Nature, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02617-yKiller T cells might help people to live to extraordinarily old ages. Plus, the longest-lived brain organoids so far and how mass genome-screening programmes for newborns might work.
Nature, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02626-xNature staff discuss how an FDA-approved drug for narcolepsy could have promise beyond the condition, and the longest-lived human brain organoids yet.
Nature, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02352-4The case is the latest example of this scientific workhorse being misused in experiments.
Ozempic may work in the brain in almost the opposite way scientists expected, activating hunger-linked neurons that appear essential for sustaining fat loss. The surprising discovery in mice could reveal new targets for developing even more effective obesity drugs.
A compound made when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber may do more than briefly calm inflammation—it could leave a lasting protective “memory” in the gut. Northwestern Medicine researchers found that butyrate can reprogram intestinal lining cells so they continue encouraging anti-inflammatory immune responses even after the compound is gone. In mice, this effect boosted production of the immune-calming molecule IL-10 and reduced the severity of colitis-like disease.
Scientists have identified exceptionally rare soft tissue preserved in a 450-million-year-old crinoid fossil, more than 200 million years older than the first dinosaurs. Its delicate tube feet offer a remarkable new window into how some of Earth’s earliest reef animals lived, fed, and evolved.
A colossal cliff system created as the supercontinent Rodinia broke apart may have exposed the heart of the Grand Canyon nearly a billion years before the Colorado River carved it. The ancient landscape could also help explain why enormous sections of North America’s geological record appear to be missing.
People who participated in colorectal cancer screening had a 43% lower risk of dying from the disease, according to long-term data from more than 376,000 people in Sweden. The findings suggest that completing a simple at-home screening test could make a major difference in survival.