Stories by Nature magazine

The National Science Foundation, which funds key science and engineering research, is the latest U.S. agency to be disrupted by Elon Musk’s DOGE

New evidence shows plant leaves absorb airborne microplastics, a previously overlooked route for the particles to enter crops that has implications for ecology and human health

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected an intriguing compound in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18 b, but scientists are divided about what the chemical means

Leaked budget documents indicate that key NASA and NOAA research projects, such as crucial climate research and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, are at risk of being defunded in 2026

An analysis reveals which fields of science and U.S. states are being hit hardest by National Institutes of Health grant terminations

Data centers accounted for about 1.5 percent of global electricity consumption in 2024, an amount expected to double by 2030 because of AI use

Neuroscientists have created the largest and most detailed map of a mammal’s brain in a landmark achievement

A state of the AI industry report shows that 2024 was a breakthrough year for small, sleek models to rival the behemoths

A team of researchers traced the wild animal source of the mpox virus to the fire-footed rope squirrel

Advances recognized by science’s most lucrative awards include high-energy physics experiments and groundbreaking weight-loss treatments

Our conscious awareness may be governed by a structure deep in the brain

The Dreamer AI system of Google's DeepMind reached the milestone of mastering Minecraft by ‘imagining’ the future impact of possible decisions

A long-awaiting report from CERN explores the feasibility of building a supersized successor to the Large Hadron Collider

The Trump Administration has fired four leaders and thousands of employees at the National Institutes of Health in “one of the darkest days”

Intermittent fasting has gained a following, in part because of tantalizing hints that it can boost cognition, fend off cancer and even slow aging

Studies on COVID, climate change and South Africa are on the latest list of terminated grants by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, according to updated documents obtained by Nature

Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here's how scientists are coping

Data from 300,000 births reveal how essential biological measurements are altered by carrying and delivering a baby

The European physics laboratory CERN is planning to build a mega collider by 2070. Critics say the plan could lead to ruin

Scientists in China have transmitted encrypted images a record 12,900 kilometers, paving the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth

“Qudits,” the multi-dimensional cousins of qubits, could make quantum computers more efficient and less prone to error

MRI scans show that the brains of infants and toddlers can encode memories, even if we don’t remember them as adults

Experiments suggest an unusual magnetic material could help harness energy from Earth’s rotation. But not everyone is convinced

From China to Brazil to Germany, huge numbers of people are addicted to shopping, driven in part by companies that use gaming strategies