping
Kiri Wagstaff, who temporarily shelved her academic career to provide advice on federal AI legislation, talks about life inside the halls of power.
- Nicola Jones
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News |
Cubic millimetre of brain mapped in spectacular detail
Google scientists have modelled a fragment of the human brain at nanoscale resolution, revealing cells with previously undiscovered features.
- Carissa Wong
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Article |
Structural mechanism of angiogenin activation by the ribosome
- Anna B. Loveland
- , Cha San Koh
- & Andrei A. Korostelev
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Article |
Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3
- Josh Abramson
- , Jonas Adler
- & John M. Jumper
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Technology Feature |
Powerful ‘nanopore’ DNA sequencing method tackles proteins too
Latest methods bring the speed, portability, and long read lengths of nanopore sequencing to proteomics.
- Caroline Seydel
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Research Highlight |
How the cauliflower got its curlicues
More than 2,000 years of domestication have given the popular vegetable its short stem and clumpy ‘curds’.
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News & Views |
Vaccine-enhancing plant extract could be mass produced in yeast
The Chilean soapbark tree is the source of QS-21 — a valuable but hard-to-obtain vaccine additive. Yeast strains engineered to express all components of the QS-21 biosynthetic pathway provide an alternative route to this therapeutic.
- Ryan Nett
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Research Briefing |
Toad psychedelic points to biological target for antidepressants
A hallucinogenic compound secreted by toads has served as a springboard for research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics. The findings suggest that these compounds exert antidepressant effects in part by binding an under-appreciated target in the brain.
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Nature Podcast |
Alphafold 3.0: the AI protein predictor gets an upgrade
Deepmind’s protein-structure predictor adds other molecules to the mix, and a big step towards a ‘nuclear clock’.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Research Briefing |
‘Ghost roads’ could be the biggest direct threat to tropical forests
By using volunteers to map roads in forests across Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea, an innovative study shows that existing maps of the Asia-Pacific region are rife with errors. It also reveals that unmapped roads are extremely common — up to seven times more abundant than mapped ones. Such ‘ghost roads’ are promoting illegal logging, mining, wildlife poaching and deforestation in some of the world’s biologically richest ecosystems.
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News |
Major AlphaFold upgrade offers boost for drug discovery
Latest version of the AI models how proteins interact with other molecules — but DeepMind restricts access to the tool.
- Ewen Callaway
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News |
Bird flu in US cows: where will it end?
Scientists worry that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza will become endemic in cattle, which would aid its spread in people.
- Sara Reardon
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Article
| Open AccessThe intrinsic substrate specificity of the human tyrosine kinome
An atlas of the substrate specificities for the human tyrosine kinome reveals diversity of motif specificities and enables identification of kinase–substrate relationships and kinase regulation in phosphoproteomics experiments.
- Tomer M. Yaron-Barir
- , Brian A. Joughin
- & Jared L. Johnson
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Article |
Ligand cross-feeding resolves bacterial vitamin B12 auxotrophies
Two species of auxotrophic marine bacteria are shown to share precursors to synthesize the essential cofactor vitamin B12, and such ligand cross-feeding may be a common phenomenon in the ocean and other ecosystems.
- Gerrit Wienhausen
- , Cristina Moraru
- & Meinhard Simon
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Article |
Structural pharmacology and therapeutic potential of 5-methoxytryptamines
Detailed analyses of the serotonin receptor 5-HT1A and the psychedelic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine reveal the differences in receptor structural pharmacology that mediate signalling specificity, efficacy and potency, findings that may facilitate the development of new neuropsychiatric therapeutics.
- Audrey L. Warren
- , David Lankri
- & Daniel Wacker
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Article |
Retuning of hippocampal representations during sleep
Using a Bayesian learning approach, a study tracks the spatial representations by individual hippocampal cells over time in freely moving rats, and provides insights into how ensemble patterns form and reconfigure during sleep.
- Kourosh Maboudi
- , Bapun Giri
- & Kamran Diba
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Research Briefing |
Quantum tunnelling of electrons brings ultrafast optical microscopy to the atomic scale
The oscillating electromagnetic fields that carry light can cause electrons to tunnel back and forth through a potential energy barrier. Remarkably, this alternating current can coherently emit measurable light waves — an unexpected process that can be exploited to build an optical microscope that undercuts existing spatial and temporal limitations.
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Article |
Mapping genotypes to chromatin accessibility profiles in single cells
The JAK2V617F mutation leads to epigenetic rewiring in a cell-intrinsic and cell-type-specific manner, influencing inflammation states and differentiation trajectories in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.
- Franco Izzo
- , Robert M. Myers
- & Dan A. Landau
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Article
| Open AccessComputationally restoring the potency of a clinical antibody against Omicron
By demonstrating a computational approach to restore the clinical efficacy of a COVID-19 antibody, the potential to rapidly update clinical antibodies is explored.
- Thomas A. Desautels
- , Kathryn T. Arrildt
- & Daniel M. Faissol
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Article |
Genome organization around nuclear speckles drives mRNA splicing efficiency
Nuclear speckles are shown to have a functional role in mRNA splicing, whereby dynamic three-dimensional organization of DNA around these structures mediates splicing efficiency.
- Prashant Bhat
- , Amy Chow
- & Mitchell Guttman
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Article |
Targetable leukaemia dependency on noncanonical PI3Kγ signalling
Using a multimodal approach across acute leukaemias, a targetable PI3Kγ dependency in leukaemias is explored.
- Qingyu Luo
- , Evangeline G. Raulston
- & Andrew A. Lane
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of potent small-molecule inhibitors of lipoprotein(a) formation
Biochemical screening and optimization identify small molecules that inhibit the formation of lipoprotein(a), and these inhibitors reduce the levels of Lp(a) in several animal models, suggesting that they could provide a therapeutic option in humans.
- Nuria Diaz
- , Carlos Perez
- & Laura F. Michael
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Article |
Boron catalysis in a designer enzyme
A completely genetically encoded boronic-acid-containing designer enzyme was created and characterized using X-ray crystallography, high-resolution mass spectrometry and 11B NMR spectroscopy, allowing chemistry that is unknown in nature and currently not possible with small-molecule catalysts.
- Lars Longwitz
- , Reuben B. Leveson-Gower
- & Gerard Roelfes
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Article |
Label-free detection and profiling of individual solution-phase molecules
Enhanced light–molecule interactions in high-finesse fibre-based Fabry–Pérot microcavities are used to detect and profile individual unlabelled solution-phase biomolecules, leading to potential applications in the life and chemical sciences.
- Lisa-Maria Needham
- , Carlos Saavedra
- & Randall H. Goldsmith
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Article |
A meta-analysis on global change drivers and the risk of infectious disease
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, managing ecosystem health, and preventing biological invasions and biodiversity loss could help to reduce the burden of plant, animal and human diseases, especially when coupled with improvements to social and economic determinants of health.
- Michael B. Mahon
- , Alexandra Sack
- & Jason R. Rohr
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Article
| Open AccessComplete biosynthesis of QS-21 in engineered yeast
QS-21—an FDA-approved vaccine adjuvant—and several structural analogues of QS-21 can be synthesized in engineered yeast strains, and this process is much less laborious compared with the conventional mode of extraction from the Chilean soapbark tree.
- Yuzhong Liu
- , Xixi Zhao
- & Jay D. Keasling
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Correspondence |
Finding millennia-old ‘monumental’ corals could unlock secrets of climate resilience
- Simone Montano
- , Federica Siena
- & Giovanni Strona
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Correspondence |
Countering extreme wildfires with prescribed burning can be counterproductive
- David Lindenmayer
- & Philip Zylstra
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News & Views |
The dream of electronic newspapers becomes a reality — in 1974
Efforts to develop an electronic newspaper providing information at the touch of a button took a step forward 50 years ago, and airborne bacteria in the London Underground come under scrutiny, in the weekly dip into Nature’s archive.
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News |
US funders to tighten oversight of controversial ‘gain of function’ research
New policy on high-risk biology studies aims to address criticism that previous rules were too vague.
- Max Kozlov
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News Feature |
Hacking the immune system could slow ageing — here’s how
Our immune system falters over time, which could explain the negative effects of ageing.
- Alison Abbott
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Where I Work |
I make 3D models of conifer needles to explore their climate effects
Jan Pisek seeks a better understanding of how forests absorb sunlight, carbon and heat.
- Nic Fleming
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News & Views |
Microbubble ultrasound maps hidden signs of heart disease
Cardiovascular disease claims more lives each year than do the two next-deadliest diseases combined. An ultrasound technique that tracks tiny gas-filled bubbles could pave the way towards improved early detection.
- Elisa E. Konofagou
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News |
Puppy-dog eyes in wild canines sparks rethink on dog evolution
The eyebrows of the African wild dog have scientists wondering whether other dogs can make the irresistible ‘puppy-dog eyes’ expression.
- Gillian Dohrn
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News & Views |
Streamlined skull helps foxes take a nosedive
Some fox species leap up and pounce head first into snow to capture prey that they hear below the surface. An analysis of the forces involved reveals how the shape of the skull has evolved to minimize damage from this behaviour.
- Mary Abraham
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Obituary |
Daniel Kahneman obituary: psychologist who revolutionized the way we think about thinking
Nobel prizewinner whose insights into the foibles of human decision-making launched the field of behavioural economics and sent ripples through all social sciences.
- Eldar Shafir
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Book Review |
Smarty plants? Controversial plant-intelligence studies explored in new book
A deep dive into plant behaviour and consciousness asks why the topic has been taboo for so long, and whether botanists are changing their minds about plants’ cognitive abilities.
- Beronda L. Montgomery
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Research Briefing |
Changing rainforest to plantations shifts tropical food webs
A study provides insights into how energy flows in the food webs that connect soil- and canopy-dwelling organisms in tropical ecosystems with high biodiversity. When rainforest is converted to plantations, food webs are simplified and restructured, leading to profound changes in tropical-ecosystem functioning.
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News |
Who’s making chips for AI? Chinese manufacturers lag behind US tech giants
Researchers in China say they are finding themselves five to ten years behind their US counterparts as export restrictions bite.
- Jonathan O'Callaghan
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News |
UTIs make life miserable — scientists are finding new ways to tackle them
Researchers are developing vaccines and fresh drug approaches to prevent and treat recurring infections without antibiotics.
- Carissa Wong
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News |
‘Orangutan, heal thyself’: First wild animal seen using medicinal plant
The Sumatran orangutan used a plant known to humans for its medicinal qualities.
- Gayathri Vaidyanathan
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Nature Podcast |
Dad’s microbiome can affect offspring’s health — in mice
Disrupting gut microbes increases risk of growth issues in the next generation, and understanding geographic variations in cancer rates.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Article |
A body–brain circuit that regulates body inflammatory responses
- Hao Jin
- , Mengtong Li
- & Charles S. Zuker
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Nature Podcast |
Sex and gender discussions don't need to be toxic
The science of sex and gender is too often misinterpreted and weaponized. Now, three experts cut through the misinformation in search of a positive future for this long-neglected area of research
- Lucy Odling-Smee
- , Florence Ashley
- & Noah Baker
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