Nature Communications · 29 September 2026 · From issue 44

An auto-initializing algorithm to determine electronic ground states from random Slater determinants

A method starting from random guesses matches top quantum simulations using far less computing power.

Hao Zhang, Matthew Otten.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 30 September 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 44 15 papers

A daily probiotic lozenge cut severe mouth sores during head and neck radiation treatment.
Nature Communications
A liver immune cell marker called OLR1 tracks with worse scarring and may be a treatment target.
Nature Genetics
Depression dulls mood swings after wins or losses, while anxiety makes mood swing more.
eLife
Rewetting drained peat bogs restores their ability to soak up and hold water.
Geophysical Research Letters
In sun images, 27 of 35 filaments followed the sun's usual north-south magnetic twist pattern.
The Astrophysical Journal
In salmon and trout, duplicate genes matched most closely during one key stage of early embryo growth.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
A DNA-shaping protein reads the physical curve of DNA to find gene start sites.
Nature Communications
In lab and mouse tests, a glowing tagged virus revealed drugs that block Usutu virus infection.
PNAS Nexus
In worms, a gut protein controls a fat that tells the brain to avoid infection.
PLOS Biology
In lab tests, rod shaped nanoparticles spun in step with swirl speed, but disc shaped ones just followed the swirls.
Nature Physics
In mice, blocking one protein made resistant bile duct cancer respond to chemotherapy again.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In a computer model, brain cell networks kept oscillating on their own after input stopped.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In bacteria, turning off single genes one at a time revealed hidden jobs for many unknown genes.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In captive marmosets, a camera system automatically identified individual monkeys as well as a person could.
eLife