Featured
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Article
| Open Access
Multimodal cell atlas of the ageing human skeletal muscle
The Human Muscle Ageing Cell Atlas provides a series of integrated cellular and molecular explanations for sarcopenia and frailty development in advanced ages.
- Yiwei Lai
- , Ignacio Ramírez-Pardo
- & Miguel A. Esteban
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News Feature |
Obesity drugs aren’t always forever. What happens when you quit?
Many researchers think that Wegovy and Ozempic should be taken for life, but myriad factors can force people off them.
- McKenzie Prillaman
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Research Briefing |
Five steps to connect genetic risk variants to disease
Genetic variants contribute to the risk of developing certain diseases, but identifying the genes and molecular pathways under their control has been difficult. Now, a systematic approach to pinpointing these factors yields insights into how a specific pathway in endothelial cells influences the risk of coronary artery disease.
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News |
Gut bacteria break down cholesterol — hinting at probiotic treatments
Species in the human microbiome have enzymes that can metabolize a potentially dangerous lipid.
- Julian Nowogrodzki
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News |
First pig kidney transplant in a person: what it means for the future
The operation’s early success has made researchers hopeful that clinical trials for xenotransplanted organs will start soon.
- Smriti Mallapaty
- & Max Kozlov
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News & Views |
Powerful microscopy reveals blood-cell production in bone marrow
A method for imaging the production of blood cells in the bones of mice has revealed the organization of cell lineages, both in a steady state and in response to stressors, such as bleeding and infection.
- M. Carolina Florian
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News |
First pig liver transplanted into a person lasts for 10 days
Pig organs could provide temporary detox for people whose livers need time to recover or who are awaiting human donors.
- Smriti Mallapaty
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Article
| Open Access
Resilient anatomy and local plasticity of naive and stress haematopoiesis
This study develops a method for spatially resolving multipotent haematopoiesis, erythropoiesis and lymphopoiesis in mice and uncovers heterogeneous haematopoietic stress responses in different bones.
- Qingqing Wu
- , Jizhou Zhang
- & Daniel Lucas
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Research Highlight |
How the body’s cholesterol factory avoids producing too much
Scientists identify a molecule that halts cholesterol production in the liver when dietary consumption is high.
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News |
First US drug approved for a liver disease surging around the world
A therapy called resmetirom improves hallmarks of an obesity-linked condition that can lead to liver failure.
- Heidi Ledford
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Nature Index |
Four change-makers seek impact in medical research
Bringing fresh perspectives to long-standing health challenges, these scientists are using techniques such as big-data analytics and AI to push the field.
- Amy Coombs
- & Sandy Ong
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Nature Podcast |
Killer whales have menopause. Now scientists think they know why
Data suggest menopause evolved to enable older female whales to help younger generations survive, and how researchers made a cellular map of the developing human heart.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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News |
Blockbuster obesity drug leads to better health in people with HIV
Semaglutide reduces weight and fat accumulation associated with the antiretroviral regimen that keeps HIV at bay.
- Mariana Lenharo
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Obituary |
Roger Guillemin (1924–2024), neuroscientist who showed how the brain controls hormones
Nobel prizewinner whose discovery of how the brain drives hormone production had far-reaching impacts on studies of metabolism, reproduction and growth.
- Greg Lemke
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Article
| Open Access
Genome-wide characterization of circulating metabolic biomarkers
A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for 233 circulating metabolites from 33 cohorts reveals more than 400 loci and suggests probable causal genes, providing insights into metabolic pathways and disease aetiology.
- Minna K. Karjalainen
- , Savita Karthikeyan
- & Johannes Kettunen
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News & Views |
Synchronized neuronal activity drives waste fluid flow
Active neurons can stimulate the clearance of their own metabolic waste by driving changes to ion gradients in the surrounding fluid and by promoting the pulsation of nearby blood vessels.
- Lauren Hablitz
- & Maiken Nedergaard
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News |
‘Epigenetic’ editing cuts cholesterol in mice
Changes to chemical tags on DNA in mice dial down the activity of a gene without cuts to the genome.
- Heidi Ledford
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Book Review |
It’s time to admit that genes are not the blueprint for life
The view of biology often presented to the public is oversimplified and out of date. Scientists must set the record straight, argues a new book.
- Denis Noble
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News |
Crackdown on skin-colour bias by fingertip oxygen sensors is coming, hints FDA
Devices can overestimate blood oxygen levels in people with dark skin, affecting medical care.
- Max Kozlov
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Career Column |
In the AI science boom, beware: your results are only as good as your data
Machine-learning systems are voracious data consumers — but trustworthy results require more vetting both before and after publication.
- Hunter Moseley
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Research Highlight |
How an exercise habit paves the way for injured muscles to heal
Mice that work out regularly have higher levels of a molecule that promotes muscle regeneration than sedentary mice do.
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Article
| Open Access
Nasopharyngeal lymphatic plexus is a hub for cerebrospinal fluid drainage
The nasopharyngeal lymphatic plexus is a major hub for cerebrospinal fluid outflow to deep cervical lymph nodes.
- Jin-Hui Yoon
- , Hokyung Jin
- & Gou Young Koh
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Article
| Open Access
Mitochondrial dysfunction abrogates dietary lipid processing in enterocytes
Mitochondria have a pivotal role in the transport of dietary lipids in enterocytes, a finding that might have relevance to understanding the aberrant gastrointestinal function in patients with mitochondrial disorders.
- Chrysanthi Moschandrea
- , Vangelis Kondylis
- & Manolis Pasparakis
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News & Views |
Muscle immune cells protect mitochondrial organelles during exercise
A suppressive type of immune cell called a regulatory T cell has a key role in helping muscles to adapt to exercise — guarding muscle mitochondrial organelles against damage mediated by proinflammatory factors generated during physical activity.
- Gerald Coulis
- & S. Armando Villalta
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News & Views |
Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy linked to hormone from fetus
Maternal sensitivity to a hormone produced by the fetus might underlie the risk of severe nausea and vomiting in human pregnancy — a finding that could open up strategies for the treatment of this debilitating condition.
- Alice E. Hughes
- & Rachel M. Freathy
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Research Briefing |
Oxytocin produced by neurons in fat tissue releases stored lipids
The hormone oxytocin is secreted by the brain during labour and lactation. It has also been associated with lipid release from intracellular stores, but the physiological implications of this were unknown. This study shows that oxytocin is produced locally by neurons that innervate the adipose tissue and is required for maximizing energy release from fat.
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News |
Extreme morning sickness? Scientists finally pinpoint a possible cause
A protein released by fetal cells in the placenta influences the risk of experiencing severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
- Carissa Wong
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News |
Neurons responsible for poor sleep and stress found in mice
Frightened mice sleep poorly. Researchers have identified at least some of the neurons responsible.
- Jude Coleman
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Article |
Control of lipolysis by a population of oxytocinergic sympathetic neurons
Oxytocin derived from peripheral sympathetic neurons is shown to regulate lipolysis and systemic metabolism.
- Erwei Li
- , Luhong Wang
- & Evan D. Rosen
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News & Views |
MYC protein helps cancer to take its vitamins
Identifying nutrient dependencies of cancer cells is crucial for developing new therapies. The discovery that an aggressive type of cancer cell has a high uptake of vitamin B5 sheds light on the link between vitamin availability and tumour growth.
- Martina Wallace
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Article |
A novel antidiuretic hormone governs tumour-induced renal dysfunction
Experiments using conserved tumour models show that the G-protein-coupled receptor TkR99D in Drosophila Malphigian tubular stellate cells and NK3R in mouse renal tubules link malignant tumours to defective excretory functions.
- Wenhao Xu
- , Gerui Li
- & Wei Song
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Article |
Genetic risk converges on regulatory networks mediating early type 2 diabetes
Integration of multiomics data with functional analysis of pancreatic tissues from individuals with early-stage type 2 diabetes indicates that the genetic risk converges on RFX6, which regulates chromatin architecture at multiple risk loci.
- John T. Walker
- , Diane C. Saunders
- & Marcela Brissova
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Technology Feature |
Wearable biosensor measures fertility hormones in sweat
Ring-like device blends nanoelectronics and folded RNA to track hormone levels without the need for invasive blood tests.
- Amanda Heidt
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News |
This sparrow massively expands part of its brain in preparation for mating
The trick baffles researchers — but they are getting closer to understanding how the songbird does it.
- Anil Oza
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News |
These brain cells could influence how fast you eat — and when you stop
Scientists found the cells in mice — and say they could lead to a better understanding of human appetite.
- Carissa Wong
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Article
| Open Access
Sequential appetite suppression by oral and visceral feedback to the brainstem
Genetically distinct neural circuits in the caudal brainstem receive feedback from the mouth and gut to regulate feeding behaviour on short and long timescales.
- Truong Ly
- , Jun Y. Oh
- & Zachary A. Knight
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News |
Giant UK programme to lower people’s blood-sugar levels really works
One of the world’s biggest campaigns to prevent diabetes through behaviour change holds promise for public-health gains.
- Heidi Ledford
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Article |
Potentiating glymphatic drainage minimizes post-traumatic cerebral oedema
Acute oedema after traumatic brain injury is accompanied by the suppression of glymphatic and lymphatic fluid flow due to excessive systemic release of noradrenaline.
- Rashad Hussain
- , Jeffrey Tithof
- & Maiken Nedergaard
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News |
First trial of ‘base editing’ in humans lowers cholesterol — but raises safety concerns
Super-precise gene-editing approach switches off a gene in the liver that regulates ‘bad’ cholesterol.
- Miryam Naddaf
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News |
What causes fainting? Scientists finally have an answer
Mouse experiments reveal the brain–heart connections that cause us to lose consciousness rapidly — and wake up moments later.
- Miryam Naddaf
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Nature Podcast |
A new hydrogel can be directly injected into muscle to help it regenerate
A soft and conductive material shows promise for muscle rehabilitation, and why starfishes have such strange body plans.
- Nick Petrić Howe
- & Shamini Bundell
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Article
| Open Access
Vagal sensory neurons mediate the Bezold–Jarisch reflex and induce syncope
The molecular mechanisms underlying the Bezold–Jarisch reflex and syncope (fainting) involve vagal sensory neurons that express neuropeptide Y receptor Y2, the deletion of which in animal models abolishes the Bezold–Jarisch reflex.
- Jonathan W. Lovelace
- , Jingrui Ma
- & Vineet Augustine
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Article
| Open Access
Structure of the native myosin filament in the relaxed cardiac sarcomere
A cryo-electron tomography study reports the structure of thick myosin filaments of mouse cardiac muscle in the relaxed state in situ and the MyBP-C links that connect them with the surrounding thin actin filaments.
- Davide Tamborrini
- , Zhexin Wang
- & Stefan Raunser
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Article |
CHIT1-positive microglia drive motor neuron ageing in the primate spinal cord
Motor neuron senescence and neuroinflammation with microglial hyperactivation are intertwined hallmarks of spinal cord ageing.
- Shuhui Sun
- , Jiaming Li
- & Guang-Hui Liu
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News Explainer |
Is CRISPR safe? Genome editing gets its first FDA scrutiny
Advisers to the US regulatory agency will examine the safety profile of a CRISPR-based treatment for sickle-cell disease.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Menopausal chimpanzees deepen the mystery of why women stop reproducing
Some chimpanzees have been found to experience menopause. But are they the exception or the rule?
- Dyani Lewis
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Article
| Open Access
Structure and electromechanical coupling of a voltage-gated Na+/H+ exchanger
Upon hyperpolarization, the S4 voltage-sensing segment of sea urchin SLC9C1 moves down, removing inhibition caused by an intracellular helix and enabling Na+/H+ exchange, leading to pH-dependent activation of sAC and sperm chemotaxis.
- Hyunku Yeo
- , Ved Mehta
- & David Drew
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News Explainer |
Anti-obesity drugs’ side effects: what we know so far
Recent studies evaluate risks associated with drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News |
Monkey survives for two years after gene-edited pig-kidney transplant
Survival time is one of the longest for any interspecies transplant — and moves pig organs closer to human use.
- Max Kozlov
How to freeze a memory: putting worms on ice stops them forgetting