Transport experiments highlight a technique to detect transitions in the topological state of two-dimensional materials, with possible applications in memory devices.

The mechanism that drives nematic behaviour in iron-based superconductors is still unclear. Now, nematicity and anisotropy in spin excitations are shown to disappear at the same temperature, indicating that the transition is primarily spin-driven.

The concept of quasi-symmetry—a perturbatively small deviation from exact symmetry—is introduced and leads to topological materials with strong resilience to perturbations.

Electrical readout of the state of an antiferromagnet is an important goal for spintronic applications. Now, detection of the electrical voltage created by a thermal gradient in a canted antiferromagnet suggests a route for achieving this goal.

The collective motion of malaria parasites is analyzed as a model system for active elastic matter and suggests that mechanical flexibility is favourable for parasite transmission.

Mechanical resonators combined with superconducting circuits are a promising platform for controlling non-classical mechanical states. Here this platform is used to directly measure the parity of a motional quantum state.

As conventions in scholarly publishing evolve, it is appropriate to reassess the options that we provide to our authors. In this spirit, Nature Physics will soon stop accepting submissions in our Letter format.

Progress in research would be impossible without state-of-the art instruments, but their contributions are often underappreciated.

Juris Meija takes a look at the tumultuous past of the atomic unit of mass from its beginnings as an idea to its most recent revisions in a hotel bar.