Nature has published two independent studies demonstrating the ability of large language models based on artificial intelligence (AI) to support different stages of patient management in controlled settings. The first study analysed MIRA, an AI agent that operates within electronic health records, which achieved a diagnostic accuracy of nearly 88%, compared with 78% for a panel of physicians. The second study evaluated AMIE, a conversational clinical reasoning model, against 21 primary care physicians across 100 multi-visit scenarios. AMIE achieved performance comparable to, and in some cases better than, that of physicians in terms of treatment accuracy, test ordering, and adherence to clinical guidelines. The models are based on simulations or retrospective data, which limits the strength of the conclusions that can be drawn. The findings are consistent with another model published in Science last April.

An international team has developed a 98-qubit quantum computer—quantum bits—that operates with high precision in a way that classical computers cannot replicate. The demonstration is published in Nature and, according to its authors, highlights the scalability potential of this type of quantum computer, based on trapped ions. However, the researchers note that challenges remain to determine whether this technology can be applied to even larger quantum systems.

A meta-analysis published today in PNAS shows that, globally, the loss of agricultural production due to insufficient pollination has declined since the 1980s, primarily thanks to the use of honeybees. The research includes 165 studies published between 1950 and 2019, the results of which showed that fields without managed pollinators did not exhibit a clear reduction in this loss of productivity. According to the authors, this type of pollination has mitigated yield losses, but the heavy reliance on a single pollinator species—the common honeybee—poses risks to agriculture. 

In December 2025, the European Commission proposed new rules for the placing on the market of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs). Tomorrow, European Union health ministers will vote to adopt the position of the Council of the European Union (EU) on this proposal. The Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament must agree on the final version of the legislative text.

Controlled burning of coniferous forests helps prevent larger wildfires and thus reduces emissions of polluting smoke, according to a study published in Science. The study uses satellite data to estimate the severity of wildfires in California between 2000 and 2021, combined with estimates of fine particulate matter emitted by the fires. By simulating the prescribed burning of more than 2,000 km² of forest per year, the authors estimate a 10% reduction in the cumulative emission of harmful particles in California up to a decade later.

Six state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) based on artificial intelligence (AI) can simulate human emotions such as fear, sadness, and anxiety, according to a study published in the journal The Lancet Digital Health. The authors clarify that these are metaphorical reactions on the part of the algorithms, but suggest that this could open new avenues for developing and testing conversational therapy techniques aimed at treating mental health disorders.

Rising sea levels have quadrupled the frequency of extreme events related to this phenomenon along coastlines since 1900. This is one of the conclusions of a study, which included Spanish participation, suggesting that climate change has already altered the risk of coastal flooding and highlighting the need to integrate these changes into adaptation and risk management strategies. More than 680 million people worldwide live in low-lying coastal regions, where small changes in sea level can significantly affect flood risk. The study is published in Nature Climate Change and aligns with another paper, published the same day in Science Advances, which states that since the 1970s, the number of days on which sea levels have exceeded annual averages has tripled.

The origin and the process by which eukaryotic cells arose remains one of the great unanswered questions in biology, with Lynn Margulis’s theories regarding the incorporation of a bacterium that would later become the mitochondrion marking a major turning point. Now, Spanish research carried out by IRB Barcelona and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center challenges this view. Without denying the role of mitochondria, it suggests that the process was longer and more complex than previously thought, stretching over hundreds of thousands of years. At least two other different bacteria contributed to the development of eukaryotic cells, and giant viruses appear to have acted as vehicles for genetic transfer. The findings, published in Nature, suggest a much more protracted and gradual process of exchange between microorganisms.

Formaldehyde is a preservative used on human tissue; inhaling it has harmful health effects and it is considered a human carcinogen. A study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine shows that airborne concentrations of this compound in most pathological anatomy departments of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) are rarely monitored and regularly exceed the occupational exposure limits set by the European Union (EU): seven out of 10 departments exceeded the eight-hour maximum exposure limit set by the EU.

An analysis based on Google Trends data collected between 2005 and 2025 showed that the proportion of menopause-related searches referring to commercial products and services increased by between 15 and 20 percentage points in the UK, Australia and the US. These findings suggest that people may increasingly be seeking non-clinical approaches to managing the menopause, not only for symptom relief but also for guidance, monitoring and support outside of clinical consultations. The study is published today in the journal JAMA Network Open.