- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026.
- by Stephen ChrisomalisaDepartment of Anthropology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceThis study presents a cognitive principle, gradience, for comparing the communicative efficiency of numerical notations, along with two indices for measuring gradience, jitter and inversion. In general, larger numbers require more signs than …
- by Lucy LiuJustin WerfelFederico ToschiL. MahadevanaJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138bDepartment of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600 MB, The NetherlandscIstituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo “M. Picone”, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome I-00185, ItalydDepartment of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138eDepartment of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceHow many cooks in a kitchen make it too crowded to function? Here we tackle the mathematical challenge of predicting how quickly individuals can reach goal locations in a crowded environment. Having agents travel in less direct, more random …
- by Katarzyna A. HusseyKiara C. EldredBrian GuyClayton P. SantiagoJingliang Simon ZhangIan GlassThomas A. RehSeth BlackshawLoyal A. GoffRobert J. JohnstonaDepartment of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218bDepartment of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195cThe Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceYou are reading this text using your foveola, the central region of your eye that enables high-acuity vision. Though the foveola only makes up ~2% of the human retina, it is responsible for ~50% of our visual perception. The foveola is highly …
- by Sergey GavriletsJohannes KarlMichele J. GelfandaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996bDepartment of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996cComplexity Science Hub, Vienna 1030, AustriadInstitute for Advanced Study Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse 31000, FranceeSchool of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New ZealandfDepartment of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich CH-8006, SwitzerlandgDepartment of Psychology, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificancePeople often get public opinion wrong, assuming their own views are unpopular when in fact many others share them. This widespread misperception, called pluralistic ignorance, can trap societies in harmful or outdated norms. We build a …
- by Bernardo BarreraDaniel P. ArovasAnushya ChandranAnatoli PolkovnikovaDepartment of Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215bDepartment of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093cMax-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Dresden 01187, GermanyProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceComplex systems often exhibit phenomena on widely differing timescales, which simplifies their description. An everyday example is a swinging bucket of water. When the bucket moves slowly, the water surface remains nearly horizontal, an …
- by Takumi MatsuzawaMinhui ZhuNigel GoldenfeldWilliam T. M. IrvineaDepartment of Physics, James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637bDepartment of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid-State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853cDepartment of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801dData Science and Learning Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439eDepartment of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093fDepartment of Physics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceTurbulence, conventionally generated in the laboratory by continuously injecting energy into a fluid, is well understood as a cascade of energy from large to small scales where dissipation occurs. Yet predicting how turbulence spreads and …
- by Y. AharonovD. CollinsS. PopescuaSchmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866bInstitute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866cSchool of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, IsraeldSchool of Physics, H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL, United KingdomProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceThe existence of electromagnetic radiation—light, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, and so on—is one of the most important physical phenomena. Their theoretical understanding is one of the greatest achievements of science, and our ability to …
- by Xiaochen WangLei ZhouAlex McAvoyZhenglong TianAming LiaCenter for Systems and Control, School of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, ChinabSchool of Automation, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, ChinacSchool of Data Science and Society, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599dDepartment of Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599eCenter for Multi-Agent Research, Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Peking University, Beijing 100871, ChinaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceSpatial structure is a fundamental mechanism for the evolution of cooperation. However, many studies consider only unchanging contact networks where individuals interact in pairs. Although real populations often exhibit time-evolving (“…
- by Eduardo Correa AraujoLuiz Max CarvalhoFabiana GanemLuã Bida VacaroLeonardo S. BastosLaís Picinini FreitasIasmim Ferreira de AlmeidaMarcio BastosRamila AlencarLucas BianchiRaúl CapellánXiang ChenOswaldo CruzAmerico CunhaHaridas K. DasChloe FletcherRaquel Martins LanaRachel LoweDaniela LührsenGiovenale MoiranoPaula MoragaLucas M. StolermanFernanda ValenteCláudia Torres CodeçoFlávio C. CoelhoaSchool of Applied Mathematics (EMAp), Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro 22250-900, BrazilbPrograma de Computação Científica (PROCC FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21041-222, BrazilcInstituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada e Tecnológica, Rio de Janeiro 20220-800, BrazildEscola Nacional de Saúde Pública (ENSP FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, BrazileBarcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona 08034, SpainfComputer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi ArabiagDepartment of Applied Mathematics, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 20550-013, BrazilhLaboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petropolis 25651-075, BraziliDepartment of Mathematics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078jCatalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona 08010, SpainkObservatório de Bioeconomia, Fundação Getulio Vargas, são Paulo 01310-000, BrazilProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceThe Infodengue-Mosqlimate Dengue Challenge 2024 (IMDC24) was organized by the Mosqlimate-Infodengue consortium, which aims to provide forecasting models as decision support tools for early warning systems, scenario assessments, and an …
- by Emily G. PeckSoren D. EmersonAlyson M. CurryKimberly M. HolterPaige M. EstaveJonathon P. SensOlivia A. ColarussoSean P. FarrisDrew D. KiralyRobert W. GouldBrian A. McCoolErin S. CalipariKatherine M. HolleranSara R. JonesaDepartment of Translational Neuroscience, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157bDepartment of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232cVanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232dDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261eDepartment of Psychiatry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157fDepartment of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232gDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceDopamine signaling underlies learning, motivation, and behavioral flexibility, yet how the presynaptic release machinery shapes these functions remains poorly understood. This study identifies Synaptogyrin-3 (Syngr3) as a regulator of dopamine …
- by Rosa BonifaciiLouis Bell-RobertsAlan GrafenStuart WestaDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3EL, United KingdombGeorgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, United KingdomProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceSocial insects represent one of the highest levels of social organization. In many species, reproduction is monopolized by a single queen whose offspring are raised by sterile workers. For over 50 y, researchers have debated whether such …
- by Nao TakahashiTatsuya KimuraYuki TerauchiTakumi TanakaNatsuki AbeAkira YoshimiTakahiro Watanabe-NakayamaKeietsu AbeaMajor of Agricultural Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8572, JapanbWorld Premier International Research Center Initiative Nano Life Science Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, JapancResearch Center for Thermotolerant Microbial Resources, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi 753-8511, JapandDivision of Environmental Science and Technology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, JapaneDepartment of Natural Resources, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, JapanProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceThe fungal functional amyloid hydrophobin RolA self-assembles into a fibrous form called a rodlet, which functions as a protective coat, but the mechanism of rodlet formation remains largely unknown. Here, we used high-speed atomic force …
- by Navroop K. DhaliwalOctavia Yifang WengAi TianAditi AggarwalMai AhmedGuoria SunAfrin BhattacharyaWendy W. Y. ChoiHaruka NishimuraPragnya ChakrabortyXiaoxue DongYuncheng WuMichael D. WilsonLu-Yang WangLuis F. ParadaJulien MuffatYun LiaProgram in Developmental, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, CanadabProgram in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, CanadacDepartment of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, CanadadDepartment of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, CanadaeProgram in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, CanadafDepartment of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, ChinagBrain Tumor Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York NY 10065hCancer Biology and Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065iDepartment of Neurosurgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065jDepartment of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceMutations in the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene cause neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by brain overgrowth, autism, and epilepsy. These conditions are associated with hyperactivation of mechanistic target of rapamycin (…
- by Thomas DarvenizaRobert WongShuyu I. ZhuZac PujicBiao SunMatthew LevendoskyRamesh AgarwalMichael H. McCulloughGeoffrey J. GoodhillaDepartments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110bDepartment of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110cQueensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliadDepartment of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110eSchool of Computing, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliafEccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, AustraliagSchool of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceAnimals must balance the need to move with the energetic costs of doing so, a trade-off which is particularly important during prey hunting. We studied how energy constraints may shape hunting behavior in larval zebrafish, a model organism …
- by Vicky Chuqiao YangJames HolehouseHyejin YounJosé Ignacio ArroyoSidney RednerGeoffrey B. WestChristopher P. KempesaMIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute WC2A 2AE of Technology, Cambridge, MA 01239bInstitute for Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139cSanta Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501dGraduate School of Business, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, South KoreaeNorthwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Evanston, IL 60208fLondon School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, United KingdomProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceDiversification and specialization are central to complex adaptive systems, yet overarching principles across domains remain elusive. We introduce a general theory that unifies diversity and specialization across disparate systems, including …
- by Huan ZhaoHui ChenZhixin KangXiuzhen HuangJingting ZhuZixin LiuXiuxiu LiuXimeng HanJie LuBin ZhouaChinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science-The Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratories, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, ChinabKey Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, ChinacDepartment of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200080, ChinadSchool of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, ChinaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificancePancreatic beta cell proliferation is essential for maintaining metabolic homeostasis, and its dysregulation is a key factor in the development of diabetes. Current methods cannot trace beta cell proliferation seamlessly over extended periods …
- by Aria S. ChaderjianSam WilkenOmar A. SalehaDepartment of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106bDepartment of Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceThe biomolecular complexity within cells produces many dense phases, or condensates. Synthetic systems have not reproduced this diversity due to the challenge of controlling interactions between numerous biomolecules. Here, we use sequence-…
- by Mary TranToby Viet NguyenSuhani KhandelwalAnna GrosbergaDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697bEdwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697cDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697dThe NSF-Simons Center for Multiscale Cell Fate Research and Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697eCenter for Complex Biological System, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceThe structure–function relationship is a central principle in cardiac biology, where coordination across multiple scales, from sarcomeres to tissue alignment to ventricle contraction, is essential for healthy function. While men and women …
- by Charles F. ManskiaDepartment of Economics and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 7, February 2026. SignificanceResearchers cannot definitely interpret what the framers of the Constitution intended when they wrote of the “general Welfare,” but economists can conjecture by specifying social welfare functions that aim to express population preferences. An …
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