Nature, Published online: 29 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10881-1

A nanopore-based ‘chop and measure’ method sequences peptides at single-amino-acid resolution by using enzymatic digestion to progressively shorten the N terminus one residue at a time, together with repetitive N-terminus re-reading.

Nature Energy, Published online: 13 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02111-9

Elemental diffusion in Cu2ZnSnS4 induces secondary phases and defects, limiting the open-circuit voltage in associated solar cells. Wang et al. introduce two-stage copper incorporation to suppress copper out-diffusion, enabling 12.4% efficiency and an 874-mV open-circuit voltage in solar cells.

Nature, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10673-7

A miniature three-dimensional optical fibre gripper enables powerful, precise micromanipulation of particles and single cells in confined spaces, bridging the gap between optical and mechanical tweezers.