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After a heart attack, immune cells are recruited to the brain to induce sleep, which suppresses inflammation in the heart and aids recovery. But if sleep is disrupted, excess inflammation worsens cardiac function and slows healing.
An innovative approach to 3D printing has been developed in which acoustic vibrations and light control the formation of a solid at an air–liquid interface. The strategy enables fast printing of objects with highly detailed features.
Analyses of ancient DNA from aurochs — large, wild cattle that co-existed with humans for millennia — reveals how early humans tamed these beasts and bred them with domesticated cattle for strength and resilience.
Materials called ferroelectrics are being used to build energy-efficient electronics, but their benefits diminish when their size is scaled down. A proposed solution using mechanical strain could transform computer microelectronics.
The isolation of the BRCA1 gene 30 years ago ushered in the era of genetic testing for breast and other cancers, launched a long-lasting patent battle and eventually led to a tailored cancer therapy.
How do odorant receptors in the human nose recognize a wide variety of scent molecules? The structures of engineered versions of these receptors finally provide much-needed answers to this fundamental question.
Precise calculations on the erection of Stonehenge’s boulders, and a bright aurora stretches between the stars, in our weekly peek at Nature’s archives.
Multicellular species of animals and plants differ in form but look similar when their body plan is established — described as an hourglass-like pattern of development. Independently evolved brown algae develop this way, too.
Researchers have used artificial-intelligence models to create regulatory DNA sequences that drive gene expression in specific cell types. Such synthetic sequences could be used to target gene therapies to particular cell populations.
Burning crop waste causes devastating pollution in South Asia. When local administrators have appropriate incentives to control burning, incidents go down — a finding that could guide future efforts to manage air pollution.
Data can be stored on DNA, but the methods involve time-consuming DNA synthesis and must be done by experts. A user-friendly approach has been developed that potentially solves these problems.
Gene-edited stem cells can be used in regenerative therapies to treat diverse genetic diseases. Tracking the output of these cells over time reveals a commitment to lineages that meet disease-specific needs.
The lidar method for aerial archaeology identifies human-modified landscapes. Detection of a massive urban settlement on a mountainous Uzbekistan site challenges preconceptions about medieval urbanization high in Central Asia.
In 2004, physicists reported something remarkable: they had isolated ultrathin films of carbon atoms using sticky tape alone, and found that the films had astounding properties. The finding would forever change condensed-matter physics.
Improving air quality by discontinuing combustion-engine vehicles would slash health-care costs in the United States, but the projected savings in rural areas depend on how the replacements are powered.
An astrophysical object called a microquasar in the Milky Way has been found to emit γ-rays. The discovery shows that these systems accelerate particles to extremely high energies, and could provide insight into Galactic cosmic rays.
Scientists have engineered a modified insulin that reduces its activity at low glucose levels. This glucose-responsive insulin could prevent people with diabetes from experiencing dangerously low blood glucose.
An unexpected link has been found between the metabolic pathways that produce energy for embryo growth, and the cellular signalling systems that regulate cell specialization and movement during early development.
Researchers have narrowed down the sources of the most common types of meteorite to a few collisional events that happened much more recently than was previously thought.
