research

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03178-w An expert panel debates the impact of artificial intelligence on doctoral programmes.

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03233-6 Programmer whose forward-thinking and reliable code helped to save the Apollo 11 mission.

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11263-3 Nearly half of reef-building corals face elevated relative risk of extinction

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03329-z Governments have voted to abolish the leap second immediately and to replace it with a leap hour.

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03238-1 Solitary primates spend energy and time travelling to patches of forest for get-togethers.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41591-026-00051-1 In a small study involving patients with blindness due to advanced retinitis pigmentosa, optogenetic therapy appears safe; early efficacy signals are promising and reveal opportunities for technical refinement.

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03152-6 Drugs that can reverse multiple sclerosis in mice and a new species of penguin are just the beginning.

Nature Medicine, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41591-026-00050-2 Large-scale analysis of real-world data reveals racial disparities in the occurrence of immune-related adverse events during cancer immunotherapy — which were not evident in trial data, owing to the enrollment of mostly white patients.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03322-6 Explore China’s efforts to grow its scientific and technological might. Plus, how butterflies trick the eye and what could be the oldest shipwreck ever found.

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03194-w Major preprint platform tightens its rules to curb a surge of submissions, including those generated by artificial-intelligence tools.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03239-0 Pollution from transport across the Pacific Ocean is raising ozone levels above a region whose own emissions have dropped.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03266-x A coral fragment can form a tissue bridge with a dying counterpart — and provide it with crucial microalgae.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11267-z Author Correction: Wafer-scale epitaxy growth of high-mobility p-type boron carbon nitride

Nature Medicine, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04733-8 Editorial Expression of Concern: Thyroid hormone inhibits lung fibrosis in mice by improving epithelial mitochondrial function

Nature Medicine, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04726-7 Drawing on experiences across diverse settings, this issue of Nature Medicine explores the challenges of and lessons learned from the deployment of artificial intelligence models into healthcare.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10972-z A fossil bird from the Upper Jurassic Zhenghe Fauna of southeastern China contemporary with Archaeopteryx and that clearly could not fly sheds new light on the ecological diversification of early-diverging avialans.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11126-x The AI framework probabilistic bias correction is shown to correct weather forecast errors 2 to 6 weeks ahead and boost forecast skill, making it promising for improved extreme-weather prediction.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11154-7 A randomized controlled trial involving a health-education intervention in rural villages in Honduras shows that the intervention changed social network connections, including not only health-related connections but also friendships and financial ties.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11119-w A regulatory sequence code for neuronal microexons reveals genetic variants predicted to alter their splicing in individuals with autism.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11166-3 A 450 ka Andean speleothem record shows Southern and Northern Hemisphere monsoons generally vary out of phase, but occasionally synchronize during rapid climate change and glacial terminations.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11159-2 Long-term live imaging of adult mouse ear skin reveals sex-specific differences in the clonal dynamics of epidermal stem cells and transit-amplifying cells during homeostasis.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11163-6 Wave coarsening in active elastic media is a phenomenon in which vibrations spontaneously increase in wavelength, period and amplitude before forming a globally synchronized time crystal.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11109-y Two-dimensional graphene films with unusual folded surfaces are synthesized through a modular assembly strategy and show enhanced strength, toughness and elastic strain owing to stress distribution between interlayer folds.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11120-3 Resolution and control of the hidden solution-phase chemistry of 5-aminovaleric acid added to perovskite precursor solutions is described for producing films with a near-unity mean peak photoluminescence quantum yield and near-infrared perovskite LEDs with enhanced external quantum efficiencies.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11141-y Commodity microplastics exhibit intrinsic physicochemical activity at water interfaces, manifested by spontaneous generation of reactive oxygen species, challenging the prevailing paradigm of plastic inertness, with implications for human health and the environment.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11158-3 Biomechanical analysis of several early tetrapods using sturgeon as an analogue revealed that early tetrapods had limited neck mobility despite separation of the head and shoulders.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11162-7 Artificial intelligence-enabled quantification and analyses of brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity uncover links between BAT and a healthier metabolic profile along with lower rates of psychiatric disease, and can identify pharmacologic agents that could be repurposed to activate this tissue in humans.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11136-9 DFT investigations combined with spectroscopic and catalytic studies of disrupted subnanometric Rh2O3 clusters show that Rh+ centres in a zeolite-based catalyst are blocked with N-containing molecules, whereas Rh3+ sites are stabilized, allowing hydroformylation reactions with enhanced regioselectivity and efficiency.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11150-x Longitudinal genomic analyses in patients with astrocytoma or oligodendrioglioma suggest that these two types of tumour differ in the mechanisms by which they become resistant to treatment, with astrocytomas accumulating copy-number alterations and chromosomal instability markers but oligodendrogliomas acquiring new driver mutations.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11167-2 RFdiffusion methods are used to de novo design proteins with water-activating zinc-based active sites adjacent to a peptide substrate binding pocket, yielding highly active, programmable proteases with potential applications in therapeutics, biotechnology and bioremediation.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11143-w De novo-designed enzymes use an activated cysteine nucleophile to hydrolyse polypeptide backbones in a sequence-dependent manner.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11115-0 A year-long single-blind study shows that multiple satellites can accurately detect and quantify methane point-source emissions.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11171-6 R(+)2501 reverses capillary no-reflow by relaxing pericytes, restoring microvascular perfusion and improving survival in animal models of myocardial infarction and acute kidney injury.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11117-y Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy shows that the fractional spin-1/2 end states of molecular Haldane chains couple differently to a superconducting condensate depending on whether the chain contains an even or odd number of spin-1 triangulene units.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11065-7 The mechanical properties of medium-entropy alloys at 20 K show a plateau in tensile yield strength and fracture toughness as a function of temperature, with no apparent ductile-to-brittle transition.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11164-5 A mouse embryo model derived from chemically induced totipotent-like stem cells progresses through key developmental milestones, including gastrulation, embryonic axis formation, haematopoiesis and early organogenesis.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11112-3 Primary cultured haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are used to analyse the molecular mechanisms of brain myeloid differentiation, and this platform enabled the identification of elongation factor ELP1 as an important regulator of this process.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11176-1 A tetravalent nanobody-based myeloid-selective IL-10 receptor agonist recapitulates IL-10’s potent suppression of monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells while avoiding stimulation of T cells.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11157-4 A globally representative sample of 25 countries and territories indicates that conservation areas cover 26.81% of the land, much closer to the 30% by 2030 target than officially reported.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03302-w Massive study of more than 100,000 people finds surprise connection between ‘good’ body fat and improved mental health.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11239-3 Structural basis of ligand recognition and gating in mosquito IRs

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03061-8 As fish evolved into four-limbed creatures, their skull separated from their shoulders to form a neck. Now we learn that this early neck was surprisingly rigid.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03085-0 Alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells are the stem cells of the lung’s air sacs and are responsible for maintaining alveolar structure and gas exchange. A study that tracked AT2 cells shows that, after injury to the airway, they can also migrate between lung compartments and become bronchiolar cells to help repair damaged airways.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03219-4 Appeals for extra money are failing. Fundamental changes are needed to safeguard the planet for future generations.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03075-2 Twelve methane-sensing satellites were tested for their accuracy in measuring controlled-release events in the Arizona desert over a year-long blind test. Many were found to detect and quantify releases accurately, with instruments purpose-built for methane sensing performing best.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02645-8 The fossil discovery of an early avian ancestor in China reveals that flightless birds lived alongside the known flying species.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03081-4 Governments around the world have pledged to conserve 30% of the terrestrial realm by 2030, but official data suggest that the target is barely halfway to being met. A combined global and national-level data set now shows that up to 27% of land area is conserved, but gaps in ecological representation remain.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03307-5 Analysis suggests number of protected areas is hugely underestimated but biodiversity is still in peril — plus, a huge study looking at the health effects of brown fat.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03301-x High-speed camera footage reveals the visual tricks butterflies use to evade predators.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11242-8 Catalytic transfer of carbon atoms enables spirofusion of C–C σ-bonds