Researchers compared genomes from over 100 non-human great apes—including bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans—against thousands of human genomes to identify DNA substitutions unique and fixed in humans. They applied strict filtering criteria involving sequencing depth, genotype quality and allelic balance, then cross-checked results against archaic human genomes from Neanderthals and Denisovans, producing a curated set of human-specific variants for further functional testing via a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA).
Researchers analyzed bank account activity to identify patterns consistent with coercive financial control in relationships, such as irregular withdrawals or restricted access to funds. The findings suggest that transaction data left by abusers could serve as a detectable signature of abuse.
Researchers developed a haemprotein biocatalyst that performs aziridination followed by ring expansion, directly converting unactivated alkenes into enantioselective oxazolidinones. This approach installs the previously hard-to-achieve 5-stereocentre in these heterocycles, which are key scaffolds in next-generation tuberculosis antibiotics. The method extends haemprotein nitrene-transfer chemistry beyond conjugated substrates like styrenes to simple, unactivated alkenes.
A Nature Index 2026 feature on regenerative medicine reviews progress in cell therapy and tissue engineering, including the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to pursue treatments for autoimmune diseases, Parkinson's disease and heart failure. It also notes clinical trials using stem-cell transplants to replace insulin-producing cells in people with type 1 diabetes have shown some success.
Researchers led by immunologist Hongkui Deng at Peking University transplanted lab-grown pancreatic islet cells, derived from a patient's own reprogrammed fat cells, into a young woman with type 1 diabetes. Nearly three years after the 2024 procedure, she no longer requires insulin injections and reports stable blood-sugar levels.
An analysis by researchers including the article's author found that women make up around 41% of participants in cardiovascular disease clinical trials generally, but only 18-20% in regenerative-medicine trials for the same condition. Self-identified non-binary people were largely absent from these studies, according to the 2021 analysis.
Nature Index analysis covering 2016-2025 ranks the United States first and China second among the top 10 countries by research Share in regenerative medicine. The data also identifies institutions with the highest proportion of output devoted to the field, led by the University of Cincinnati, and highlights the strongest bilateral country collaborations in the area over the same period.
The publisher has released an author correction to a research paper on large recoverable elastic energy in chiral metamaterials achieved through twist buckling. No details of the specific correction are included beyond the licensing and reprint terms attached to the notice.
Nature's Futures section has published a short story titled 'The Courier,' depicting a near-future lawyer navigating AI-driven policing, cryptocurrency payments, and legal privilege while extracting a client from custody. The narrative follows the protagonist and a driver called Big Citrus as they leave an LAPD precinct in an old, spyware-free car, discussing legal boundaries during the ride.
A PhD student wrote to Nature's advice column describing a loss of motivation after switching from wet-lab work to bioinformatics, citing years-long difficulty obtaining clinical metadata needed for their project. Life coach Vikki Wright and educator Nicole Barnes responded, framing the experience as a recognizable 'third-year slump' tied to adjusting to a new working environment rather than necessarily a sign to quit.
Education researcher Lixiang Yan of Tsinghua University found that an agentic AI tool called Codex could independently complete assignments, answer questions and join discussions without any student engagement. Surveys cited include one of over 1,000 US faculty members where 90% expect generative AI to weaken students' critical-thinking abilities, and a global survey of more than 8,000 higher-education students where about 20% said AI already makes it harder for them to work through problems unaided.
Nature's editorial board argues that as AI tools spread through classrooms and lecture halls, universities must not let chatbots replace the human teaching that instills excitement about thinking and learning. The piece cites an accompanying News Feature reviewing early-stage research on AI's effects on critical thinking, and references MIT's recent review of AI use by staff and students, which found temptation to misuse AI rose when students feared missing deadlines.
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