Studies with open-label placebos — sugar pills given without deception — suggest that the placebo effect is more psychologically complex than previously thought.

Marine sponges host bacteria that produce diverse bioactive compounds. Here, the authors conduct a large-scale metagenomic, single-bacterial and biochemical study to reveal the untapped biosynthetic p...

Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 14 November 2025; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01262-yThe gut microbiome can influence brain activity and complex behaviours. In this Review, Griffiths et al. discuss microbiome-associated effects on social behaviour in laboratory model organisms, free-living animals and humans, and consider potential mechanistic pathways.

Nature Reviews Chemistry, Published online: 28 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41570-025-00753-zDigital content can hinder the accessibility of chemistry to people with disabilities. Fortunately, accessible digital content can be created easily and without cost. Learning basic digital accessibility skills can help to make chemistry more welcoming for all.

Survey finds that fear of reputational harm and a lack of support and publication platforms are among respondents’ key concerns.

Plankton models have crucial applications in ecosystem management and climate change projections. This Perspective suggests that stronger alignment of plankton models with empirical knowledge is neede...

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Published online: 02 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41575-025-01092-6In humans, pH varies across the gastrointestinal tract. This Review provides an overview of gastrointestinal pH and its role in shaping the gut microbiota, highlighting major physiological and dietary factors that influence gastrointestinal pH and how in turn pH affects microbiota composition and metabolism in health and, potentially, disease.

Nature Reviews Microbiology, Published online: 26 June 2025; doi:10.1038/s41579-025-01208-4This study shows that regional mismatches between transplanted microbiota and the host gut environment alter the metabolic and immune states of host tissues as well as the composition of regional microbiomes.

Gut microbiome and diet jointly reveal ecological niche differentiation between Tibetan argali and blue sheep, providing new insights into sympatric adaptation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The observation of bonding behaviours in wild chimpanzees suggests that some aspects of human attachment have a deep evolutionary origin.

New study identifies thousands of new variants related to diseases

A study from the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that psychotherapy is becoming more accessible to people. The study looks at trends in mental health treatment from 2018 to 2021.

A webinar supporting the development of a new WHO/UNICEF regional strategy for Child and Adolescent Health in Europe and Central Asia, as part of our Public Health in Practice Special Issue

Yu and Chandra et al. engineered a commensal gut microbe, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, to detoxify methylmercury (MeHg). The engineered bacterium reduces MeHg in the intestinal lumen, limits its accu...

Growth and form are deeply interconnected, in a manner often mediated by mechanical instabilities arising from geometric incompatibilities. Although Gauss incompatibility has long been recognized as t...

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In a new study, researchers created an AI model of the mouse visual cortex that predicts neuronal responses to visual images.

Finspan is visually stunning and brilliantly captures the intricacies of the ocean’s ecosystems.