From quantum computing to mRNA therapeutics: seven technologies to watch in 2026

4 min read Original article ↗
  • TECHNOLOGY FEATURE

Nature’s round-up of innovations that are poised to make a splash in the year ahead.

By

  1. Michael Eisenstein

    1. Michael Eisenstein is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A long-exposure photograph taken from inside the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's telescope dome, with bright orange light trails under the starry sky visible through the roof

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will image the entire southern sky over ten years. Credit: RubinObs/NSF/DOE/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/Hernan Stockebrand

From quantum computing and mRNA therapeutics to artificial-intelligence-powered climate modelling, here are seven technologies that Nature will be keeping its eye on.

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Nature 649, 1065-1069 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00188-6

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