Highest-ever ocean temperatures recorded as El Niño intensifies

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02681-4Why extreme temperatures are expected to weaken ocean carbon sinks — plus, how mitochondrial injections could treat vision loss.

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02681-4

Why extreme temperatures are expected to weaken ocean carbon sinks — plus, how mitochondrial injections could treat vision loss.

Infrared absorption spectroscopy of a single polyatomic molecular ion

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10915-8Non-destructive single-molecule absorption spectroscopy is achieved by detecting photon recoil from a trapped molecular ion, enabling single-photon-sensitive measu…

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10915-8

Non-destructive single-molecule absorption spectroscopy is achieved by detecting photon recoil from a trapped molecular ion, enabling single-photon-sensitive measurements of molecular vibrational transitions.

Evolutionary mystery revealed by structures of a key enzyme in the synthesis of glycolipids

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02378-8Structures of a protein used to make crucial sugar-carrying lipids uncover a surprising reaction mechanism and a built-in brake that emerged during primate evolution.

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02378-8

Structures of a protein used to make crucial sugar-carrying lipids uncover a surprising reaction mechanism and a built-in brake that emerged during primate evolution.

Long-read sequencing reveals pre-meiotic gene conversion in sperm

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10901-0Single-molecule long-read sequencing of human sperm reveals variation in recombination across donors and that a substantial fraction of non-crossover gene conversi…

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10901-0

Single-molecule long-read sequencing of human sperm reveals variation in recombination across donors and that a substantial fraction of non-crossover gene conversions arises before meiosis, distinct from PRDM9-driven recombination and associated with fragile sites.

Granule cells reorient cortical trajectories to separate contexts

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10946-1Simultaneous imaging of premotor cortex and cerebellar granule cells in mice learning two skills in parallel shows that trajectories generalize in cortex but coher…

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10946-1

Simultaneous imaging of premotor cortex and cerebellar granule cells in mice learning two skills in parallel shows that trajectories generalize in cortex but coherently reorient apart in granule cells, supporting generalization and separation between contexts.

Primate-specific regulation of the human glycosphingolipid gatekeeper UGCG

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10927-4Cryogenic electron microscopy structures of full-length human UGCG, the gatekeeper that dictates the scale and composition of glycosphingolipid diversity, are repo…

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10927-4

Cryogenic electron microscopy structures of full-length human UGCG, the gatekeeper that dictates the scale and composition of glycosphingolipid diversity, are reported, showing that it uses a metal-independent catalytic mechanism driven by an arginine network.

Endocannabinoids facilitate reward engagement through retrograde gain control

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10967-wA key role for retrograde neuromodulatory signalling in motivated behaviour is shown through dynamic endocannabinoid release within a thalamostriatal circuit that …

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10967-w

A key role for retrograde neuromodulatory signalling in motivated behaviour is shown through dynamic endocannabinoid release within a thalamostriatal circuit that regulates behavioural engagement during reward seeking.

Video reconstruction of variable VLBI observations with neural fields

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10988-5The kine neural reconstruction algorithm produces high-resolution, time-continuous very long baseline interferometry videos, enabling direct measurement of instant…

Nature, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10988-5

The kine neural reconstruction algorithm produces high-resolution, time-continuous very long baseline interferometry videos, enabling direct measurement of instantaneous plasma velocities and detailed kinematic analysis of relativistic astrophysical jets.