
How the Brain ‘Constructs’ the Outside World
Neural activity probes your physical surroundings to select just the information needed to survive and flourish As a young course instructor in seminars

What We Know about the Rise in Monkeypox Cases Worldwide
It is unclear how some people recently diagnosed with the disease became infected with the monkeypox virus or how it is likely to

What Does ‘Protection’ against COVID Really Mean?
To answer that question, expanded testing is needed that can determine levels of T immune cells More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic,

How the Brain Tells Apart Important and Unimportant Sensations
Several recent studies point to a small, long-overlooked structure in the brain stem as a crucial gatekeeper for the body’s signals Imagine you

What Genetics Can—and Cannot—Reveal about an Individual’s COVID Risk
Genome-wide association studies can sleuth out genetic markers that raise or lower COVID risk, but they miss social factors Imagine taking a genetic

Origin of life theory involving RNA–protein hybrid gets new support
Structure that links amino acids suggests that early organisms could have been based on an RNA–protein mix Chemists say they have solved a

The science events to watch for in 2022
Omicron, Moon missions and particle physics are among the themes set to shape research in the coming year COVID continues As the world

The science news that shaped 2021: Nature’s picks
From Omicron to a Mars helicopter to an Alzheimer’s firestorm, our news editors choose the defining moments in science and research this year.

This Protein Could Boost Brain Function without Exercise
An exercise pill might one day produce health gains without the exertional pain The drumbeat of exercise’s brain benefits may sound familiar. Most

Why Is Omicron So Contagious?
The new coronavirus variant may be better than other versions at avoiding human immune defenses—but that ability may change in different countries The

COVID vaccine immunity is waning — how much does that matter?
As debates about booster shots heat up, what’s known about the duration of vaccine-based immunity is still evolving Six months ago, Miles Davenport

The Tangled History of mRNA Vaccines
Hundreds of scientists had worked on mRNA vaccines for decades before the coronavirus pandemic brought a breakthrough. In late 1987, Robert Malone performed

COVID Vaccines Show No Signs of Harming Fertility or Sexual Function
The novel coronavirus, in contrast, can disrupt both things in unvaccinated men and women By Emily Willingham on August 24, 2021 Rumors and

‘Breakthrough’ Infections Do Not Mean COVID Vaccines Are Failing
Getting flu again postinoculation is more common than a return case after a COVID shot By Emily Willingham on August 4, 2021 Endless