Incoming US science academy chief vows to ‘double down’ on research

Nature, Published online: 02 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02088-1New leader of the National Academy of Sciences Neil Shubin warns: ‘a society that loses science loses the future’.

Nature, Published online: 02 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02088-1

New leader of the National Academy of Sciences Neil Shubin warns: ‘a society that loses science loses the future’.

TROP2 targeting reveals therapy-driven cell state dynamics in colorectal cancer

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10705-2TROP2 marks poor-prognosis colorectal cancer cells with fetal-like, therapy-resistant states, and therapeutic targeting of TROP2 with antibody–drug conjugates in com…

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10705-2

TROP2 marks poor-prognosis colorectal cancer cells with fetal-like, therapy-resistant states, and therapeutic targeting of TROP2 with antibody–drug conjugates in combination with chemotherapy enhances treatment efficacy by modulating tumour cell plasticity and overcoming resistance.

Food web complexity underlies biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10710-5Analyses of the relationship between taxon richness and multi-trophic ecosystem functioning across marine, lake, stream and soil ecosystems show that food web comple…

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10710-5

Analyses of the relationship between taxon richness and multi-trophic ecosystem functioning across marine, lake, stream and soil ecosystems show that food web complexity underlies biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning.

Backreaction of stimulated Hawking radiation in an optical analogue

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10720-3By using a fibre-optical analogue of the physics of black holes, theoretical and experimental evidence is presented for the process underpinning the generation of Ha…

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10720-3

By using a fibre-optical analogue of the physics of black holes, theoretical and experimental evidence is presented for the process underpinning the generation of Hawking radiation and its backreaction onto the optical pump.

<i>N</i><sup>4</sup>-Acetylcytidine enhances synthetic mRNA translation yield and fidelity

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10729-8Different RNA modifications elicit different translation elongation rates for in vitro transcribed mRNAs that result in disparate translation outputs and fidelity, a…

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10729-8

Different RNA modifications elicit different translation elongation rates for in vitro transcribed mRNAs that result in disparate translation outputs and fidelity, as shown here for N4-acetylcytidine versus the industry standard for synthetic mRNAs, N1-methylpseudouridine.

Moderate volcanic eruptions and extreme wildfires humidify the stratosphere

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10731-0Observations and modelling show that volcanic eruptions and extreme wildfires have systematically increased stratospheric water vapour since 2005, revealing that the…

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10731-0

Observations and modelling show that volcanic eruptions and extreme wildfires have systematically increased stratospheric water vapour since 2005, revealing that these episodic aerosol perturbations are a previously overlooked driver of stratospheric water vapour variability.

Aerosols and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of a white dwarf planet

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10514-7Transmission spectroscopy of the planet WD 1856 b, orbiting a white dwarf, with the James Webb Space Telescope reveals the presence of hydrocarbons and aerosols in i…

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10514-7

Transmission spectroscopy of the planet WD 1856 b, orbiting a white dwarf, with the James Webb Space Telescope reveals the presence of hydrocarbons and aerosols in its atmosphere, providing insight into its mass and heating history.

Liver fat steers the outcome of advanced colorectal cancer

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01747-7In about 50% of people with colorectal cancer, tumour cells spread to distant organs. The ability of these metastases to grow into the liver tissue shapes prognosis….

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01747-7

In about 50% of people with colorectal cancer, tumour cells spread to distant organs. The ability of these metastases to grow into the liver tissue shapes prognosis. It emerges that liver fat promotes a form of liver metastasis with a poor prognosis, suggesting that individual-specific traits can inform risk stratification and treatment.

Heat-triggered phospholipid flipping stabilizes plasma membrane fluidity

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10726-xIn rice, the P4-ATPase complex OsALA5–OsALIS2 rapidly stabilizes membrane fluidity in response to high temperature by flipping saturated phosphatidylcholines to the …

Nature, Published online: 01 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10726-x

In rice, the P4-ATPase complex OsALA5–OsALIS2 rapidly stabilizes membrane fluidity in response to high temperature by flipping saturated phosphatidylcholines to the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane.