Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42086573›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Deep learning-enabled size estimation of comets indicates a more dynamic early solar system.

Shunjing Zhao, Xian Shi, Hanlun Lei, Man-To Hui, Jianchun Shi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Shunjing ZhaoSchool of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Xian ShiShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. shi@shao.ac.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4120-7361
Hanlun LeiSchool of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China. leihl@nju.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2747-5116
Man-To HuiShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Jianchun ShiShanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5654-5972

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 12233003National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 12573063
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The formation and evolution of the Solar System's two major comet reservoirs, the Oort Cloud and the Scattered Disk, remain poorly constrained. Observations of comet flux imply a population ratio between these reservoirs that exceeds predictions from models of giant planet instability by more than two orders of magnitude. A major source of uncertainty lies in determining comet sizes, as the nucleus is often obscured by the surrounding coma. Here we derive independent nucleus sizes for 28 comets by activity modeling with artificial intelligence to infer sizes directly from variations in water emission. We find that long-period comets possess significantly larger nuclei than short-period comets with comparable absolute brightness. Our results indicate that the Oort Cloud is nearly three orders of magnitude more populated than the Scattered Disk, implying that processes such as stellar flybys could have played an important role in shaping the outer Solar System.

Identifiers

PMID42086573
PMCPMC13351042

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.