Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Lasers, and a cold ensemble of magnetic atoms, have been used to mimic a complex quantum system characterized by long-range interactions — an essential ingredient for realizing realistic models of many quantum materials.
Understanding the extent of deforestation associated with agriculturally harvested crops has implications for conservation efforts. A method to assess satellite data offers an accurate way to estimate rubber deforestation.
Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, induces numerous mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome that can increase the rate at which the virus evolves — yielding viral variants that might survive and be passed on.
An electrically insulating quantum material turns metallic when placed between two semi-reflecting mirrors — even if there is no illumination between them. This discovery paves the way for engineering other phase transitions.
A silicon-based device uses laser light to accelerate electrons and simultaneously shape them into a narrow beam. The principle could be used to build microchip accelerators that do away with bulky conventional designs.
Cells use specialized nucleotide signals to activate defences. A bacterial study reveals a previously unknown class of signals, formed by linking molecules of ATP and S-adenosyl methionine.
Proteins can condense to form membraneless organelles, which act as vessels for biochemical reactions in cells. An investigation shows that protein condensation is also a cellular mechanism for controlling water availability.
Bacteria and archaea are microorganisms that often use RNA-guided defences called CRISPR to destroy the genomes of viruses that infect them. It now emerges that viruses make RNAs that act as mimics to divert such defences.
A machine-learning method to assess DNA can accurately classify brain tumours in real time. This rapid analysis might help surgeons to identify the tumour type when operating and to adjust their surgical strategy accordingly.
Researchers have used stem cells to create models that resemble human embryos at two weeks old, but bypass the earliest developmental stages — paving the way for studies that are not possible in human embryos.
Infection by the bacterium Clostridioides difficile can be fatal in a clinical setting. Insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying such infection might offer targets for the search to develop new treatments.
Pinpointing the state of a complex system is tricky, especially when the underlying mathematical equations aren’t known. But a data-driven technique makes light work of it — and could even change the way that models are formulated.
When two worlds collide, they leave more than the shambles of dusty ejecta. Astronomers have detected light from a post-collision remnant, providing the best evidence so far for planetary-scale collisions in exoplanetary systems.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to understand the emergence of viral variants, given that these can have implications for vaccination success. A bioinformatics tool offers a way to predict viral evolution.
A raft of alterations to the pig genome — removing three antigen-encoding genes, adding seven human genes and eliminating a retrovirus — allows kidneys to be transplanted into monkeys, with implications for clinical trials.
The analysis of fossils in sediment cores from Lake Victoria, Africa, reveals that a group of cichlid fish rapidly diversified as the lake got larger and provided new ecological niches, whereas the other fish there did not diversify.
Evolution by natural selection peerlessly describes how life’s complexity develops — but can it be explained in terms of physics? A new approach suggests it can.
