One of the most-viewed PNAS Nexus articles in the last week is “Nuclear archaeology reassesses Heisenberg’s last reactor experiment.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/Y5WT50ZXc9W To learn more about submitting your own research, visit PNAS Nexus at https://ow.ly/gNqw50ZXc9V.

Spooky season is taking flight. 🦇 Revisit a classic from the Science Sessions archive and discover how bats use echolocation (and an innate sense of the speed of sound) to navigate the world around them. 🎧Listen now in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: https://ow.ly/1gkI50ZXeGs

When air quality is categorized as “Hazardous” or “Very Unhealthy” in urban China, usage spikes on the Ant Forest program embedded in the Alipay app. Ant Forest offers to plant trees for users in exchange for actions that reduce climate emissions. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/w1ki50ZXbYP

In this week’s Advance Articles explore MgSiO3 liquid-crystal similarities, multiscale complexity in networks, signal weighting in adaptive systems, and more. Explore now: https://ow.ly/Arai50ZXbbZ

Researchers surveyed 117 US Catholics four times during the 2025 papal conclave to study how shared emotion and group identity evolve during live-broadcast rituals. Collective enthusiasm peaked at the “Habemus Papam” announcement. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/r0J850ZWW0W

A study in the UK finds that when researching controversial topics such as climate change, immigration, criminal justice, or COVID-19 policy, AI chatbots may perform on par with a self-directed Google search in terms of accuracy. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/Rpfp50ZWW0F

One of the most-discussed PNAS Nexus articles on Reddit last month was “Like humans, language models demonstrate face-to-character biases.” Explore the article: https://ow.ly/bGr450ZWW3A

Explore peer-reviewed research in demography from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, including population dynamics, demographic transitions, and census methodologies. Discover articles that inform social policy, healthcare planning, and economic development: https://ow.ly/Vaza50ZWonz

Nominations for the 2026 Cozzarelli Prize are now open! Each year, six outstanding Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences articles are honored for their significant contributions to their fields. Submit a nomination today: https://ow.ly/h4yB50ZWoR2

More than 41,000 people played a quiz game about famous people. The data show that people are about 10 percentage points more likely to get questions right when asked about a person from their own country rather than from a foreign country. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/3on850ZWqz9

The National Academy of Engineering’s Fall 2026 issue of The Bridge explores how engineering, medicine, and the life sciences are creating new possibilities for improving human health. Explore the issue: https://ow.ly/2xYW50ZWpzO

A more-diverse-than-average suite of complex molecules has been proposed as a signature of life in the universe. A modeling study of spatially complex environments helps define the boundaries of abiotic complexity. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/iJnO50ZWmt6

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has joined ResearchGate’s Journal Home, bringing full-text PNAS research to a global community of more than 25 million researchers and expanding opportunities for discovery and engagement. Learn more about the partnership: https://ow.ly/n5jV50ZWptZ

One of the most-viewed PNAS Nexus articles in the last week is “Why the mortality penalty of smoking is rising over time.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/HU0a50ZV4Hy To learn more about submitting your own research, visit PNAS Nexus at https://ow.ly/XR7350ZV4Hz.

🌍 #SDG2: Zero Hunger How can high-yield agriculture support climate-smart policy? A Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study examines its potential to reduce land-use emissions, offering insights for progress toward the #GlobalGoals. Read the article: https://ow.ly/q10X50ZV4sa

Computational language analysis helps explain why the book Bushido: The Soul of Japan was so popular among Western audiences. The study sheds light on how cultural traditions can reach new societies without losing their core meanings. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/UynW50ZV50L

The Ecology of Segregation in Cities Special Feature examines disparities in access to nature, exposure to environmental hazards, and pathways toward more equitable, resilient cities. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: https://ow.ly/f4fP50ZV2CR

2026 Issue 9 of PNAS Nexus is now available! Explore research on norms and uses to preserve human-led science; a nuclear archaeology reassesses Heisenberg’s last reactor experiment; the seven virtues of Samurai; and more. https://ow.ly/1TSL50ZUA6n

Does faster information mean better learning? Research finds learning from LLM summaries vs. web search may lead to shallower knowledge and less original advice. In Search Engine Journall: https://ow.ly/nV6k50ZUJ0I In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/Ssrs50ZUJ1M

Can complex networks be modeled with less computational work? Researchers developed HierX to efficiently model distance-decay potential fields, using Great Britain’s road network as a test case. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/cS3O50ZUzea

HierX: Fast multiscale distance-decay interaction on million-node networks

Abstract. Many models across the sciences require global distance-decay interactions on large sparse networks. Gravity models, accessibility measures, spat

ow.ly

Explore peer-reviewed astronomy research from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, including exoplanets, dark matter, cosmic radiation, lunar volatiles, and large-scale astrophysical phenomena. Discover articles that deepen our knowledge of the cosmos: https://ow.ly/q3BO50ZUzYM

Researchers presented 21 LLMs with ethical dilemmas to explore their social norms when interacting with people who do not cooperate. Differences between models could steer people, and society, in more or less cooperative directions. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/Ujkf50ZU2a1

An analysis of two of the 14 remaining cubes of uranium from the German WWII nuclear project, along with historical records, reveals that the Nazis wouldn’t have been able to create a working bomb with the materials available to them. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/KVNO50ZU1Sa

What can DNA reveal about connections across the Tree of Life? 🧬🌳 Discover Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences research on the evolutionary history linking species, then watch those connections come to life with LabX. Read: https://ow.ly/o43w50ZU1Oi Watch: https://ow.ly/HnLo50ZU1I3

How can studying illegal markets across sectors strengthen research and public policy? A new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences blog explores how a shared scientific framework can reveal commonalities and differences across these markets. Read more: https://ow.ly/NTfc50ZSUFE

One of the most-viewed PNAS Nexus articles in the last week is “A conditional threat-regulation model: When deliberative processing of ongoing threat reduces intergroup bias.” Explore now: https://ow.ly/zt9I50ZSMEg To submit, visit PNAS Nexus at https://ow.ly/AZ4p50ZSMEf.

A study fails to find a link between masculine-looking faces and self-reported aggressiveness in 16 populations from South Asia and Cabo Verde, challenging the idea that aggressive disposition is biologically encoded in sexually dimorphic facial structure. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/9cHL50ZSN6m

As the climate warms, droughts and floods may occur in quicker succession. Researchers project more frequent drought–flood transitions across China, with greater risks for lower-income populations. In Science X / Phys.org: https://ow.ly/CUu250ZSqnM In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/iLOg50ZSqnI

Smoking appears to be more deadly in recent decades. A study uncovers the reason for the trend: smokers are, on average, older than they once were, due to cultural changes that have reduced the number of young people taking up the habit. In PNAS Nexus: https://ow.ly/4Jkm50ZSkza

Explore peer-reviewed research in cell biology from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, including intracellular transport and cytoskeletal organization. Discover articles that shed light on development, homeostasis, and the cellular basis of health and disease: https://ow.ly/4KMZ50ZRvth