Why there needs to be a global debate on inequality

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02147-7Researchers have a responsibility to search for consensus on this crucial issue, both for future generations and the future of our planet.

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02147-7

Researchers have a responsibility to search for consensus on this crucial issue, both for future generations and the future of our planet.

People use fast and flat simulation to reason about new games

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10722-1Large-scale behavioural studies show that people approach a new game systematically and adaptively rationally. A cognitive model called the ‘Intuitive Gamer’ offers …

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10722-1

Large-scale behavioural studies show that people approach a new game systematically and adaptively rationally. A cognitive model called the ‘Intuitive Gamer’ offers insights into this process and may inform the design of more flexible AI systems.

Rarely categorical, highly separable representations along the cortical hierarchy

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10668-4Cortical circuits prioritize diversity over categorical structure, supporting a computational regime geared towards high-dimensional, highly separable neural represe…

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10668-4

Cortical circuits prioritize diversity over categorical structure, supporting a computational regime geared towards high-dimensional, highly separable neural representations.

Rising dust pollution across Europe in a changing climate

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10743-wA database of daily dust metals in Europe is established and a machine learning model shows that transported dust intrusion events over the past decade are linked to…

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10743-w

A database of daily dust metals in Europe is established and a machine learning model shows that transported dust intrusion events over the past decade are linked to changes in atmospheric circulation, while an ice core shows that the increase in dust since pre-industrial times is governed by increasing aridity in North Africa..

Beyond lithium: how sodium-ion batteries could change the world

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02150-yBatteries based on sodium ions are entering mass production. Some researchers say they could ultimately be a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium in electric cars a…

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02150-y

Batteries based on sodium ions are entering mass production. Some researchers say they could ultimately be a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium in electric cars and other energy applications.

Metabolite glues as a means of purine sensing and chemotherapeutic response

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10790-3Purines can act as endogenous molecular glues in human cells by anchoring a rate-limiting enzyme in purine biosynthesis to its inhibitor, and modifying this mechanis…

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10790-3

Purines can act as endogenous molecular glues in human cells by anchoring a rate-limiting enzyme in purine biosynthesis to its inhibitor, and modifying this mechanism could provide a way to improve the properties of thiopurine chemotherapeutic drugs.

How to end poverty and protect Earth: inside the debate tearing up economics

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02216-xThe idea of prosperity without growth is gaining traction among researchers. So why are many economists sceptical?

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02216-x

The idea of prosperity without growth is gaining traction among researchers. So why are many economists sceptical?

Regression to the mean can explain saturation of geomagnetic storms

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10757-4The saturation of geomagnetic activity with solar wind strength can be explained by a regression to the mean effect, suggesting that the impact of extreme geomagneti…

Nature, Published online: 15 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10757-4

The saturation of geomagnetic activity with solar wind strength can be explained by a regression to the mean effect, suggesting that the impact of extreme geomagnetic storms can be twice as large as previously thought