Featured
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Article |
Direct assessment of the acidity of individual surface hydroxyls
Non-contact atomic force microscopy measurements are used to probe the hydrogen bond strength of individual surface hydroxyl groups and determine their acidity with atomic precision.
- Margareta Wagner
- , Bernd Meyer
- & Ulrike Diebold
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Article |
Direct observation of chemical short-range order in a medium-entropy alloy
Direct experimental evidence of chemical short-range atomic-scale ordering (CSRO) in a VCoNi medium-entropy alloy is provided via diffraction and electron microscopy, analysed from specific crystallographic directions.
- Xuefei Chen
- , Qi Wang
- & En Ma
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Article |
Transition from an atomic to a molecular Bose–Einstein condensate
A Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules is produced by pairing atoms in an atomic condensate; this transition is the bosonic analog of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid to BEC crossover in Fermi gases.
- Zhendong Zhang
- , Liangchao Chen
- & Cheng Chin
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Article
| Open AccessX-ray quasi-periodic eruptions from two previously quiescent galaxies
X-ray quasi-periodic eruptions are detected from two previously inactive galaxies, with observations suggesting that the very-high-amplitude X-ray bursts may arise from an orbiting compact object.
- R. Arcodia
- , A. Merloni
- & A. Schwope
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Research Highlight |
Dim stars that have failed at fusion are masters of spin
Three brown dwarfs whirl on their axes at a dizzying rate that might be close to the celestial speed limit for these bodies.
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News |
What’s next for physics’ standard model? Muon results throw theories into confusion
Anomalies to fundamental theory have physicists trying to concoct new explanations.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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Career Q&A |
Technology transfer: Career-boosting computing skills for girls in Argentina
Melina Masnatta describes how the non-profit organization that she co-founded helps young women in Argentina to learn programming, design, communication and leadership.
- Nikki Forrester
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Research Highlight |
The world’s lightest uranium atom reveals nuclear secrets
A flyweight isotope of uranium helps to shed light on a fundamental form of nuclear decay.
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Nature Video |
Origami-inspired structures could be deployed in disaster zones
Engineers have created an inflatable, flat-pack emergency shelter based on origami.
- Ellie Mackay
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Research Highlight |
Rivers give off stealth carbon at night
Emissions made under cover of darkness account for much of the carbon flux from flowing waters.
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News & Views |
Large-scale origami locks into place under pressure
Inflatable, metre-scale origami structures have been designed to transform from flat structures into expanded forms and then to lock into their new shape. This technology opens the way to the use of large origami structures for engineering.
- Sigrid Adriaenssens
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Article |
Multistable inflatable origami structures at the metre scale
Origami-inspired multistable structures that can be inflated from flat to three dimensions have been designed; a library of foldable shapes is created and then combined to build metre-scale functional structures.
- David Melancon
- , Benjamin Gorissen
- & Katia Bertoldi
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Article |
Near-complete depolymerization of polyesters with nano-dispersed enzymes
Nanoscopic dispersion of enzymes with deep active sites enables chain-end-mediated processive biodegradation of semi-crystalline polyesters with programmable latency and material integrity.
- Christopher DelRe
- , Yufeng Jiang
- & Ting Xu
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Article |
A highly stable and flexible zeolite electrolyte solid-state Li–air battery
Flexible, stable and energy-dense solid-state Li–air batteries are realised using ultrathin, chemically inert ion-conductive zeolite membranes as a solid electrolyte.
- Xiwen Chi
- , Malin Li
- & Jihong Yu
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Nature Podcast |
Meet the inflatable, origami-inspired structures
The self-supporting structures that snap into place, and how a ban on fossil-fuel funding could entrench poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Shamini Bundell
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Article |
All-sky dynamical response of the Galactic halo to the Large Magellanic Cloud
The detection of structure in the distribution of giant stars in the outer Galactic halo shows the substantial global impact of the Magellanic clouds on our Galaxy.
- Charlie Conroy
- , Rohan P. Naidu
- & Benjamin D. Johnson
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Article |
A single-molecule van der Waals compass
The orientation of a rotating para-xylene molecule in the nanochannel of a zeolite framework can be visualised by electron microscopy to determine the host–guest van der Waals interaction inside the channel.
- Boyuan Shen
- , Xiao Chen
- & Fei Wei
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Article |
High-entropy ejecta plumes in Cassiopeia A from neutrino-driven convection
The abundances of stable Ti and Cr relative to Fe observed in the Cassiopeia A core-collapse supernova remnant reveal that Ti and Cr must have formed in neutrino-driven plumes that helped to drive the explosion.
- Toshiki Sato
- , Keiichi Maeda
- & John P. Hughes
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Nature Video |
Flying a helicopter on Mars: NASA's Ingenuity
First powered flight on another planet opens the door for a new era of exploration.
- Dan Fox
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Book Review |
Born secret — the heavy burden of bomb physics
How data restrictions shaped nuclear discovery, energy research and more.
- Sharon Weinberger
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Research Highlight |
Wiggly signal hints of an aurora on a planet far from the Solar System
A vast radio observatory on Earth detects signals similar to those generated by the aurora on Jupiter.
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News Round-Up |
Sputnik V, a host of coronavirus mutations and a rocket stack
The latest science news, in brief.
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News & Views |
An exceptional view of phase transitions in non-equilibrium systems
Phase transitions in certain non-equilibrium systems cannot be described using the classical laws of statistical mechanics. A mathematical approach involving features called exceptional points now solves this far-reaching problem.
- Cynthia J. O. Reichhardt
- & Charles Reichhardt
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News & Views |
Dynamics of polarization vortices revealed in a ferroelectric material
Vortices of electrical polarization have been observed to vibrate at extremely high frequencies in a material called a ferroelectric. Such motion could be directly controlled by electric fields for ultrafast data processing.
- Igor Luk’yanchuk
- & Valerii M. Vinokur
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Article |
A quantum magnetic analogue to the critical point of water
The pressure dependence and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat of a quantum magnet, SrCu2(BO3)2, demonstrate that its phase diagram contains a line of first-order transitions terminating at a critical point, in analogy with water.
- J. Larrea Jiménez
- , S. P. G. Crone
- & F. Mila
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Article |
Liquid-induced topological transformations of cellular microstructures
A two-tiered dynamic design strategy achieves topological transformations of two-dimensional polymeric cellular microstructures in a reversible and temporally controllable manner through exposure to different liquids.
- Shucong Li
- , Bolei Deng
- & Joanna Aizenberg
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Nature Podcast |
The sanitation crisis making rural America ill
The lack of adequate sanitation in parts of the rural US, and physicists reassess muons’ magnetism.
- Nick Petrić Howe
- & Shamini Bundell
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Article |
Subterahertz collective dynamics of polar vortices
A dynamical study shows that vortices of electrical polarization have higher frequencies and smaller size than their magnetic counterparts, properties that are promising for electric-field-driven data processing.
- Qian Li
- , Vladimir A. Stoica
- & Haidan Wen
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Article |
Non-reciprocal phase transitions
A theoretical study of non-reciprocity in collective phenomena reveals the emergence of time-dependent phases heralded by exceptional points in contexts ranging from synchronization and flocking to pattern formation.
- Michel Fruchart
- , Ryo Hanai
- & Vincenzo Vitelli
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Article |
Dynamics of large effusive eruptions driven by caldera collapse
A model for eruptions resulting in caldera collapse reconciles observations of quasi-periodic stick–slip events along annular faults and the large erupted volumes characteristic of such events, highlighting the role of topography-generated pressures.
- Alberto Roman
- & Paul Lundgren
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Research Highlight |
A pioneering photographic method shows its true colours
Twenty-first-century sleuthing details the distortions of an early imaging technique.
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Comment |
Quantum computing’s reproducibility crisis: Majorana fermions
The controversy over Majorana particles is eroding confidence in the field. More accountability and openness are needed — from authors, reviewers and journal editors.
- Sergey Frolov
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News |
Biden pursues giant boost for science spending
US president’s first budget proposal emphasizes applied research and public health, and aims to tackle climate change and racial injustice.
- Jeff Tollefson
- , Amy Maxmen
- & Alexandra Witze
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News & Views |
Quantum computer based on shuttling trapped ions
A microchip-based quantum computer has been built incorporating an architecture in which calculations are carried out by shuttling atomic ions. The device exhibits excellent performance and potential for scaling up.
- Winfried K. Hensinger
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News & Views |
Heating freezes electrons in twisted bilayer graphene
Electrons usually move more freely at higher temperatures. But they have now been observed to ‘freeze’ as the temperature rises, in a system consisting of two stacked, but slightly misaligned, graphene sheets.
- Biao Lian
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Article |
Diversity-oriented synthesis of polymer membranes with ion solvation cages
A diversity-oriented synthesis approach that yields a library of architecturally broad microporous polymers is used to develop structurally diverse polymer membranes with ion specificity and to screen their properties.
- Miranda J. Baran
- , Mark E. Carrington
- & Brett A. Helms
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News |
Is the standard model broken? Physicists cheer major muon result
The muon’s magnetic moment is larger than expected — a hint that new elementary particles are waiting to be discovered.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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Editorial |
Am I arguing with a machine? AI debaters highlight need for transparency
With artificial intelligence starting to take part in debates with humans, more oversight is needed to avoid manipulation and harm.
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Article |
Five carbon- and nitrogen-bearing species in a hot giant planet’s atmosphere
The signatures of water, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, methane, ammonia and acetylene are observed in the transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter HD 209458b, with abundance ratios suggesting a super-solar carbon-to-oxygen ratio.
- Paolo Giacobbe
- , Matteo Brogi
- & Andrea Tozzi
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Article |
Demonstration of the trapped-ion quantum CCD computer architecture
The quantum charge-coupled device architecture is demonstrated, with its various elements integrated into a programmable trapped-ion quantum computer and performing simple quantum operations with state-of-the-art levels of error.
- J. M. Pino
- , J. M. Dreiling
- & B. Neyenhuis
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Article |
Entropic evidence for a Pomeranchuk effect in magic-angle graphene
Magic-angle graphene is found to have an exotic phase transition where, on heating, entropy is transferred from motional to magnetic degrees of freedom, analogously to the Pomeranchuk effect in 3He.
- Asaf Rozen
- , Jeong Min Park
- & Shahal Ilani
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Article |
Isospin Pomeranchuk effect in twisted bilayer graphene
An electronic analogue of the Pomeranchuk effect is present in twisted bilayer graphene, shown by the stability of entropy in a ferromagnetic phase compared to an unpolarized Fermi liquid phase at certain high temperatures.
- Yu Saito
- , Fangyuan Yang
- & Andrea F. Young
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Article |
Leading hadronic contribution to the muon magnetic moment from lattice QCD
A precise theoretical computation of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon based on ab initio quantum chromodynamics and quantum electrodynamics calculations is presented, which favours the existing experimental values.
- Sz. Borsanyi
- , Z. Fodor
- & L. Varnhorst
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Book Review |
A physicist takes on academic racism; green economic growth; and Stephen Hawking’s self-promotion: Books in brief
Andrew Robinson reviews five of the week’s best science picks.
- Andrew Robinson
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Research Highlight |
Baby stars make it in a tough part of the Galaxy
Star formation might be more resilient than astronomers had thought.
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Nature Podcast |
Audio long-read: Rise of the robo-writers
The AI authors that write without understanding meaning.
- Matthew Hutson
- & Benjamin Thompson
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Comment |
National COVID debts: climate change imperils countries’ ability to repay
Analysis reveals three ways to boost green investment and achieve a resilient recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
- Arjuna Dibley
- , Thom Wetzer
- & Cameron Hepburn
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World View |
Time to regulate AI that interprets human emotions
The pandemic is being used as a pretext to push unproven artificial-intelligence tools into workplaces and schools.
- Kate Crawford
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Where I Work |
Keeping Gothenburg green
Engineer Sofia Polo keeps the city’s water supply clean by managing storm runoff and tracking pollutants from roofs, car parks and fertilizers.
- Chris Woolston