Nature News · Feb 11, 2026 · Collected from RSS
RESEARCH BRIEFINGS 11 February 2026 In early embryos, the first cell divisions must be extremely rapid and precisely controlled to ensure successful development. This balance is found to arise from a tight coupling between the clock that drives the cell-division cycle and a physical instability in the cell skeleton. This coupling robustly partitions cell contents and drives development. This is a summary of: Rinaldin, M. et al. Robust cytoplasmic partitioning by solving a cytoskeletal instability. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10023-z (2026). Access options Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription 27,99 € / 30 days cancel any time Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access 185,98 € per year only 3,65 € per issue Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Additional access options: Log in Learn about institutional subscriptions Read our FAQs Contact customer support doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00021-0‘Expert opinion’ and the figure are published under a CC BY 4.0 licence. ReferencesNiklas, K. J. & Kutschera, U. Biol. Theory 17, 181–185 (2022).Article Google Scholar Cheng, X. & Ferrell, J. E. Jr Science 366, 631–637 (2019).Article PubMed Google Scholar Nguyen, P. A. et al. Science 346, 244–247 (2014).Article PubMed Google Scholar Donoughe, S., Hoffmann, J., Nakamura, T., Rycroft, C. H. & Extavour, C. G. Nature Commun. 13, 3889 (2022).Article PubMed Google Scholar Download references Related Articles Read the paper: Robust cytoplasmic partitioning by solving a cytoskeletal instability A phase transition for chromosome transmission when cells divide A hybrid control model for the eukaryotic cell cycle Subjects Latest on: Developmental biology Cell biology Coffee linked to slower brain ageing in study of 130,000 people News 09 FEB 26 Evolutionary insights into a skin fold News & Views 04 FEB 26 Cleavage of mRNAs by a minority of pachytene piRNAs improves sperm fitness Article 04 FEB 26 PtdIns(3,5)P2 is an endogenous ligand of STING in innate immune signalling Article 04 FEB 26 Single-molecule dynamics of the TRiC chaperonin system in vivo Article 04 FEB 26 A history of hocus pocus: witchcraft down the ages News & Views 03 FEB 26