Author: Nature

Relatively few Black people benefited in the 1930s and 1940s from mortgages backed by the US government

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02246-5Newly digitized mortgage records from 38 US states reveal the profound racial inequality of two mortgage programmes during the 1930s and 1940s. These loans, supporte…

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02246-5

Newly digitized mortgage records from 38 US states reveal the profound racial inequality of two mortgage programmes during the 1930s and 1940s. These loans, supported by the Federal Housing Administration and the Veterans Administration, were mainly responsible for the emergence of a US society that idealized home ownership. However, Black households were systematically excluded from receiving such loans. By contrast, immigrants received mortgages proportional to their number.

How fruit flies track the edge of odour plumes

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02325-7Ants and bees are known to use spatial memories to navigate to fixed locations, such as a nest. Virtual-reality experiments in which Drosophila fruit flies follow fi…

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02325-7

Ants and bees are known to use spatial memories to navigate to fixed locations, such as a nest. Virtual-reality experiments in which Drosophila fruit flies follow fictive odour plumes now show that these insects use components of a similar memory-guided navigational toolkit to track the edge of a plume towards its source.

Amazonian earthwork survey indicates ancient population was much larger than thought

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02321-xAerial laser-scanning data reveal that, from ad 100 to ad 300, an area spanning less than 3% of the Greater Amazonia region probably supported between 1.25 million a…

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02321-x

Aerial laser-scanning data reveal that, from ad 100 to ad 300, an area spanning less than 3% of the Greater Amazonia region probably supported between 1.25 million and 3 million people and contained more than 20,000 human-made earthworks. These findings call for a re-evaluation of the density of pre-colonial Amazonian populations and the influence these civilizations had on present-day tropical soils and forests.

A guide to the Nature Index

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02183-3A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality that is available free online at natureindex.com.

Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02183-3

A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality that is available free online at natureindex.com.

Why some wool is wavy

Nature, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02104-4How crimps form in the coats of sheep, and the history of the word ‘ionosphere’, in this week’s pick from the Nature archive.

Nature, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02104-4

How crimps form in the coats of sheep, and the history of the word ‘ionosphere’, in this week’s pick from the Nature archive.

Regional drivers and contributors to changes in life expectancy across Asia

Nature, Published online: 22 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02166-4Life expectancy in Asia has increased substantially since 1990, but the gains have varied considerably across regions and countries. The main causes and risk factors…

Nature, Published online: 22 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02166-4

Life expectancy in Asia has increased substantially since 1990, but the gains have varied considerably across regions and countries. The main causes and risk factors have been identified, highlighting regions in which preventable deaths are concentrated.