Nature, Published online: 18 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01967-x
Researchers have tracked the electrical activity of individual brain cells during conversation in real time. Plus, the history of GPS and a cross-species transplant that could reveal clues about the origin of animals.
Plague swept through groups of hunter-gatherers in southeastern Siberia 5,500 years ago, leaving dozens dead in its wake—with DNA from Yersinia pestis bacteria still trapped inside their teeth.
University of Oxford ancient DNA researcher Ruairidh Macleod and his colleagues recently sequenced the telltale bacterial DNA in teeth from plague victims at four ancient cemeteries in the area around Russia’s Lake Baikal. The tragedy that befell these communities is now the earliest known plague outbreak, courtesy of the oldest strain of Y. pestis ever sequenced.
Until recently, scientists who study the evolution of diseases have held two fairly solid ideas about the origins of plague, the disease caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria. It's a scourge so awful that it has gone down in history as not just a plague but the plague. The first idea is that the earliest strains didn't have the right genetic traits to be really lethal. And the second is that the plague first began menacing humans when the first farmers settled in densely packed towns alongside rats and domestic animals.
© Kevin WIlson
Plague swept through groups of hunter-gatherers in southeastern Siberia 5,500 years ago, leaving dozens dead in its wake—with DNA from Yersinia pestis bacteria still trapped inside their teeth.
University of Oxford ancient DNA researcher Ruairidh Macleod and his colleagues recently sequenced the telltale bacterial DNA in teeth from plague victims at four ancient cemeteries in the area around Russia’s Lake Baikal. The tragedy that befell these communities is now the earliest known plague outbreak, courtesy of the oldest strain of Y. pestis ever sequenced.
Until recently, scientists who study the evolution of diseases have held two fairly solid ideas about the origins of plague, the disease caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria. It's a scourge so awful that it has gone down in history as not just a plague but the plague. The first idea is that the earliest strains didn't have the right genetic traits to be really lethal. And the second is that the plague first began menacing humans when the first farmers settled in densely packed towns alongside rats and domestic animals.
© Kevin WIlson
Nature Geoscience, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02018-w
Heat flux across the core–mantle boundary is laterally variable, and heat may flow into the core beneath hot piles of dense material such as large low-shear-wave-velocity provinces, according to mantle thermochemical convection models.
Nature, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10617-1
A prototype differential atom interferometer operates at the standard quantum limit with no excess noise beyond atom shot noise, achieving performance in line with the specifications for future long-baseline atom interferometers.
Nature, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10667-5
The Pakistan Genome Resource compiles biobank data from 173,303 individuals with high familial relatedness, broadening the catalogue of human genetic variation and establishing a population-specific genomic reference for Pakistan.
Nature, Published online: 17 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10654-w
A technique combining atomically resolved scanning tunnelling microscopy with neural-quantum-state quantum Monte Carlo simulation of disordered 2D electron Wigner solids establishes a powerful framework to enable the clear identification of two distinct defect-induced disorder regimes.
A tiny electronic sensor that can be swallowed like a pill may soon provide one of the most accurate ways to measure body temperature. Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a miniature device that continuously monitors temperature from inside the digestive tract, potentially helping doctors detect infections earlier and better manage […]
The post Swallowable ‘blueberry’ sensor could transform how we monitor body temperature appeared first on Knowridge Science Report.
Nature, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01905-x
Researchers have uncovered more than 400 fossilized whale bones in an ocean-floor chasm. Plus, the working lives of scientists, in pictures, and how AI could slow the pace of research publication for the better.
A surprisingly simple action can make a major difference.
A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other institutions has developed a new way to improve the performance of powerful electronic devices by using an ultrathin layer of diamond. The breakthrough could help future technologies such as 6G wireless networks, satellite communications, radar systems, and even data centers operate faster […]
The post Ultrathin diamond layer solves major heat problem in future 6G devices appeared first on Knowridge Science Report.
Nature, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01878-x
Evidence from fossilized poo reveals the diverse diet of ancient ground squirrels. Plus, the science behind the peptide craze and our innate tendency to wander anticlockwise.
Submit your abstract for “Advancing Weather and Environmental Science Through NASA and NOAA Commercial Satellite Data Programs,” a joint session hosted by NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program, in partnership with the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Commercial Data Program (CDP).
The session is part of the 23rd Symposium on Operational Environmental Satellite Systems, which will take place at the 2027 American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting January 10-14 in Denver, Colorado. It will examine the growing capabilities of commercial Earth observation providers that are creating new opportunities to advance weather research, operational forecasting, and environmental science applications.
NASA’s CSDA program and NESDIS’s CDP collaborate to expand federal access to commercial satellite data and accelerate its use in both research and operational applications.
The CSDA program supports the scientific community by evaluating and acquiring diverse commercial datasets, including optical, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation and Reflectometry, methane, precipitation, and Digital Elevation/Terrain Models for modeling, hazard monitoring, climate studies, and applied research.
Similarly, the CDP operationalizes commercial space-based environmental data, with demonstrated impacts from assimilated observations in weather forecasting and space weather applications. It also conducts pilot projects and transitions the piloted data to operations.
Together, the CSDA and CDP strengthen the nation’s weather enterprise by enabling innovative research, closing observational gaps, and integrating commercial data into real-world forecasting and decision support applications.
To submit an abstract or for additional information about the abstract submission process, visit the symposium’s website.
The post NASA, NOAA to Hold Joint Session at 23rd Symposium on Operational Environmental Satellite Systems appeared first on NASA Science.
Nature, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10630-4
Accelerated Arctic glacier disintegration and a more dynamic sea ice cover are increasing iceberg-delivered dropstones in the deep ocean, reshaping seafloor habitats and extending cryospheric impacts far beyond glaciers.
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