Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11145-8

Salt marsh platforms resist erosion under extreme waves, but vegetation damage reduces wave attenuation; substantial wave attenuation by vegetation is mainly limited to low-energy marsh coasts with waves below 1 m.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11152-9

A multi-tissue signalling system links cold temperature to enhanced longevity and proteostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11179-y

An environment-regulated state is identified across multiple cell types at the root tip, revealing a shared dichotomy between cells with and without this state.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11186-z

CD51+ astrocytes promote synapse formation in the developing cortex, circuit plasticity in the hippocampus and circuit remodelling after stroke.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11184-1

The structure of PCDH1 bound to the ANDV spike defines the structural determinants of hantavirus–receptor recognition.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11172-5

All-antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions can display both a large TMR and a reciprocal switching effect, octupole-driven spin-transfer torque, enabling nanoscale magnetic memory and potentially room-temperature terahertz spintronic devices.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11168-1

Fifteen years of atmospheric CO2 measurements show that the Amazon carbon sink is weakening, with fires, deforestation and climate stress driving increasingly high carbon emissions.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11175-2

A functional architecture of the human insula links cytoarchitecture to directed and asymmetric electrophysiological interactions, with mechanistic implications for cognitive modulation of pain and interoceptive experience.

Nature, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11161-8

A multi-agent framework that coordinates data science, medical reasoning and health coaching over longitudinal wearable and clinical data to provide holistic personal health support is described.

Nature, Published online: 19 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03345-z

The administration says that the universities being investigated are using the visas to undercut wages for US nationals, but researchers say that restricting international applications could harm science.

Nature, Published online: 15 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11263-3

Nearly half of reef-building corals face elevated relative risk of extinction

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11138-7

Machine-learning-enabled atomistic simulations, spectroscopy, electrochemical data and quantum-chemical calculations reveal previously unstudied multi-lithium-ion complexes without bound anions, improving understanding of lithium-ion-battery functionality at the atomic level.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11157-4

A globally representative sample of 25 countries and territories indicates that conservation areas cover 26.81% of the land, much closer to the 30% by 2030 target than officially reported.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11117-y

Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy shows that the fractional spin-1/2 end states of molecular Haldane chains couple differently to a superconducting condensate depending on whether the chain contains an even or odd number of spin-1 triangulene units.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11143-w

De novo-designed enzymes use an activated cysteine nucleophile to hydrolyse polypeptide backbones in a sequence-dependent manner.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11150-x

Longitudinal genomic analyses in patients with astrocytoma or oligodendrioglioma suggest that these two types of tumour differ in the mechanisms by which they become resistant to treatment, with astrocytomas accumulating copy-number alterations and chromosomal instability markers but oligodendrogliomas acquiring new driver mutations.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11136-9

DFT investigations combined with spectroscopic and catalytic studies of disrupted subnanometric Rh2O3 clusters show that Rh+ centres in a zeolite-based catalyst are blocked with N-containing molecules, whereas Rh3+ sites are stabilized, allowing hydroformylation reactions with enhanced regioselectivity and efficiency.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11174-3

Optogenetic stimulation of motor-cortex neuron ensembles shows that precisely timed activity in the primary motor cortex can generate learned neural patterns and movements, demonstrating an active role in skilled motor control.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11162-7

Artificial intelligence-enabled quantification and analyses of brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity uncover links between BAT and a healthier metabolic profile along with lower rates of psychiatric disease, and can identify pharmacologic agents that could be repurposed to activate this tissue in humans.

Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11163-6

Wave coarsening in active elastic media is a phenomenon in which vibrations spontaneously increase in wavelength, period and amplitude before forming a globally synchronized time crystal.