Nature · 29 July 2026 · From issue 13

The grab point on human centromeres mutates far faster than the rest of the region, up to 20 times more.

Shenghan Gao, Keisuke K. Oshima et al., A global view of human centromere variation and evolution, Nature.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 11 August 2026. Read the source

The plain-language reading of this paper is in the full issue, for subscribers.

Read the full issue

Get it free, every two days

Five papers free every issue, about 15 emails a month. No spam. Leave in one click.

Also in issue 13 15 papers

Only adults used broad memory context to guide choices; kids used single memories at every age.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Warming raised malaria in some African regions and lowered it in others, nearly balancing out overall.
Nature
A crop-eating mite uses 64 copies of one protein to block a plant's chemical defense.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In a simulated universe, star forming galaxies drift inward, throwing off growth rate measurements.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
In lab tests, redesigned fungus-fighting drugs worked better and harmed cells less.
Nature
One photo of a drop breaking apart can reveal a liquid's thickness and stickiness.
Physical Review X
A blood thinner helped more migraine patients with a heart hole than a standard migraine drug did.
BMJ
In lab tests, a silver catalyst turned nitrobenzene into a target chemical with 99.6% accuracy.
Nature Communications
In mice, removing one gene switch in immune cells made them more vulnerable to a gut infection.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Invasive species do more damage in poorer nations, not richer ones as long assumed.
Science
Most carbon from Canada's record 2023 wildfires rose from soil, not burning trees.
Geophysical Research Letters
One lab-made reactive fragment performed almost every classic carbon-building reaction under the same mild conditions.
Nature Communications
In a lab experiment, a moving focus point that beats normal light speed limits made controllable terahertz light bursts.
Nature Communications
In mice, a chemical tag on a kidney salt channel is required to stop the body losing too much salt.
PNAS Nexus