Life
How I made a slime mould the protagonist of my new sci-fi novel
How do you get the science right in a sci-fi book? Columnist Annalee Newitz started by asking many kinds of researchers …
Life
455 articles
Life
One of the fundamental forces is stronger than we thought
The most precise calculation yet of the electroweak force could help fix cracks in the standard model of particle physic…
Life
Reading for pleasure boosts memory, empathy and mental health
Fewer people are reading for pleasure, but getting lost in a good book has repeatedly been linked to substantial cogniti…
Life
Encoded and non-genetic protein variants expand human functional proteome
Nature, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11124-zEncoded and non-genetic protein variants expa…
Life
Brain implant lets people with paralysis speak and gesture at the same time
Previous brain implants have enabled people with paralysis to either speak or move, but a new, larger one enabled them t…
Life
Jet-powered drones pose a new threat to Ukraine – can they be stopped?
Ukraine is racing to design faster, more capable interceptor drones to tackle Russia's new generation of jet-powered Sha…
Life
We’ve long thought that time has only one dimension. What if we’re wrong?
A second dimension of time has long seemed wholly incompatible with reality. But fresh insights involving black holes an…
Life
Scientists call for ‘emergency’ measures to save sea life from El Niño
Reducing fishing quotas, rescuing endangered species from the water and testing geoengineering could help soften ocean h…
Life
Why is everyone suddenly worried about the risks of AI?
AI experts put the chance of models rising up and killing us all at greater than 10 per cent – but are the risks real? A…
Life
How is climate change affecting conifers and their ability to sequester carbon?
Nature, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02847-0Fresh evidence reveals that the interplay of …
Life
Two bizarre new forms of ice discovered that could exist deep inside planets
Crushing water to pressures in the millions of atmospheres has revealed two strange types of ice, which may form deep in…
Life
The roots of astrology, the mysterious nature of time and more: Books in brief
Nature, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02908-4Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best scie…
Life
The pet trade puts reptiles and amphibians at risk: close legal gaps now
Nature, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02852-3Patchy legislation means that animals are rou…
Life
UK universities are on the brink — what is their greatest source of stress?
Nature, Published online: 14 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02608-zNature asked eight leaders in higher educatio…
Life
The cosmic coincidences that made our universe – and us – possible
The sun and moon are positioned just right for us to see total solar eclipses, and the make-up of the universe is just r…
Life
The super El Niño is already wreaking havoc: here’s what’s in store
Nature, Published online: 13 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02826-5The extreme weather of this year’s mega El Ni…
Life
NSF moves to overhaul funding approach in line with White House priorities
Nature, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02892-9The major funder of basic science has not sai…
Life
SpaceXAI data centre may have led to Mississippi air pollution spike
Elon Musk firm’s Colossus 2 data centre – the largest in the US – has been spewing out nitrogen oxide emissions from tra…
Life
Earliest alligator flourished in the wake of the dinosaur extinction
Just a few hundred thousand years after an asteroid wiped out most dinosaurs, large alligators were thriving in North Am…
Life
People trust scientists seen to be 'on their side', UK study find
Nature, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02883-wPolitics and personal values influence people…
Life
AI is both the best and worst thing to ever happen to mathematics
Mathematicians now have a formidable tool for breaking open challenging problems, but working out how best to use it isn…
Life
Briefing Chat: The Bunsen burner myth that turns out to be just hot air
Nature, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02893-8Nature staff discuss an AI tool that can asse…
Life
Successful early-career scientists rely on network of mentors
Nature, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02827-4Large networks are particularly beneficial to…
Life
El Niño goes viral — and scientists learn what makes people care about the climate
Nature, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02763-3Evoking emotions is more likely to prompt peo…