Daily briefing: What we know about autism and ageing — and what we don’t

Nature

by Jacob Smith

February 20, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

More adults than ever are being diagnosed with autism, but research on how the condition affects aging individuals remains scarce. Historically, autism studies have focused primarily on children and adolescents, leaving a significant gap in understanding the unique challenges autistic adults may face as they age. Emerging evidence suggests that adults with autism could be more vulnerable to health issues like heart disease and may require specialized care as they grow older. This underscores the urgent need for inclusive research that involves autistic individuals across all age groups. In an unrelated study, researchers discovered how bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) regulate their body temperature while hovering. Bees generate heat through rapid wing flapping, which could lead to overheating. To counter this, they create a downbreeze by flapping their wings downward, cooling themselves by about 5°C. This finding not only sheds light on how bees manage prolonged hovering in hot conditions but also highlights nature's innovative solutions for thermoregulation, potentially inspiring engineering approaches to climate resilience. A group of nanoscientists is addressing the reproducibility crisis in their field by launching the NanoBubbles project. This initiative provides funding and resources to replicate a

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Originally published on Nature on 2/20/2026