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In this issue 14 papers · 5 free

01 Nature Genetics High-resolution promoter interaction analysis implicates genes involved in activation of type 3 innate lymphoid cells in immune disease risk Free
02 Nature Communications A potassium-based single-atom catalyst enables acute lung injury immunotherapy in mice by inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis Free
03 Nature Neuroscience A reproducible three-dimensional model of human brain tissue to investigate physiological and disease-associated microglia phenotypes Free
04 Nature Communications Transitions between persistent climate-carbon regimes coincide with elevated Phanerozoic biosphere vulnerability Free
05 Nature Human Behaviour Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career Free
06 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Developmental plasticity under human management shaped cereal evolution prior to domestication in the Early Holocene southern Levant Subscribers
07 PNAS Nexus The pivotal role of the food service industry in alleviating urban segregation and boosting city vitality Subscribers
08 The Astrophysical Journal WISPR/Parker Solar Probe High-resolution Observations of a Pseudostreamer Coronal Mass Ejection and Its Disconnection from the Corona Subscribers
09 Physical Review Letters First Measurement of Neutrino Emissions from Spent Nuclear Fuel by the Double Chooz Experiment Subscribers
10 Nature Enzymatic glycosylation and amidation reshapes polyene bioactivity Subscribers
11 Nature Communications On the relevance of serial cyclone clustering for Arctic sea ice Subscribers
12 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Cytoplasmic fluidity couples nutrient availability and enterocyte fate in vivo Subscribers
13 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early-life sugar restriction causally reduces adult cancer incidence and slows biological aging Subscribers
14 eLife Niche exclusion of a lung pathogen in mice with designed probiotic communities Subscribers

The papers Read free

Nature Genetics·4 August 2026

Valeriya Malysheva, Helen Ray-Jones et al.

A DNA folding map in human immune cells links gut disease risk genes to specific gene switches.

Immune cells called type 3 innate lymphoid cells help protect body linings like the gut, but scientists know little about how their genes get switched on. Researchers mapped the physical loops that DNA forms inside these cells, showing which distant DNA switches control which genes. This map linked known Crohn's disease risk spots to new candidate genes, including one already known to cause a rare childhood brain disease. When that same gene was boosted in mouse immune cells, it changed how the cells reacted to stimulation and which signaling chemicals they released.

What it could change A gene tied to a rare brain disease also shapes immune cell activity linked to Crohn's disease risk.

Shown only in mouse immune cells in the lab, not confirmed in human patients.

Mouse cell line only, no human patient data yet.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 5 August 2026. Valeriya Malysheva, Helen Ray-Jones et al., High-resolution promoter interaction analysis implicates genes involved in activation of type 3 innate lymphoid cells in immune disease risk Read the source

Nature Communications·4 August 2026

Xiangyu Lu, Xuan Shi et al.

In mice, a potassium-based particle blocked harmful immune cell death and eased severe lung injury.

In mice, a tiny particle made from potassium calmed down a harmful type of immune cell death in the lungs. This cell death normally causes damage during severe lung injury, a condition that can kill up to 40% of patients. The particle worked by mopping up harmful molecules inside cells and helping repair damaged cell walls. Because it uses potassium, a substance already common inside human cells, it may be gentler than many man-made drugs.

The number 40%

The mortality rate that severe acute lung injury can reach in humans, the disease this mouse study targeted.

Mice only, no human safety or effectiveness data yet.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 5 August 2026. Xiangyu Lu, Xuan Shi et al., A potassium-based single-atom catalyst enables acute lung injury immunotherapy in mice by inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis Read the source

Nature Neuroscience·4 August 2026

Julien Klimmt, Carolina Cardoso Gonçalves et al.

In lab-grown brain tissue, immune cells survived over 6 months and showed Alzheimer's warning signs.

A lab-grown ball of human brain tissue can now keep its immune cells alive for more than six months, something earlier lab models struggled to do. This tissue contains the three main brain cell types found in real brains. When scientists built in Alzheimer's disease features, the tissue showed the same warning signs seen in real patients, including sticky protein clumps and inflammation. An antibody treatment cleared the clumps and reversed many disease signs in the immune cells.

The number 6 months

How long brain immune cells survived and worked normally inside the lab-grown tissue.

Lab dish model only, no human brain data yet.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 5 August 2026. Julien Klimmt, Carolina Cardoso Gonçalves et al., A reproducible three-dimensional model of human brain tissue to investigate physiological and disease-associated microglia phenotypes Read the source

Nature Communications·4 August 2026

Ivan Sudakow, Corinne Myers et al.

Life faced more stress exactly when Earth's climate switched between five stable long term states.

Earth's climate and carbon cycle have settled into five long lasting stable states over the last 500 million years. Scientists tracked these states using chemical signals stored in ancient rocks. Life on Earth showed more stress right when the planet shifted from one stable state to another. This pattern held up even after accounting for slower background changes in climate.

The number 5 persistent climate-carbon states

The number of long lasting stable climate modes found across Earth's deep history.

Ancient rock data only, shows a pattern, not direct proof of cause.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 5 August 2026. Ivan Sudakow, Corinne Myers et al., Transitions between persistent climate-carbon regimes coincide with elevated Phanerozoic biosphere vulnerability Read the source

Nature Human Behaviour·3 August 2026

Marco Gui, Chiara Respi et al.

Joining social media before grade 9 lowered later test scores in Italian, English and math.

Kids who joined social media in grades 6 to 8 later scored lower on standard tests. Kids who waited until grade 9 or later scored better. The study followed 5,227 students in northern Italy, checking scores in Italian, English and math over time. Heavy smartphone use at key times of day seems to explain much of this gap.

The number 5,227 students

The number of students in northern Italy whose social media timing and test scores were compared.

One region in Italy, observational data, not a controlled trial.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 5 August 2026. Marco Gui, Chiara Respi et al., Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career Read the source

9 more papers are in the full issue.

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·4 August 2026

Jade Whitlam, Pascal Flohr et al.