Matter-wave interference experiments demonstrate quantum superposition of molecules consisting of up to 2,000 atoms—the heaviest objects to show this quantum behaviour to date. This provides a bound on potential modifications to quantum mechanics. | Continue reading
The chemical feat strengthens theory that the first life on Earth was based on RNA. | Continue reading
Publishers, reviewers and other members of the scientific community must fight science’s preference for positive results — for the benefit of all, says Devang Mehta. | Continue reading
Wellcome is right to call out hyper-competitiveness in research and question the focus on excellence. But other funders must follow its move. | Continue reading
Sharing data with external social scientists is proving technically difficult, but researchers aren’t giving up yet. | Continue reading
A click reaction for making azides. | Continue reading
Evidence of exciton condensation in atomically thin semiconductors. | Continue reading
Dining-hall data suggest that a rise in vegetarian options leads customers to embrace meat-free meals. | Continue reading
Microscopic analysis of backed stone pieces from the Uluzzian technocomplex of Italy (45–40 thousand years ago) identifies them as hafted armatures, probably used as projectiles. | Continue reading
Readers say they have been asked to reference seemingly superfluous studies after peer review. | Continue reading
Cooked and raw plant diets cause different changes in gut microbiome composition and function, including mechanisms of starch digestibility and xenobiotic availability, and consequently impact host energy status. | Continue reading
The science is immature and a multi-purpose quantum computer doesn’t yet exist. But that isn’t stopping investors pouring cash into quantum start-ups. | Continue reading
The hunt for useful quantum computers. | Continue reading
Stuart Russell’s latest book examines how artificial intelligence could spin out of control. David Leslie critiques it. | Continue reading
Douglas Adams’s satirical science-fiction classic still seems prescient, writes Shamini Bundell. | Continue reading
How do liberals and conservatives differ in their expression of compassion and moral concern? The authors show that conservatives tend to express concern toward smaller, more well-defined, and less permeable social circles, while liberals express concern toward larger, less well- … | Continue reading
Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here the authors assessed organic carbon storage in VCE across Australian and the potential annual CO2 emission benefits of V … | Continue reading
People can get a false sense of security from flimsy gauze, and linger too longoutdoors in toxic air, argue Wei Huang and Lidia Morawska. | Continue reading
Using a real-world navigation task, Bécu et al. find a preference for geometry-based navigation in older adults, and for landmark-based navigation in younger people. Older adults also show a decreased capacity to take perspective from landmarks. | Continue reading
As lung injuries among e-cigarette users mount amid a youth vaping epidemic, the impact of new restrictions remains unclear. | Continue reading
Little is known about the long-term effects of early-career setback. Here, the authors compare junior scientists who were awarded a NIH grant to those with similar track records, who were not, and find that individuals with the early setback systematically performed better in the … | Continue reading
Shellen Wu traces the rise of the dominant force in science, in the second of a series of essays on the ways in which the past 150 years have shaped today’s research system, marking Nature’s anniversary. | Continue reading
Disappointment as World Health Organization pushes back target date for eradication to 2030. | Continue reading
A surge in the development of artificial-intelligence technology is driving a new wave of open-source tools for analysing animal behaviour and posture. | Continue reading
Generally infrared and Raman spectroscopic methods are needed to study the symmetric and asymmetric molecular vibrational modes. Here the authors demonstrate complementary vibrational spectroscopy to organic molecules by simultaneously measuring their symmetric and anti-symmetric … | Continue reading
The formation of nucleobases can take place in extraterrestrial environments. Here the authors show the simultaneous synthesis of three purine nucleobases and three pyrimidine from interstellar ice analogues that suggest the evolution from molecular clouds to stars and planets pr … | Continue reading
SCAPE 2.0 is a versatile imaging platform that enables real-time three-dimensional microscopy of cellular function and dynamic motion in living organisms at over 100 volumes per second with minimal photodamage, and high-throughput structural imaging in fixed, cleared and expanded … | Continue reading
A single species of electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, has been described. Here, de Santana et al. show that there are three major lineages of Electrophorus distributed across Greater Amazonia and describe two new species, one with a much stronger electric discharge than was … | Continue reading
A five-year regulatory free-for-all in regenerative medicine has given the industry a boost. But patients might be paying the price. | Continue reading
Fish retained for local consumption could boost public health. | Continue reading
Without careful implementation, artificial intelligence could widen health-care inequality. | Continue reading
The Pulitzer prizewinner shares his advice for pleasing readers, editors and yourself. | Continue reading
This month’s instalment of Nature’s pick of the best science images is dedicated to climate change — and the researchers who study it. | Continue reading
We are asking authors to use alternatives. | Continue reading
FAST has superior sensitivity to detect cosmic phenomena, including fast radio bursts and pulsars. | Continue reading
Ann Pettifor finds astonishing contemporary resonance in John Maynard Keynes’s critique of globalization and inequity. | Continue reading
Thomas Crowther wants to restore the planet, but first he needs to know how many trees, fungi, worms and microbes live on it. | Continue reading
Earth system models suggest that soil-moisture variability and trends will induce large carbon releases throughout the twenty-first century. | Continue reading
Researchers warn that the country’s push to hold back its deserts could strain water resources. | Continue reading