News & Comment

Machine learning (ML) is rapidly influencing the development of many research areas, including biocatalysis, the use of enzymes and living systems to mediate chemical reactions, often of pharmaceutical and industrial importance. To find out how can machine learning be applied to biocatalysis research, we talked to three scientists, Professor Rebecca Buller (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), Dr. Stanislav Mazurenko (Masaryk University) and Associate Professor Yang Yang (University of California, Santa Barbara). We discussed the potentials and challenges associated with ML, how collaborations between computational and biocatalysis experts can be promoted, and how will the field develop in the future.

Transforming agricultural landscapes to be more sustainable and resilient requires integrated and multidisciplinary approaches. Linking automated experimental platforms with living labs can accelerate knowledge gain, enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, and support real-world change by addressing key challenges in current agricultural systems.

In a recent study, Park et al. show that early-life loss of NR3C1 in astrocytes establishes a long-lasting epigenetic memory that heightens neuroinflammation and worsens pathology in the central nervous system (CNS) later in life. These findings highlight the potential roles of astrocyte inflammatory memory in CNS pathology, as well as potential targets for its modulation.

The preclinical exploration of nanomedicine for cancer theranostics is rapidly expanding, underscoring its significant translational potential. The diverse physicochemical properties of these nanosystems — including size, morphology, surface charge, hydrophobicity, catalytic activity, and chirality — inevitably influence their interactions with biological systems. As a result, comprehensive biological validation and interdisciplinary collaboration across fields such as biochemistry, biomedical engineering, pharmacology, immunology, and oncology are essential.

The consequences of weather and climate extremes are felt disproportionately by some of the most disadvantaged populations of the world. Gaps in data and research perpetuate these deeply rooted inequalities and must be overcome.

Microscopy drives biological discovery, yet high costs limit its access to resource-limited regions. We highlight examples of successful frugal microscopes that have overcome adoption barriers, offering a roadmap to expand affordable, quantitative imaging tools and foster impactful research in resource-limited settings.

We propose a roadmap for promoting a data-sharing culture in African health research governed by data justice and solidarity. This framework integrates dynamic consent, equitable benefit-sharing, reciprocity, data custodianship, controlled access infrastructures, and data sovereignty

Despite existing regulations, many emerging environmental contaminants remain ungoverned, posing serious risks to ecosystems and human health. Here, we outline governance challenges and propose a global roadmap for their regulation. Proactive identification, risk assessment, and international collaboration are urgently needed to close regulatory gaps and ensure a safer, healthier environment for all.

The realization that the cell is abundantly compartmentalized into biomolecular condensates has opened new opportunities for understanding the physics and chemistry underlying many cellular processes¹, fundamentally changing the study of biology². The term biomolecular condensate refers to non-stoichiometric assemblies that are composed of multiple types of macromolecules in cells, occur through phase transitions, and can be investigated by using concepts from soft matter physics³. As such, they are intimately related to aqueous two-phase systems⁴ and water-in-water emulsions⁵. Condensates possess tunable emergent properties such as interfaces, interfacial tension, viscoelasticity, network structure, dielectric permittivity, and sometimes interphase pH gradients and electric potentials^6–14. They can form spontaneously in response to specific cellular conditions or to active processes, and cells appear to have mechanisms to control their size and location^15–17. Importantly, in contrast to membrane-enclosed organelles such as mitochondria or peroxisomes, condensates do not require the presence of a surrounding membrane.

Shifting rapidly to a low-emissions global economy could severely disrupt workers’ livelihoods and their communities, exacerbating inequalities and perpetuating injustice. In a Just Labor Transition, strategic policies prepare workers for new jobs, enable inclusive decision-making with meaningful participation of workers and their representatives (including labor unions and other collective organizations), and secure social license for change.

The African Union (AU) has set an ambitious goal to strengthen primary health care systems on the African continent and achieve universal health coverage for all African citizens by 2030. As part of this initiative, the AU advocates for African self-reliance in the manufacturing of life-saving vaccines and drugs. Here, we speak with Professor Nicaise Ndembi and Dr Jerome Kim, who are at the forefront of capacity building for African vaccine manufacturing, about the progress that has been made towards the AU’s goal, and what challenges remain.

Researchers comment on two recent Nature Communications publications on enzyme complexes involved in collagen glycosylation, discussing how these findings lay a foundation for understanding collagen IV maturation and its broader biological implications.

In spatial transcriptomics, tissue samples are randomly positioned. Rotation-sensitive methods can lead to unreliable spatially variable gene (SVG) detection. We highlight their inherent technical pitfalls and discuss strategies for rotation-invariant methods, enhancing the robustness of SVG detection.

Based on experiences of Nigerian healthcare staff in a multi-centre international neonatal sepsis study, the authors describe insights on capacity strengthening, patients’ engagement, and discuss long-term challenges in sustaining outcomes after project funding ends.

We introduce a framework for the design of photonic integrated laser sources for FMCW LiDAR, evaluating trade-offs in key laser metrics such as linewidth, chirp linearity and rate, based on laser-system co-design metrics. We review the main performance requirements for mid-range applications, with the goal of guiding ongoing research and commercial development.

The Arctic winters are changing fast. In February 2025, Svalbard endured rain, thawing tundra, and pooling meltwater. The Comment by Bradley and coauthors describes how winter warming is reshaping polar ecosystems—and why this resembles the new Arctic.

Historical specimens have enabled transformative insights across kingdoms and ecosystems with new technologies, yet microbes remain largely overlooked in preservation efforts. As we recognize microbial communities as fundamental drivers of planetary health, comprehensive microbial archiving becomes an urgent intergenerational responsibility.

Ecologically Unequal Exchange (EUE) theory reframes trade as asymmetric transfers of biophysical resources from South to North, rejecting monetary value metrics. It challenges both mainstream and Marxian economics by emphasizing material flows over money-based interpretations of global inequality.

Projections show a massive shortfall in the supply of lithium and copper required to reach net zero emissions by 2050. We won’t run out of resources but with some mines taking decades to bring into production, we may run out of time.

Recent evidence suggests the existence of a neural pathway specialized for social perception projecting between the well-established “what” and “where” pathways. A new study of neuropsychological patients demonstrates that this social pathway is causally essential for recognizing dynamic facial expressions.