Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 21 September 2026 · From issue 40

Bistability of compartmentalized autocatalytic systems at the dawn of hereditary variation

In simulated bubbles, self-copying chemical systems switch stable states and pass on that switch like memory.

Alexa Iván, András Szilágyi et al.

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Also in issue 40 15 papers

Deep-ocean heatwaves near the equator are growing stronger and harming ocean plant life.
Geophysical Research Letters
Genes tied to social behavior shift depending on who reports it and a person's age.
Nature Human Behaviour
A risk score using patient traits predicts who fails drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment.
Nature Communications
A computer program designed tangled proteins that form gels with tunable, cell-friendly stress release.
Nature Communications
Infants with higher autism likelihood tracked speech sounds less well than other infants.
eLife
In lab-made protein models, a norovirus protein forms a ring that may drag viral genes through membranes.
Nature Communications
A common chemical called PFOS blocks a key step your cells use to fight viruses.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Teams do better with AI when people get feedback, not just explanations.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Many top target stars flood their planets' zones with far more harsh radiation than our Sun does.
The Astrophysical Journal
In rats, brain touch signals became sharper and more distinct in the dark.
eLife
A one-time health checkup and counseling session was linked to fewer diabetes cases in older adults.
PLOS Medicine
In a physics model, self-propelled particles reach walls faster than random drifting ones.
Physical Review Letters
A single new Moon crater loosened soil across a patch 7 kilometers wide.
Science Advances
Neutron, x-ray, and light tools now capture magnetic patterns at nanometer size and femtosecond speed.
Science Advances

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