Month: October 2026

Retrofitted LLM can count the letter ‘i’s in ‘artificial intelligence’

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03059-2Most LLMs cannot reliably evaluate text on the level of individual letters. A technique called byteification retrofits existing models to enable it.

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03059-2

Most LLMs cannot reliably evaluate text on the level of individual letters. A technique called byteification retrofits existing models to enable it.

Nuclear clocks tick for the first time

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03060-9Ultraprecise clocks that use transitions in atomic nuclei to keep time show promise as a next-generation time standard and for probing fundamental physics.

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03060-9

Ultraprecise clocks that use transitions in atomic nuclei to keep time show promise as a next-generation time standard and for probing fundamental physics.

A gut microbial odd-chain fatty acid alleviates atherosclerosis in mice

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11142-xThe administration of Bacteroides uniformis in mice can mitigate atherosclerosis via pentadecanoic acid, which directly inhibits HMG-CoA reductase to promote hepa…

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11142-x

The administration of Bacteroides uniformis in mice can mitigate atherosclerosis via pentadecanoic acid, which directly inhibits HMG-CoA reductase to promote hepatic cholesterol clearance.

A split attractor design for rapidly writing a navigational goal

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11144-9The recurrent h∆K–PFG neural circuit generates persistent heading memories through slow excitation, fast inhibition and a disinhibitory gate, where disinhibition …

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11144-9

The recurrent h∆K–PFG neural circuit generates persistent heading memories through slow excitation, fast inhibition and a disinhibitory gate, where disinhibition controls the functional coupling of the network to rapidly transition between measurement and memory.

Experimental observation of critical topology

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11099-xExperimental evidence indicating that critical gapless topological states can be characterized by the entanglement spectrum and wavefunctions is presented, demons…

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11099-x

Experimental evidence indicating that critical gapless topological states can be characterized by the entanglement spectrum and wavefunctions is presented, demonstrating persistence of topology at phase boundaries and extension to higher-dimensional systems.

Hydrogen bonding in water under extreme confinement

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10858-0A new technique allows direct nanoscale observations of the vibrational response of water confined inside carbon nanotubes, revealing that high degrees of confine…

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10858-0

A new technique allows direct nanoscale observations of the vibrational response of water confined inside carbon nanotubes, revealing that high degrees of confinement disrupt the hydrogen bond network through a fluctuating and highly-dispersed molecular state.

A 7-eV bandgap semiconductor based on silicon-doped α-(Al<sub><i>x</i></sub>Ga<sub>1−<i>x</i></sub>)<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11085-3Suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy is used to grow silicon-doped α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 films with bandgaps exceeding 7.0 eV, enabling the fabrication of a Schottky diode a…

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11085-3

Suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy is used to grow silicon-doped α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 films with bandgaps exceeding 7.0 eV, enabling the fabrication of a Schottky diode and a field-effect transistor with colossal-bandgap channels.

A preinvasive regulatory T cell axis for lung cancer interception

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11066-6An effector regulatory T cell circuit is identified that can be monitored in blood samples to track the development of lung cancer, and blockade of this immune ne…

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11066-6

An effector regulatory T cell circuit is identified that can be monitored in blood samples to track the development of lung cancer, and blockade of this immune network in the preinvasive setting can intercept tumorigenesis to reduce tumour incidence and size.

tRNA dosage regulates lineage dependency and resistance in prostate cancer

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11153-8A tRNA-specific regulatory pathway is associated with codon biology, lineage transitions and therapy resistance in prostate cancer.

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11153-8

A tRNA-specific regulatory pathway is associated with codon biology, lineage transitions and therapy resistance in prostate cancer.

How we ditched presentations and embraced silence in our lab meetings

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02836-3Swapping to a system in which lab members read memos quietly before team discussions helped to create an open culture.

Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02836-3

Swapping to a system in which lab members read memos quietly before team discussions helped to create an open culture.