Featured
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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 Index |
A spotlight on the stark imbalances of global health research
An expansion of the Nature Index to include more than 60 medical journals has revealed the clear leaders in the field.
- Bec Crew
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Obituary |
Anthony Epstein (1921–2024), discoverer of virus causing cancer in humans
Pathologist whose finding that viruses can trigger tumours in humans transformed medical research.
- Alan Rickinson
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News & Views |
Epstein–Barr virus at 60
The 1964 discovery of Epstein–Barr virus shed light on factors that contribute to human cancer. Subsequent studies set the stage for finding ways to diagnose and treat cancer, and revealed how immune defences control viral infection.
- Lawrence S. Young
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News Feature |
Why are so many young people getting cancer? What the data say
Clues to a modern mystery could be lurking in information collected generations ago.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Deadly brain cancer shrinks after CAR-T therapy — but for how long is unclear
Early studies with engineered immune cells show drastic but often short-lived results in glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain cancer.
- Heidi Ledford
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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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News Explainer |
First cell therapy for solid tumours heads to the clinic: what it means for cancer treatment
Therapy built on tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes is now being prepared for at least 20 people in the United States with advanced melanoma.
- Sara Reardon
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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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News |
Landmark study links microplastics to serious health problems
People who had tiny plastic particles lodged in a key blood vessel were more likely to experience heart attack, stroke or death during a three-year study.
- Max Kozlov
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Article
| Open AccessGenome-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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Correspondence |
Personalized cancer care can’t rely on molecular testing alone
- James Larkin
- , Chloe Beland
- & Alexander R. Lyon
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Correspondence |
Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer? Why we shouldn’t abandon tumour names yet
- Albrecht Stenzinger
- & Frederick Klauschen
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World View |
Here’s what many digital tools for chronic pain are doing wrong
To address the chronic-pain crisis, digital health technologies must break out of their silos and become integrative and holistic.
- Benjamin Lipp
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Spotlight |
Stealthy stem cells to treat disease
Gene-editing strategies that allow stem cells to evade the immune system offer hope for universal cell-replacement therapies.
- Elie Dolgin
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News |
The surprising link between gut bacteria and devastating eye diseases
Finding raises hopes that antibiotics could treat some genetic diseases that can cause blindness — but also prompts doubts.
- Saima Sidik
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News Explainer |
‘Breakthrough’ allergy drug: injection protects against severe food reactions
A study suggests that the asthma treatment omalizumab can reduce the risk of dangerous allergic reactions to peanuts and other foods.
- Sara Reardon
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News |
CAR-T therapy for multiple sclerosis enters US trials for first time
Hopes are high that engineered immune cells, which are already in use to treat blood cancer, will halt the progression of a degenerative autoimmune disorder.
- Asher Mullard
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Obituary |
Judith Campisi (1948–2024), cell biologist who explored how cells age
Researcher who established the role of cellular senescence in cancer and ageing.
- Jan Vijg
- & Jan Hoeijmakers
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Article |
Monolithic silicon for high spatiotemporal translational photostimulation
A silicon-based electrode system is described that allows tunable spatiotemporal photostimulation of cardiac systems, with the optoelectronic capabilities of these devices being demonstrated in mouse, rat and pig heart models.
- Pengju Li
- , Jing Zhang
- & Bozhi Tian
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Article
| Open AccessPrevalence of persistent SARS-CoV-2 in a large community surveillance study
Using viral sequence data, individuals with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified, and had higher odds of self-reporting long COVID, in a large community surveillance study.
- Mahan Ghafari
- , Matthew Hall
- & Katrina Lythgoe
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News Feature |
Mind-reading devices are revealing the brain’s secrets
Implants and other technologies that decode neural activity can restore people’s abilities to move and speak — and help researchers to understand how the brain works.
- Miryam Naddaf
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News |
Move over, CRISPR: RNA-editing therapies pick up steam
Two RNA-editing therapies for genetic diseases have in the past few months gained approval for clinical trials, raising hopes for safer treatments.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News & Views |
Smoking’s lasting effect on the immune system
It emerges from a study of human cells that smoking can influence certain immune responses to the same extent as can age or genetics. Smoking can alter the immune system in ways that persist long after quitting the habit.
- Yang Luo
- & Simon Stent
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News Feature |
The future of precision cancer therapy might be to try everything
Researchers are blasting patients’ cancer cells with dozens of drugs in the hope of finding the right treatment.
- Elie Dolgin
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Career Q&A |
A researcher-exchange programme made me a better doctor at home and abroad
Caleb Skipper describes how global health collaborations bring valuable transfers of knowledge to both sides of the Atlantic.
- Christopher Bendana
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News |
Turbocharged CAR-T cells melt tumours in mice — using a trick from cancer cells
Immune cells armed with a mutation first identified in cancer cells gain potency but don’t turn cancerous themselves.
- Asher Mullard
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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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News |
Why autoimmune disease is more common in women: X chromosome holds clues
Rogue antibodies are drawn to the protein–RNA coating on half of the X chromosomes in an XX cell.
- Elie Dolgin
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Comment |
Forget lung, breast or prostate cancer: why tumour naming needs to change
The conventional way of classifying metastatic cancers according to their organ of origin is denying people access to drugs that could help them.
- Fabrice André
- , Elie Rassy
- & Benjamin Besse
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News Feature |
Can autoimmune diseases be cured? Scientists see hope at last
After decades of frustration and failed attempts, scientists might finally be on the cusp of developing therapies to restore immune ‘tolerance’ in conditions such as diabetes, lupus and multiple sclerosis.
- Cassandra Willyard
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News |
Fingertip oxygen sensors can fail on dark skin — now a physician is suing
A community health centre in California led by the researcher files the first lawsuit against pulse oximeter manufacturers.
- Anil Oza
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News |
Potent new pill provides COVID relief for the masses
The drug simnotrelvir shortens symptoms for those with mild infections and is sold at a lower price in China than its main rival.
- Saima Sidik
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News Q&A |
New NIH chief opens up about risky pathogens, postdoc salaries and the year ahead
Nature talks to Monica Bertagnolli about hot-button issues and her top priorities for 2024.
- Max Kozlov
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News |
Google AI has better bedside manner than human doctors — and makes better diagnoses
Researchers say their artificial-intelligence system could help to democratize medicine.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News Feature |
Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat — is climate change making it worse?
Researchers are studying how extreme weather and rising temperatures can encourage the spread of drug-resistant infections.
- Carissa Wong
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News |
Potent psychedelic drug banishes PTSD, small study finds
Military veterans with cognitive and psychological problems saw drastic improvements after a dose of ibogaine.
- Max Kozlov
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Research Highlight |
A record-setting transplant heals a baby’s broken heart
Partial-heart transplant from a living donor allows an infant's heart valves to grow as he does.
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Editorial |
A new class of antibiotics is cause for cautious celebration — but the economics must be fixed
The threat of antimicrobial resistance means that new antibiotics need to be used sparingly. Governments must support their development with a long-term funding plan.
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News Feature |
Long COVID is a double curse in low-income nations — here’s why
Not only is the prevalence of the condition poorly understood, but it’s also often ignored by physicians and the wider public.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Cancer-fighting CAR T cells could be made inside body with viral injection
Scientists are devising ways to edit the genomes of immune cells without having to extract them from the people being treated.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Scientists question cancer tests that use microscopic nematode worms
Some doctors say a troublingly high number of cancer-free people have tested positive on the tests sold by a Japanese start-up.
- David McNeill
- & Momoko Suda
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News & Views |
A next-generation inhalable dry powder COVID vaccine
Current injectable COVID-19 vaccines are unable to induce robust immunity in the mucosal tissues lining the airways. A protein-based vaccine delivered to the lungs in the form of an inhaled dry powder shows promise as a way forward.
- Zhou Xing
- & Mangalakumari Jeyanathan
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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 Feature |
The cancer physician who helped to deliver a life-extending treatment
Thomas Powles’s breakthrough success in treating a deadly bladder cancer could herald the next wave of powerful immunotherapeutic drugs.
- Carissa Wong
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News Feature |
Weight-loss-drug pioneer: this biochemist finally gained recognition for her work
Svetlana Mojsov led early studies of GLP-1, the hormone behind Wegovy, Ozempic and other blockbusters.
- Elie Dolgin
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Article
| Open AccessGDF15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
Elevated circulating levels of GDF15 in pregnant women are associated with severe nausea and vomiting, and sensitivity to such symptoms during pregnancy is partly determined by prepregnancy levels of this hormone.
- M. Fejzo
- , N. Rocha
- & S. O’Rahilly
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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