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In this issue 15 papers · 5 free

01 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Select intratumoral riboflavin-auxotrophic Enterococcus species enhance cell surface MR1 expression and MAIT TCR activation in lung cancer Free
02 Nature Communications The metabokine β-aminoisobutyric acid mediates exercise performance and skeletal muscle adaptation through a PGC1α-BAIBA-PPARδ axis Free
03 Nature Communications Global estimation of bankfull river discharge reveals distinct flood recurrences across climate zones Free
04 Nature Communications Tracking funding disparities in global health aid with machine learning Free
05 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences A nose-to-brain circuit underlies anxiety regulation by nasal afferent frequency in mice Free
06 PLOS Biology Species-specific barriers restrict virus spillover potential across the Caenorhabditis genus Subscribers
07 Nature Chemistry Regiospecific α-arylation of diverse carbonyl compounds using an organobismuth transporter Subscribers
08 Nature Ecology & Evolution Widespread thermophilization but weak link to climate warming in Europe’s summit plant communities Subscribers
09 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Human Hsp70 paralogs display selective J-domain interactions tuning proteostasis under stress Subscribers
10 Nature Human Behaviour Voluntary attention regulates acute immune responses in humans Subscribers
11 The Astrophysical Journal SDSS-IV MaStar: Determination of Stellar Parameters Using Bayesian Averaging Subscribers
12 Physical Review Letters First Nb 94 ( n , γ ) Measurement: Constraining the Nucleosynthetic Origin of Mo 94 in Presolar Grains Subscribers
13 PLOS Medicine Avoidable mortality, clinical outcomes and determinants of premature death among adults with severe or profound intellectual disability: A population-based analysis of mortality data in England Subscribers
14 Science Advances Mito-TEMPO improves survival rates in npc1 -knockout zebrafish by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing mitophagy via Sod2 Subscribers
15 eLife Economic and social modulations of innate decision-making in mice exposed to visual threats Subscribers

The papers Read free

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·18 August 2026

Pakhi Birla, Lansaol Yang et al.

Certain gut bacteria in lung tumors boost a warning signal that activates immune cells.

Some bacteria living inside lung tumors can change how immune cells display a warning signal on their surface. This signal, called MR1, helps activate a type of immune cell that hunts down threats. Certain bacteria did not trigger this immune cell directly, but they boosted the warning signal when another chemical was also present. The boost happened through changes in how cells build and move the signal, not through changes in genes.

What it could change Certain tumor bacteria raise a warning flag on immune cells, boosting immune activation signals.

Shown in lung tumor samples using gene data, not tested as a live treatment.

Human tumor gene data only, no live treatment trial yet.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 19 August 2026. Pakhi Birla, Lansaol Yang et al., Select intratumoral riboflavin-auxotrophic Enterococcus species enhance cell surface MR1 expression and MAIT TCR activation in lung cancer Read the source

Nature Communications·18 August 2026

Helene N. Daou, Nicole T. Watt et al.

A muscle-made substance called BAIBA helps control muscle strength and exercise ability in mice.

A substance made by muscles during exercise helps control how muscles adapt to training. In mice, this substance, called BAIBA, works through a protein switch inside muscle cells. It shapes muscle structure and strength, and it eased muscle problems in diabetic mice. In people, blood levels of one form of BAIBA rise with endurance training and match up with better fitness.

What it could change A muscle-made molecule shapes how mice build strength and adapt to exercise training.

Shown in mice and human muscle cells in dishes, not yet proven in whole human bodies.

Mostly mice and lab cells; human data only shows a correlation.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 19 August 2026. Helene N. Daou, Nicole T. Watt et al., The metabokine β-aminoisobutyric acid mediates exercise performance and skeletal muscle adaptation through a PGC1α-BAIBA-PPARδ axis Read the source

Nature Communications·18 August 2026

Yinxue Liu, Michel Wortmann et al.

Rivers overflow their banks at very different rates depending on climate, not every two years.

Rivers can only hold so much water before they spill over their banks and flood the land. Flood models around the world usually guess that this spilling happens once every two years, no matter where the river is. New research shows that guess is often wrong. Rivers in hot wet regions overflow about every 1.5 years, and rivers in mild regions overflow about every 1.8 years. Rivers in cold regions overflow less often, about every 2.8 years, and rivers in dry regions overflow only about every 4.3 years.

The number 1.5 to 4.3 years

The range in how often rivers overflow their banks, depending on climate zone.

Global estimate, not direct measurement of every river.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 19 August 2026. Yinxue Liu, Michel Wortmann et al., Global estimation of bankfull river discharge reveals distinct flood recurrences across climate zones Read the source

Nature Communications·18 August 2026

Finn Stürenburg, Kerstin Forster et al.

Non-communicable diseases got only 2.5% of health aid despite causing 59.5% of lost healthy years worldwide.

A computer program read details on 3.7 million health aid projects from 2000 to 2022. Together these projects were worth about 332 billion dollars. The program sorted each project by disease type and compared aid amounts to how much harm each disease actually causes. It found that non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes cause almost 60 percent of the world's lost healthy years. Yet these diseases got only 2.5 percent of health aid money. Some regions, including Central Africa, parts of South Asia, and West Africa, showed the biggest mismatches between aid and need.

The number 59.5% vs 2.5%

Share of global lost healthy years caused by non-communicable diseases, compared to the share of health aid they received.

Global aid data analysis only, cannot explain funder decisions.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 19 August 2026. Finn Stürenburg, Kerstin Forster et al., Tracking funding disparities in global health aid with machine learning Read the source

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·18 August 2026

Xinsong Guo, Mengyan Liu et al.

In mice, slow nasal airflow calms anxiety by activating a specific brain pathway.

Breathing slowly through the nose can calm anxiety, and mice show why. Nerve cells in the nose send signals through a chain of brain areas, ending in a region that controls fear. Slow nasal airflow turned on a calming brain pathway and eased anxious behavior, while fast airflow made mice more anxious. Two weeks of slow nasal stimulation also reduced anxiety-like behavior in mice bred to be more anxious.

What it could change A brain circuit that links nose signals to fear control, found only in mice.

Shows a nose-to-brain pathway that changes anxiety behavior in mice, not yet tested in humans.

Mouse study only, using tools not usable in humans yet.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 19 August 2026. Xinsong Guo, Mengyan Liu et al., A nose-to-brain circuit underlies anxiety regulation by nasal afferent frequency in mice Read the source

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PLOS Biology·18 August 2026

Dominik Herek, Juan C. Muñoz-Sánchez et al.