Magazine

The Nature issue

May/June 2026

Technology remade the world. Now what? As we work to understand how much our own ingenuity has created an increasingly unnatural world, we’re also confronting tough choices about what to preserve—and how. Plus: Killer microbes from the mirror universe and fresh fiction from Jeff VanderMeer.

Read the issue

Letter from the editor

There is no nature anymore

TRISTAN SPINSKI

Features

Categorized in Biotechnology and health
Colossal Biosciences said it cloned red wolves. Is it for real?
The red wolf has long been a contentious species. The debate over its preservation got even messier last year, when Colossal said it had cloned the animal.
Categorized in Culture
The problem with thinking you’re part Neanderthal
The idea that modern humans inherited DNA from Neanderthal ancestors is one of the 21st century’s most celebrated discoveries in evolution. It may not be that simple.
Categorized in Climate change and energy
Is fake grass a bad idea? The AstroTurf wars are far from over.
Around the country, heated debates are taking place over whether to install artificial turf, pitting neighbors against each other.
Categorized in Climate change and energy
The noise we make is hurting animals. Can we learn to shut up?
The good news is it’s a problem we can solve if we want to.
Categorized in Climate change and energy
Digging for clues about the North Pole’s past
To understand what the future holds for Earth’s northernmost waters, scientists are burrowing deep below the seabed.

Also in this issue
- Los Angeles is finally going underground
  The long-under-construction subway arrives in a famous part of town.
  
  Categorized in Policy
- The quest to measure our relationship with nature
  The United Nations wants to know what country works best with the natural world. That’s tough to measure.
  
  Categorized in Climate change and energy
- 3 things Michelle Kim is into right now
  MIT Technology Review’s editorial fellow shares what she’s been thinking about lately.
  
  Categorized in Culture
- Job titles of the future: Wildlife first responder
  Montanan Wesley Sarmento has deployed drones to keep humans safe and grizzlies out of trouble.
  
  Categorized in Climate change and energy
- One town’s scheme to get rid of its geese
  Public officials in one California burgh spent nearly $400,000 on tech to flush out waterfowl.
  
  Categorized in Culture
- You have no choice in reading this article—maybe
  Does free will exist? Neuroscientist Uri Maoz devises experiments to illuminate how—or if—the brain makes decisions.
  
  Categorized in Profile
- No one’s sure if synthetic mirror life will kill us all
  Synthetic biologists were tantalized by the idea of making mirror images of microbes. Then things got complicated.
  
  Categorized in Biotechnology and health
- The case for fixing everything
  A new book by Stewart Brand, an architect of modern tech culture, asks: How do we prioritize maintenance? And why? But it doesn’t quite have the answers.
  
  Categorized in Book Review
- How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history
  The latest boom in robotics represents a revolution in the way machines have learned to interact with the world.
  
  Categorized in Field Notes
- Constellations
  A story about seeking
  
  Categorized in Fiction
- The AI Hype Index: AI goes to war
  MIT Technology Review’s highly subjective take on the latest buzz about AI
  
  Categorized in Artificial intelligence

Updated

Magazine

The Nature issue

Letter from the editor

Features

Colossal Biosciences said it cloned red wolves. Is it for real?

The problem with thinking you’re part Neanderthal

Is fake grass a bad idea? The AstroTurf wars are far from over.

The noise we make is hurting animals. Can we learn to shut up?

Digging for clues about the North Pole’s past

Los Angeles is finally going underground

The quest to measure our relationship with nature

3 things Michelle Kim is into right now

Job titles of the future: Wildlife first responder

One town’s scheme to get rid of its geese

You have no choice in reading this article—maybe

No one’s sure if synthetic mirror life will kill us all

The case for fixing everything

How robots learn: A brief, contemporary history

Constellations

The AI Hype Index: AI goes to war

Past issues

The latest iteration of a legacy

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