Nature

In today's Nature Briefing, we learn that immune cells in a homing pigeon’s liver might help it to navigate, investigate new treatments to restore heart-muscle cells and visit an unusual reptile museum in Ecuador.

The centuries-long hunt for the elusive gravitational constant (otherwise known as Big G) has been an exercise in precision, passion, and ultimately – frustration. Now, a decade-long experiment has added yet another number to the growing pile of possible values for Big G. Stefan Schlamminger, the lead investigator for this project, says he’s throwing in the towel after the ‘emotional rollercoaster’ of this grueling task. “I don’t think I have another song in me,” he says. - Written & Presented by Elizabeth Gibney - Produced by Maren Hunsberger - Research footage reprinted with the permission of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2026, rights reserved. - Stock Footage from Getty Images / NGUYEN THI NHI - Stock Images from Getty Images / DrPixel / Benne Ochs - Music from Adobe Stock Music / TSAN/Jamendo - Supervising Producer: Shamini Bundell From Schlamminger, S. et al. Metrologia. (2026). https://lnkd.in/esex_KPS 

In today's Nature Briefing, we discover a gene-activity ‘clock’ that can predict time to death, learn that zebrafish snooze similarly to humans and consider whether we can intercept lung cancer before it starts.

In today's Nature Briefing, we visit a lab run by ten AI-powered robots, discover a database of more than one billion predicted protein structures and consider the accuracy of eyewitness testimony during criminal trials.

In today's Nature Briefing, we learn that stress impairs the brain’s ability to link memories, hear a call to invest in early science education and consider whether we’re entering an era of ‘secretive’ research into artificial intelligence.

In today's Nature Briefing, we glimpse clouds on a distant world, stay up-to-date on the Ebola outbreak and ponder whether it’s time to get a dog.

The number of people already infected during the current Ebola outbreak is startling. That's because when an outbreak is declared, the numbers normally start lower and build from there. To see the comparison is pretty jarring. So my colleagues and I asked experts: will this one build to record-breaking proportions?

In today's Nature Briefing, we discover a wearable robot that helps children with a rare neuromuscular disease strengthen their legs. Plus, we learn that a tough peer-review process could lead to a more-cited paper and investigate the ant-trafficking trade in East Africa.

The current ebola outbreak may soon break records, but why? Here’s how it’s gotten so out of control. - Written, Produced, & Presented by Maren Hunsberger - Motion graphics by Dan Fox - Stock Footage from Getty Images / Anadolu / calvindexter - Stock Images from Getty Image / Jon Brown - Music from Triple Scoop Music / Richard Bodgers / KrommBorg - Supervising Editors: Shamini Bundell & Anne Marie Conlon

Does science need humanity? In our editorial this week we've turned around the provoking question that Max Perutz, the Nobel Prizewinner, asked in a well-known essay back in 1989 to talk about the new type of 'collaboration' that is growing in strength and changing the way research is done. Two new papers in our pages describe a pivotal step towards truly AI-driven drug discovery, in which a system of connected AI agents is trained to autonomously navigate multi-step workflows. The system trawled scholarly literature, formed hypotheses, interpreted data and engaged in internal debate to arrive at candidate drugs to treat a particular disease. In one study, a team based at FutureHouse, a non-profit AI research laboratory in San Francisco, California, asked its AI system, called Robin, to find a treatment for the eye disorder dry age-related macular degeneration. A second group led by researchers at Google DeepMind used its AI-agent system, called Co-Scientist, to look for approved drugs that could be repurposed to treat a form of leukaemia, and to discover drug targets to treat liver fibrosis. The human-AI agent 'collaboration' is empowering and impressive. And while some predict a future in which human researchers will be replaced by AI agents, we argue that the future lies in advancing and honing the human-AI partnership. One reason for it is the unique nature of human expertise and the scientific process. There is the accumulated wisdom of teams that have worked on a problem, perhaps for decades, there is the bespoke, personalised training and mentorship of future generations, whose knowledge will be built, in part, on lessons learnt from failures and inefficient meanderings. Human messiness, curiosity and playfulness have fuelled countless discoveries, and helped to inform society’s ethical frameworks. AI systems might offer greater efficiency in some instances, but it is not so clear that greater efficiency equates to greater insight. Max Perutz began his essay with a false dialectic that also plagues many modern discussions of AI: “Is scientific research the noblest pursuit of the human mind, from which springs a never-ceasing stream of beneficial discoveries, or is it a sorcerer’s broom that threatens us all with destruction?”. These opposing extremes, both true in their own way, should not be allowed to distort AI’s true potential — or obscure its limitations. Nature https://lnkd.in/emCZXiU4 https://lnkd.in/eD_7TV74 https://lnkd.in/ehQembdJ