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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Explore groundbreaking news and research from PNAS, one of the world's most-cited scientific journals. Discover its sibling journal, @pnasnexus.org, both official journals of the National Academy of Sciences. Visit www.pnas.org for more info.
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In this issue: Speciation and secondary contact in sun skinks, quantification of terrestrial dissolved organic matter in the ocean, and a slick math trick offers a new way to return a rotated object to its original state. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Xe9q50Xr34i
Pictured is an illustration visualizing vaccines as carefully engineered, modular, and tunable nanostructures. Image credit: Akanksha Mahajan (Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO).
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Inspired by the inner workings of the #HumanBrain, #NeuromorphicComputing could potentially help reduce AI’s high #energy cost. A PNAS Core Concept explainer: https://ow.ly/Jk9x50XrNr9

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ChatGPT #NeuralNetwork #DataCenter
Visual of a brain encircled by interconnected lines, representing the exploration of neuromorphic computing for energy-efficient AI.
November 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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🌊 Oceans shape our planet’s ecosystems, climate, and communities worldwide. Explore research spanning ecology, climate science, and engineering, to advance solutions for ocean health and sustainability.

Explore the PNAS Nexus Ocean Studies collection: https://ow.ly/aWnK50XrKrI
PNAS Nexus Illuminations Collection – Ocean Studies. Explore the most recent articles from PNAS Nexus on ocean studies, and learn more about publishing your own research on this topic.
November 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
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A study of California grasslands found that connectivity did not prevent species decline. In the face of climate change, wildfires, grazing, and introduced species, dispersal of species among sites has a limited potential to restore lost species. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/USZE50XrLgN
November 15, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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Honoring James A. Estes, a pioneering ecologist whose research on sea otters in Alaska revealed how predators shape entire ecosystems. His work helped define the concept of trophic cascades and inspired generations of ecologists. Read the PNAS Retrospective: https://ow.ly/leKs50XrKBH
Honoring the life of James A. Estes, a pioneering ecologist.
November 14, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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A model of dissent and self-censorship finds that with sufficiently draconian punishments, everyone self-censors, but as a moderate authority begins to crack down on dissent, a population’s boldness determines whether the suppression succeeds. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Xbz550XrL3P
Phase diagram of individuals’ optimal behaviors by parameter. Compliant (teal), self-censoring (olive), and defiant (peach) phases of individuals’ optimal actions are shown as a function of (A) the authority’s tolerance, (B) the authority’s surveillance, (C) the authority’s severity, and (D) the individual’s boldness vs. their desired dissent for both uniform (top row) and proportional (bottom row) punishment.
November 14, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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Opinion piece: The escalating frequency and damage of catastrophic #wildfires are destabilizing the #InsuranceIndustry, leaving some homeowners in jeopardy. Here’s a path forward. https://ow.ly/oy4J50XrKHg

#BuiltEnvironment #RiskAssessment #ClimateChange #LandManagement
The results of wildland-urban fire in Los Angeles in January 2025. Image credit: Dave E. Calkin.
November 14, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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Researchers present a quantitative transport model for selective ion diffusion through a charge mosaic membrane (CMM) inside rechargeable batteries, revealing how the ratio of ceramic to polymer in CMMs influences the overall lithium extraction rate. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/lnXH50XrLaG
Design and fabrication process of the ion-sieving charge mosaic membrane. The composite membrane was prepared by vacuum infiltrating a solution of anion exchange polymers into a porous framework.
November 14, 2025 at 5:02 PM
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How is nanotechnology reshaping vaccine design? Discover breakthroughs in structural immunotherapy, an emerging approach that optimizes immune response with nanoscale molecular precision, in this new PNAS Special Feature: https://ow.ly/gS3S50XrJLN
PNAS Special Feature – Structural Immunotherapy: Breakthroughs in Vaccine Development Fueled by Nanotechnology
November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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Some plants secrete brine from their leaves to cope with salty soil. Such plants use a subcuticular space to separate surface brine from secreting cells, a trick that could be useful for salt-tolerant crops or desalination devices. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Aich50Xr3Fl
The study used the secreting salt gland of the flowering plant Nolana mollis as a model system.
November 14, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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A trending PNAS article in the last week is “Mapping the placental galectin-3 interactome identifies CD9 and ITGB1 as functional glycoprotein counterreceptors during syncytialization.” Read now: https://ow.ly/kmHW50Xr3h7

For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/cbLB50Xr3f0.
November 13, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Failing to deliver an employee’s birthday gift and greeting card on time can lead to more than a 50% increase in employee absenteeism and a reduction of more than two working hours per month. Even mild perceived mistreatment can harm employee performance. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/zJ2S50Xr3xa
Birthday card. Stock photo.
November 13, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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During economic downturns, #parents in #DevelopingNations tend to invest more in their strongest kids. In PNAS Journal Club: https://ow.ly/ZB1g50Xr3ah

#SiblingRivalry #DevelopingCountries #DevelopedCountries #EconomicDownturn #CropPriceIndex
A wooden bowl filled with rice and a spoon rest on a dark table surface. Image credit: Shutterstock/Katarzyna Hurova.
November 13, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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A nanobody-drug conjugate that combines the flu drug zanamivir with an antibody-recognizing nanobody provides potent protection against lethal influenza infection in mice when given intranasally either before or after exposure to the virus. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/lvZ550Xr3uk
A ribbon diagram of the influenza virus neuraminidase, which is inhibited by zanamivir.
November 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM
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In this issue: Speciation and secondary contact in sun skinks, quantification of terrestrial dissolved organic matter in the ocean, and a slick math trick offers a new way to return a rotated object to its original state. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Xe9q50Xr34i
Pictured is an illustration visualizing vaccines as carefully engineered, modular, and tunable nanostructures. Image credit: Akanksha Mahajan (Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO).
November 13, 2025 at 4:02 PM
pnas.org
Rivers transport significantly more dissolved organic matter to the ocean than previously thought, with up to 25% of marine dissolved organic matter originating from land—1.7 to 2.5 times higher than prior estimates. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/5gcG50Xq2MJ
The Yangtze River estuary exporting terrestrial material to the ocean. CREDIT: Yuanbi Yi
November 11, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “A new late Neanderthal from Crimea reveals long-distance connections across Eurasia.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/SryH50Xq2zB

For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/5axv50Xq2zE.
The location of the sites of Starosele, Siuren I, Kabazi II, Kabazi V, and Chokurcha in the Crimean Peninsula.
November 11, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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A comparative analysis across all major vertebrate classes finds that large brains evolved only in lineages capable of producing large offspring and maintaining high body temperatures. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Tr8z50Xq2RQ
A photo of an adult cradling a baby, emphasizing its large head. Stock photo.
November 11, 2025 at 5:03 PM
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Researchers explore two natural mysteries: the origin of will-o’-the-wisps and how bats integrate vision with echolocation. NAS member Richard Zare and Laura Stidsholt shed light on these fascinating phenomena in the latest PNAS Science Sessions. Listen now: https://ow.ly/1Qm050Xq2hK
PNAS Science Sessions – Swamp Lights and Bat Sight. Listen now!
November 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
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Well-preserved marine fossils from North Dakota are a treasure trove of data on life in the Ordovician Period, and they suggest that previously documented Ordovician deposits from marginal habitats may not be representative of the period. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/wbpX50XpuS9
Artistic reconstruction of shallow marine faunas from the early Palaeozoic of North Dakota, spanning the Early (left) to Middle (right) Ordovician. CREDIT: Franz Anthony
November 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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Satellite data show both hemispheres reflect less sunlight—but the Northern Hemisphere is darkening faster. The finding challenges Earth’s natural albedo balance and raises key climate questions.

In Smithsonian Magazine: https://ow.ly/vGV750XpsR9

In PNAS: https://ow.ly/jO4K50XpsA6
A view of the Earth's Northern Hemisphere. New research reveals that Earth's Northern Hemisphere is growing darker faster than the Southern Hemisphere is. Image credit: Bill Anders, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
November 10, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Analysis of nearly 6 million scientific publications shows that Chinese institutions now lead 45% of US-China collaborative research teams, up from 30% in 2010, signaling shifting power dynamics in international scientific collaboration. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/Itpx50XpuBb
China’s lead share with select partners over time.
November 10, 2025 at 8:01 PM
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Inspired by the inner workings of the #HumanBrain, #NeuromorphicComputing could potentially help reduce AI’s high #energy costs. A PNAS Core Concept explainer: https://ow.ly/e9W150Xpsbv

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLMs #ChatGPT #NeuralNetwork #DataCenter
From 2020 to 2030, data center electricity consumption will continue to vary greatly by region, according to projections from the International Energy Association (IEA). Image credit: IEA, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
November 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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Read highlights in this week’s issue of PNAS: We explore the role of inflammasomes in periodontitis, analyze rare meteorite fragments on the Moon, and examine regional deforestation and global biogeochemical cycles. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/sxEk50XprLK
Pictured are small skeletal elements called sclerites from a red gorgonian (Leptogorgia chilensis). Image credit: James C. Weaver and Ling Li.
November 10, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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Bigger, hotter fires mean more toxic #smoke. Recent blazes are releasing dangerous #pollutants as they burn the #BuiltEnvironment. Read this PNAS Inner Workings piece: https://ow.ly/QMzX50Xotoc

#plastics #VOCs #AirPollution #ClimateChange #benzene #acetone
The Sniffer Van, at work in Los Angeles, holds two mass spectrometers. Image credit: Daniel Sung (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX).
November 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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How do #networks connect people, cities & technology? 🌐

Explore the Human, Urban & Technological Networks Collection in PNAS Nexus—research across #biology, #engineering & #socialsciences revealing how #connectivity shapes our world: https://ow.ly/JLPY50Xoqxk

#Science #Research
PNAS Nexus Illuminations Collection - Human, Urban & Technological Networks. Explore the most recent articles from PNAS Nexus on human, urban, and technological networks, and learn more about publishing your ow research on this topic!
November 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM