Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2 October 2026 · From issue 46

PAK4 exacerbates melanoma immunosuppression by promoting exosome release

In mice and lab models, blocking a protein called PAK4 slowed melanoma growth and weakened its immune defenses.

Ruizhi Zhou, Tong Xu et al.

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Also in issue 46 15 papers

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In mice, a three-armed flu drug clumped viruses together and beat existing long-acting drugs.
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People focus more on tasks that already feel easy, making hard tasks even harder.
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A computer program tracked grass pollen shapes to reveal 25,000 years of ecosystem change.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
In the deep sea, clams and their gut bacteria adjust teamwork when food gas runs low.
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An AI beat the top human Stratego champion, a first for the game.
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In a pulsar study, beam height shrank at low radio frequencies instead of growing as predicted.
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In yeast colonies, on-and-off drug treatment can free trapped resistant cells to spread.
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In lab solutions, layered polymer sheets melt apart in a set order and then rebuild themselves.
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Chemists confirmed a rare triple bond between uranium and carbon for the first time.
Nature Chemistry
A top US health research funder will start paying to recheck old discoveries, not just fund new ones.
Science
AI now helps decide which science questions get asked and which evidence counts.
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In basalt rock, mild squeezing tilts tiny magnetic particles but barely shifts the rock's overall magnetic direction.
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