Author: Nature

How long-term dietary cholesterol can slow down its own clearance by liver cells

Nature, Published online: 25 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01899-6Cholesterol carried by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) drives heart disease and is cleared by liver cells expressing the receptor LDLR. A cell-signalling mechanism has…

Nature, Published online: 25 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01899-6

Cholesterol carried by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) drives heart disease and is cleared by liver cells expressing the receptor LDLR. A cell-signalling mechanism has been discovered through which high cholesterol promotes the enzyme-mediated degradation of LDLR. Blocking this enzyme restores LDLR levels in liver cells, suggesting a new strategy for treating high cholesterol.

Long-sought chemical inhibitors of β-arrestin proteins

Nature, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01894-xProteins called β-arrestins regulate signalling through members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. Small molecules that bind directly to the β-arr…

Nature, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01894-x

Proteins called β-arrestins regulate signalling through members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. Small molecules that bind directly to the β-arrestins and inhibit their activities are the first chemical tools to probe their biology, opening avenues for transducer-targeted, pathway-specific GPCR therapeutics.

AI tool spots antibiotics that fight drug-resistant gonorrhoea

Nature, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01987-7The bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved resistance to most antibiotics used to treat it, but a machine-learning screen reveals potential therapies.

Nature, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01987-7

The bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved resistance to most antibiotics used to treat it, but a machine-learning screen reveals potential therapies.

Crude oil turns cheap porous membrane into a sieve to refine itself without heat

Nature, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01896-9An inexpensive, porous polymer membrane helps to separate raw crude oil, without heat or selective coating. Heavy hydrocarbons self-assemble inside the pores to crea…

Nature, Published online: 24 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01896-9

An inexpensive, porous polymer membrane helps to separate raw crude oil, without heat or selective coating. Heavy hydrocarbons self-assemble inside the pores to create channels that are likely to be less than 2 nanometres wide, enriching the resulting permeate mix into light, ‘naphtha range’ hydrocarbons with 30% less energy cost and carbon dioxide emissions than conventional distillation.

Europe must seize the moment to lead on free and open science

Nature, Published online: 23 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01953-3An under-appreciated research powerhouse, Europe has a responsibility to champion democratic science that is accessible to all the world’s research talent.

Nature, Published online: 23 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01953-3

An under-appreciated research powerhouse, Europe has a responsibility to champion democratic science that is accessible to all the world’s research talent.

A 1970s patent that changed the course of commercial biotechnology

Nature, Published online: 23 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01812-1The scientific community awaits a patent for recombinant DNA technology, and experimentation with an anaesthetic from puffballs, in our weekly dip into Nature’s arch…

Nature, Published online: 23 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01812-1

The scientific community awaits a patent for recombinant DNA technology, and experimentation with an anaesthetic from puffballs, in our weekly dip into Nature’s archive.