Featured
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Nature Podcast |
This fish shouldn’t exist — the weird genetics of clonal vertebrates
A study reveals how the asexual Amazon molly defies evolutionary expectations — plus, evidence of what might be powering superluminous supernovae.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Shamini Bundell
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Research Briefing |
Quantum entanglement as a tool to image distant astronomical objects
Particles entangled over long distances can, in theory, improve the sensitivity of long-baseline interferometers that are observing weak thermal light sources. A proof-of-concept experiment now demonstrates entanglement-assisted interferometry, paving the way for entanglement-enhanced non‑local sensing techniques.
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News & Views |
Ten years since the first reported observation of gravitational waves
In 2016, the first direct observation of gravitational waves was reported. The measurements by the LIGO detectors gave astronomers a new way to observe the Universe.
- Gudrun Wanner
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Technology Feature |
From quantum computing to mRNA therapeutics: seven technologies to watch in 2026
Nature’s round-up of innovations that are poised to make a splash in the year ahead.
- Michael Eisenstein
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News Feature |
The visionary physicist who gave us a new way to view the cosmos
Tony Tyson is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2025.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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News & Views |
Even in space, telescopes can’t escape photobombers
Light reflected from satellites pollutes the images taken by telescopes orbiting Earth, as well as those on the ground. Without mitigations, this will only get worse.
- Meredith Rawls
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Article
| Open Access
Satellite megaconstellations will threaten space-based astronomy
Rapidly growing satellite constellations pose a substantial threat to astronomical observations, with projections indicating that future space telescopes will have more than 96% of their exposures affected by satellite trails, necessitating urgent mitigation strategies.
- Alejandro S. Borlaff
- , Pamela M. Marcum
- & Steve B. Howell
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News |
Satellite swarms set to photobomb more than 95% of some telescopes’ images
Planned megaconstellations would contaminate the view of the cosmos of four orbiting telescopes.
- Jenna Ahart
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Comment |
Why space exploration needs science leadership now — before it’s too late
Research in space is about more than discovery. It is a strategic asset and soft power that attracts partners and supports evidence-based decisions.
- Gioia Rau
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Obituary |
George Smoot obituary: Charismatic cosmologist who revealed ripples in the Big Bang’s afterglow
Nobel laureate who mapped temperature variations in the cosmic microwave background.
- Douglas Scott
- , Joseph Silk
- & Tom Broadhurst
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News |
Surprise ‘tail’ found on an iconic galaxy may rewrite its history
First image from Vera C. Rubin telescope reveals a previously unverified feature of galaxy M61 that may explain its mysterious properties.
- Jenna Ahart
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News |
Mysterious cosmic ‘dots’ are baffling astronomers. What are they?
A consensus is emerging that the dots, sometimes called rubies, are an entirely new type of object in the Universe.
- Jenna Ahart
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News |
LIGO is 10 years old: black-hole breakthroughs will ‘only get better’
A decade after the pair of observatories first detected gravitational waves, researchers are drawing up ambitious plans for its successors.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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News |
Clearest gravitational-wave detection yet confirms Hawking’s black-hole theory
Discovery joins a list of the greatest hits of the LIGO detector, which ten years ago became the first to detect gravitational waves.
- Jenna Ahart
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Obituary |
Rainer Weiss obituary: Nobel laureate who pioneered the technique that detected gravitational waves
Physicist who spearheaded the construction of the LIGO observatory to detect Einstein’s predicted ripples in space-time leaves a legacy of persistence and mentorship.
- Bruce Allen
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World View |
NASA’s Earth-observing satellites are crucial — commercial missions cannot replace them
Private companies can track many changes on Earth from space, but both public and commercial satellite missions are needed to understand and protect the environment.
- Danielle Wood
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News & Views |
Merging of magnetic plasma ‘flux ropes’ is driven by turbulence
Experiments reveal that high-energy plasma events in the Solar System and beyond might be driven by magnetic fluctuations and turbulence that happen on very small scales.
- Jeffersson Agudelo Rueda
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News |
Spain bids €400 million to host mega telescope at risk in US budget cuts
New Canary Islands home could save controversial Thirty Meter Telescope first proposed for Hawaii.
- Elizabeth Gibney
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Nature Podcast |
‘Stealth flippers’ helped this extinct mega-predator stalk its prey
180-million-year-old fossil suggests Temnodontosaurus had several adaptations for quiet swimming — plus, why damage to mitochondria during waking hours might explain the need for sleep.
- Shamini Bundell
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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News |
Birth of a solar system caught ‘on camera’ for first time
Astronomers get rare glimpse of earliest stages of planet formation around a baby star.
- Jenna Ahart
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Research Highlight |
Lonely spacecraft can navigate the stars
NASA’s New Horizons probe, which hurtled past Pluto in 2015, demonstrates that it can sail through interstellar space using its onboard camera.
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News & Views |
Inventions that made the United States a powerhouse of innovation
Lessons learnt from early lunar research, and the birthplace of ‘pictures that live and move’, in our weekly peek at Nature’s archive.
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News |
Rare find: interstellar visitor seen blazing through our Solar System
The comet-like body — called 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 — is zipping past Jupiter.
- Nicola Jones
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Research Briefing |
Molecular gas in a low-dust galaxy hints at how stars formed in the early Universe
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected molecular hydrogen in a nearby galaxy that has a very low proportion of metals. This implies that considerable quantities of molecular gas can form at low metallicities, and provides insight into similarly metal-poor galaxies in the early Universe.
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News |
First images from world’s largest digital camera leave astronomers in awe
The Rubin Observatory in Chile will map the entire southern sky every three to four nights.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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Arts Review |
‘One of the true final frontiers’ — Sally Ride biopic highlights the struggle of gay astronauts
The first US woman to fly in space said little about her personal life in public. A candid film discloses the pressures she endured.
- Alexandra Witze
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News |
Major telescope hosts world’s largest digital camera: how it will transform astronomy
Massive telescope will map the Universe and provide an evolving record of the Solar System and distant stars.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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News |
Japanese spacecraft has probably crash-landed on Moon — again
Early investigations by the Japanese company ispace identified issues with speed and a sensor measuring the craft’s altitude.
- Rachel Fieldhouse
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Comment |
How to keep astronauts healthy in deep space
The Artemis programme and others aim to send humans to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars. Innovations in health care that support the mission crew could also benefit people at home.
- Farhan M. Asrar
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News |
First Chinese mission to sample an asteroid starts its journey
Over a decade, Tianwen-2 will sample rocks from a near-Earth asteroid, return them to Earth and then visit a comet.
- Smriti Mallapaty
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Comment |
Why space exploration must not be left to a few powerful nations
Indigenous people and others need a say in space-industry decisions. Here’s how that can happen.
- Timiebi Aganaba
- , Adam Fish
- & Brad Tucker
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News & Views |
Searching for dark photons in the Sun’s atmosphere
Satellite observations of solar radiation have narrowed down the possible properties of dark photons — a proposed dark-matter particle.
- Katherine Skipper
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Essay |
How India rewrote the rules of space travel when it launched its first satellite
Fifty years ago, a spacecraft designed and built by young Indian scientists redefined what a low-income country could achieve.
- Pranav Sharma
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News & Views |
A lighthouse galaxy shines unexpectedly through the fog of the cosmic dawn
Ultraviolet light from a galaxy observed when the Universe was just 330 million years old has intriguing implications for understanding how the first generations of stars and black holes were formed.
- Michele Trenti
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News |
Light pollution threatens fleet of world-class telescopes in Atacama Desert
The effects of a proposed green-energy facility in Chile could be devastating for some of the most powerful instruments available to astronomers.
- Humberto Basilio
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Nature Podcast |
Tiny satellite sets new record for secure quantum communication
Laser-based system allows quantum-encrypted information to be beamed across the globe, plus — an AI that can improve other AIs via written feedback, and an update on science in the US in the wake of Trump team’s cuts.
- Shamini Bundell
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Comment |
Space debris is falling from the skies. We need to tackle this growing danger
Why failing to control defunct satellites leaves everyone at risk from their impacts.
- Richard O. Ocaya
- & Thembinkosi D. Malevu
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Editorial |
Cleaning up space: how satellites and telescopes can live together
Satellites connect people around the world but they also interfere with astronomers’ views of the cosmos. There are ways to reduce these tensions.
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Outlook |
Eye problems cloud NASA’s vision of Mars
Mysterious syndrome remains a ‘red risk’ for long-term spaceflight.
- Neil Savage
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News & Views |
AI algorithm helps telescopes to pivot fast towards gravitational-wave sources
Fast electromagnetic follow-up observations of gravitational-wave sources such as binary neutron stars could shed light on questions across physics and cosmology. A machine-learning approach brings that a step closer.
- Michael J. Williams
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News |
Private spacecraft nails Moon landing: first images of Blue Ghost on the lunar surface
The touchdown is a much-needed win for NASA’s partnerships with commercial space companies.
- Alexandra Witze
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News & Views |
X-ray telescope casts a sharper gaze on galaxy clusters
Data from the XRISM X-ray satellite provide unprecedented detail on how ionized plasma moves in massive galaxy clusters — a question with huge cosmological and astrophysical implications.
- Stefano Borgani
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Nature Video |
Crowd crush: Could fluid dynamics save lives?
Scientists studying the controversial 'running of the bulls' discover unique crowd movements they hope could prevent overcrowding deaths
- Emily Bates
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Nature Video |
Grand Canyons on the Moon
How Grand Canyon-sized lunar-valleys could have been carved in mere minutes.
- Dan Fox
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Book Review |
NASA’s ‘most prolific planet hunter so far’ — the story of the Kepler Space Telescope
Ingenuity and decades of planning enabled the mission’s success.
- Elizabeth Tasker
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News |
Strange flashes from ancient galaxy deepen mystery of fast radio bursts
Unusual detection bolsters evidence that the mysterious signals can be caused by different astrophysical events.
- Elizabeth Gibney
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This supernova is too bright – now astronomers might know why