Nature
30 reportsFor readers assessing Nature, the relevant threads are corrections and retractions; post-publication scrutiny; and peer-review standards. Reporting on corrections and retractions draws on independent replication and is then checked against article methods; interpretation remains cautious because publication in a prominent venue does not by itself establish consensus.
Milky Way's Oldest Known Merger Leaves Lasting Mark at Galactic Center
Astronomers have identified evidence of the Milky Way's earliest known galactic merger, using Hubble Space Telescope data to trace ancient globular clusters and reveal a collision that shaped the galaxy's core nearly 12 billion years ago
Neutral-Atom Quantum Simulator Probes 2D Conformal Field Theory Spectra
A Caltech-led team has directly measured finite-size energy excitation spectra predicted by two-dimensional conformal field theory, using a neutral-atom quantum simulator based on strontium atom chains and Rydberg interactions
Webb Telescope Reveals Early Galaxies Are Richer in Small Stars
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected a higher proportion of faint, low-mass stars in ancient galaxies, suggesting these early systems are more massive than previously estimated
Webb Telescope Spots Candidate Black Hole Star in Early Universe
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified a luminous, solar-system-sized object from 660 million years after the Big Bang, offering the strongest evidence yet for a hypothesized 'black hole star' class.
Fastest Known Star Orbits Milky Way's Black Hole in Under 9 Years
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope Interferometer have identified S301, a star orbiting Sagittarius A* at record speed, offering a new opportunity to test general relativity near the Milky Way's supermassive black hole
Cornell Team Deposits High-Quality Tantalum Qubits at 200°C
Researchers at Cornell University have demonstrated a low-temperature process for fabricating tantalum-based superconducting qubits, using krypton gas to enable high-quality films compatible with commercial semiconductor foundries
Hubble Data Reveals Ancient Milky Way Merger with Dwarf Galaxy
Astronomers have identified evidence that the Milky Way merged with a dwarf galaxy called LKH about 12 billion years ago, using globular cluster data from the Hubble Space Telescope and extending the timeline of our galaxy's early evolution
Helix Nebula Reveals How Dead Stars Return Material to the Galaxy
Astronomers using the MOTHRA instrument have observed the Helix Nebula dispersing its outer layers into the interstellar medium, providing direct evidence of stellar material recycling that will enrich future generations of stars
Hubble Reveals Ancient Dwarf Galaxy Merger in Milky Way's Early History
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified evidence of a major merger between the young Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy nearly 12 billion years ago, pushing the timeline of our galaxy's assembly further into the past
Quantum Optimization Benchmarking Library Sets New Standard for Fair Comparison
A global consortium has released the Quantum Optimization Benchmarking Library, providing a model-independent framework to compare quantum, classical, and hybrid algorithms on hard combinatorial problems. The open-source platform aims to clarify claims of quantum advantage.
Black Hole Winds Drive Turbulence Far Beyond Host Galaxy
Observations with Japan's XRISM X-ray satellite reveal that outflows from a supermassive black hole in a distant quasar are far more powerful than previously estimated, stirring hot gas across intergalactic space
Webb Telescope Resolves Closest Black Hole Pair in Early Universe
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA have identified two supermassive black holes just 4,900 light-years apart in a galaxy merger 1.3 billion years after the Big Bang, offering new insight into rapid black hole growth
Inouye Solar Telescope Resolves Unprecedented Detail on Sun's Surface
The Inouye Solar Telescope has produced the highest-resolution images yet of the Sun's surface, revealing dynamic plasma structures and confirming a long-suspected fluid instability in solar plasma
D-Wave Reports Quantum Hardware Progress and Bookings Growth in 2026
D-Wave Quantum Inc. has released its Q2 2026 results, highlighting a surge in bookings, expanded commercial adoption, and technical milestones in both annealing and gate-model quantum computing platforms
Solar Telescope Reveals Long-Predicted Plasma Vortices on Sun's Surface
High-resolution images from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope have captured thousands of plasma whirlpools on the Sun's surface, providing direct evidence for a phenomenon predicted over a century ago and offering new insight into solar atmospheric heating
D-Wave Tests High-Fidelity Two-Qubit Gate for Dual-Rail Qubits
D-Wave Quantum Inc. has experimentally demonstrated a fast, high-fidelity two-qubit entangling gate for superconducting dual-rail cavity qubits, addressing key error sources and hardware overhead in quantum error correction architectures
NASA's IXPE Detects Signs of Quantum Vacuum Effect Near Magnetar
NASA's IXPE telescope has measured X-ray polarization from a magnetar, providing evidence consistent with a quantum electrodynamics effect predicted for nearly a century but never directly observed in space
Europa Clipper May Miss Ocean Water Rising Through Europa's Ice
Computer simulations suggest turbulent water rising through Europa's ice would freeze its pathways shut, making shallow surface pools poor indicators of the moon's buried ocean
Silicon Spin QPU Runs Autonomously with Cryogenic Control Chip
HRL Laboratories has demonstrated an 18-qubit silicon spin quantum processor operating with a cryogenic CMOS controller, eliminating real-time room-temperature control and addressing key wiring and thermal bottlenecks in quantum hardware
MAVEN Data Reveals Earth-Like Aurora Mechanism on Mars
NASA's MAVEN orbiter has provided evidence that localized auroras on Mars are powered by a process similar to Earth's Dungey cycle, offering new insight into Martian atmospheric loss and magnetic field interactions
Possible Exomoon Candidate Challenges Definitions in Distant Star System
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope have detected a moon-like object orbiting a brown dwarf in the CD-35 2722 system, raising questions about how to classify such bodies beyond our solar system
Giant Exosatellite Discovery Redefines Boundaries of Planetary Systems
Astronomers have identified a Jupiter-sized exosatellite orbiting a brown dwarf, itself in orbit around the star CD-35 2722. The finding, made using high-resolution spectroscopy, challenges current definitions of moons and planets.
How Bell's Theorem Emerged from an Unusual Physics Journal
John Bell's 1964 theorem on quantum nonlocality was first published in a short-lived journal with an unconventional editorial model. The story of this publication highlights the challenges of peer review, editorial selection, and scientific recognition in quantum physics
Possible Twin Supernova Remnants Identified in the Jellyfish Nebula
Astronomers analyzing data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and other observatories have found evidence suggesting both stars in a binary system exploded as supernovae, leaving overlapping remnants in the IC 443 region
Detection of Four-Carbon Sugar Molecule in Interstellar Space
Researchers have identified the sugar molecule erythrulose in a molecular cloud near the Milky Way's center using radio telescopes, providing new evidence that complex organic compounds can form in interstellar environments under extreme conditions
Medical AI Models Face Higher Patient Privacy Risks Than Expected
A new peer-reviewed study finds that diagnostic medical AI models can leak sensitive patient information at rates far above previous estimates, raising concerns about privacy, data security, and the need for robust technical safeguards in clinical machine learning.
UCLA Team Integrates Terahertz Generation and Detection on One Chip
A UCLA research group has demonstrated a semiconductor chip that combines terahertz signal generation and detection, using quantum-well photodiodes and standard fabrication methods, potentially enabling scalable terahertz systems for communications and sensing
Extreme Solar Storms May Exceed Previous Impact Estimates
A new analysis of solar wind data suggests that the most powerful solar storms could cause greater geomagnetic disturbances on Earth than previously calculated, with implications for satellites and power grids
Gravitational Wave Data Reveals Black Hole Event Horizon Properties
Researchers have extracted direct physical parameters from a black hole event horizon using an unusually strong gravitational wave signal, providing new experimental access to a region previously studied only through theory
Satellite Neutron Detection Proposed for Nuclear Treaty Verification
A new analysis suggests that satellites equipped with neutron detectors could remotely identify nuclear materials in orbit, offering a potential method to verify compliance with the Outer Space Treaty and address emerging security concerns