Author: Nature

What happens in Vegas: one lecturer’s hunt for a projector

Nature, Published online: 22 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02724-wMisadventures at a scientific meeting in Nevada, and ponderings on the idea that physical objects exist only as perceptual phenomena, in our weekly dip into Nat…

Nature, Published online: 22 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02724-w

Misadventures at a scientific meeting in Nevada, and ponderings on the idea that physical objects exist only as perceptual phenomena, in our weekly dip into Nature’s archive.

Mercury is shrinking with age — faster than thought

Nature, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02898-3Impacts by space objects have obscured some of the evidence of the planet’s contraction over the past 4.5 billion years.

Nature, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02898-3

Impacts by space objects have obscured some of the evidence of the planet’s contraction over the past 4.5 billion years.

Why most stars don’t have outbursts like the Sun’s

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02833-6A strong magnetic field can disrupt a star’s ability to produce the fountains of matter called coronal mass ejections.

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02833-6

A strong magnetic field can disrupt a star’s ability to produce the fountains of matter called coronal mass ejections.

Marine bacteria cooperate to break down complex algal carbohydrates

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02873-yMarine algae produce sulfated carbohydrates called fucoidans that are chemically too complex for any bacteria to digest alone. Instead, marine bacteria split th…

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02873-y

Marine algae produce sulfated carbohydrates called fucoidans that are chemically too complex for any bacteria to digest alone. Instead, marine bacteria split the task between them in a modular fashion: some strains degrade the molecular backbone, whereas others remove the side branches.

Molecular computation that rolls energetically downhill

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02878-7A DNA-based computer that operates by relaxing to thermodynamic equilibrium has been demonstrated on ten molecular programs, which completed computations in as …

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02878-7

A DNA-based computer that operates by relaxing to thermodynamic equilibrium has been demonstrated on ten molecular programs, which completed computations in as little as one minute. Some programs were rerun using distinct inputs up to 25 times and others were scaled up to 100-bit computations — although this slowed them down substantially.

Turning scientific research papers into interactive AI agents

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02880-zScientific knowledge is mostly stored in static papers. An automated framework called Paper2Agent can now transform each paper into an active artificial intelli…

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02880-z

Scientific knowledge is mostly stored in static papers. An automated framework called Paper2Agent can now transform each paper into an active artificial intelligence agent — a virtual corresponding author that answers questions, applies the paper’s methods to new data, and collaborates with other paper agents. This makes research easier to reproduce, reuse and extend.

Tumour cells shape their environment to protect them from the immune system

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02703-1A subset of pancreatic cancer cells express the genes SERPINE1 or SERPINB2, which form a molecular mesh around them. This sticky matrix helps to retain immunosu…

Nature, Published online: 16 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02703-1

A subset of pancreatic cancer cells express the genes SERPINE1 or SERPINB2, which form a molecular mesh around them. This sticky matrix helps to retain immunosuppressive cells and exclude the immune cells that kill cancer cells. Disrupting this process in mice improves immune control of pancreatic tumours and sensitizes them to immunotherapy.