Scientists at the Institute for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Beijing grew muscle stem cells from mouse quadriceps into small tissue grafts, called myografts, and implanted them under the skin of the animals' backs. The grafts formed organized, blood-vessel-fed muscle tissue that contracted continuously for months, producing gains in muscle mass, strength and bone density and slowing age-related muscle decline, according to a study published in Nature Aging.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Nature reports that the nuclear power sector is increasingly turning to small modular reactors (SMRs) as a way to overcome the cost overruns and construction delays that have long plagued large-scale nuclear plants. These smaller, factory-built designs promise faster deployment and lower upfront capital costs than traditional gigawatt-scale reactors.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Scientists have outlined a new enzymatic approach that reuses byproducts to synthesize thiophosphate molecules, compounds valued for their applications in chemistry and biology. The method relies on biological catalysts rather than traditional chemical synthesis routes, offering a more sustainable pathway to these materials.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Scientists are exploring methods to repurpose radioactive waste material as fuel for radioisotope power systems used in deep-space missions. The approach would recycle byproducts from nuclear reactors instead of relying solely on scarce isotopes like plutonium-238 that are currently used to power spacecraft.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Scientists report that ocean surface temperatures have reached their highest levels ever measured, coinciding with an intensifying El Niño weather pattern. The warming trend spans large portions of the world's oceans and is being tracked closely by climate researchers monitoring its effects on marine and atmospheric systems.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
Researchers analyzed nearly half a million brain cells from tissue of 30 deceased individuals, creating a detailed cellular map of the adult hippocampus. The study, published in Nature Medicine, found that people who had depression showed disrupted production of new neurons compared with those without the disorder.
nature.com
· 2026-08-25
A letter published in Nature responds to an earlier essay noting a class scored 96% on a take-home midterm but only 48.6% on a closed-book final. The authors argue this disparity isn't primarily about students cheating or inadequate proctoring, but reveals that many university assessments test tasks AI tools can now complete faster and better than typical students.
nature.com
· 2026-08-25
Researchers report the discovery of an instrument in Egypt believed to have been used for land surveying in antiquity. The find offers physical evidence of the measurement techniques ancient Egyptians relied on for construction and land division.
nature.com
· 2026-08-25
A Nature feature examines how education systems and researchers are working to protect schooling and academic activity in regions affected by war. It underscores the disruption conflict causes to students, teachers, and institutions, and points to initiatives aimed at preserving learning continuity.
nature.com
· 2026-08-25
A Nature opinion piece argues that scientific publishing's peer-review system is strained by rising submissions, more complex manuscripts and a shortage of willing, timely reviewers. While most journals currently prohibit reviewers from using AI tools over confidentiality and accountability concerns, the author contends these blanket bans are difficult to enforce and only partially solve the underlying problems.
nature.com
· 2026-08-25
A commentary published on nature.com calls on rights holders and publishers to revise existing copyright licensing agreements specifically to block unauthorized use of creative and scholarly works by AI training systems. The authors argue that current licence terms were not designed with machine-learning ingestion in mind, leaving a gap that companies have exploited to harvest content without consent or compensation.
nature.com
· 2026-08-25
Researchers applied distributed acoustic sensing, which detects minute deformations in fibre-optic cables, to capture the acoustic waves generated by thunder and use them to probe subsurface structures such as sinkholes. Separately, scientists injected a patient's own mitochondria, extracted from leg muscle, into her eyes in an attempt to treat severe blindness; the procedure was safe but did not restore vision. Meanwhile, a science sleuth flagged more than 50 cell-ageing studies that appear to have used an incorrect antibody to identify a key protein.
nature.com
· 2026-08-24
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