Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 11 September 2026 · From issue 35

Formin-1 maintains cochlear microtubule architecture required for hearing in humans and mice

A broken gene called FMN1 causes moderate, stable hearing loss and light hair in people and mice.

Lara Kamal, Amal Aburayyan et al.

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Also in issue 35 15 papers

Japanese forests shifted toward one type of tree fungus partner in just 15 years.
Nature Communications
Different cancer treatments favored different gene changes in healthy tissue near the tumor.
Nature Genetics
An antibody from a patient with a rare brain disease grabs a nerve cell protein without breaking its normal glue function.
Nature Communications
Long term loneliness in older adults links to worse health, weaker daily function, and lower mental wellbeing.
Nature Communications
In mice, a protein called C3 helps lung immune cells fight harder after a second germ exposure.
eLife
In lab tests, squeezed lanthanum hydride pushed out magnetic fields near minus 33 degrees Celsius.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A self teaching computer program built new problem solving recipes that beat existing expert methods.
Science Advances
A spongy carbon-tube material turns squeezing into electricity a million times better than a solid version.
Science Advances
Woolly rhino genes trace back to warm Eurasia, not the frozen north, around 420,000 to 460,000 years ago.
Science
A heart risk tool built in New Zealand misjudged risk for diabetes patients in China.
BMJ
New computer models find hidden black holes in galaxies, but struggle with small ones.
The Astrophysical Journal
Facial paralysis changes how well people read tricky facial expressions, but only sometimes clear ones too.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In lab tests, scientists steered tiny crystals to grow in chosen shapes and colors on demand.
Science Advances
A solid magnetic material showed a rare shift in how its energy fades away over time.
Science

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