The new tool

On 24 September, the US National Library of Medicine announced Linked Discoveries. Starting from an eligible PubMed article, the experimental tool builds an AI-informed network of related papers and connected biomedical information. Its neighbourhood can contain up to 200 publications. [1, 2]

The useful distinction

A map can reveal an unfamiliar research branch or a connection between topics. It cannot establish that the papers agree, that a result replicated, or that an attractive connection is causal. Readers still need to inspect the studies.

What to keep in mind

Linked Discoveries is a pilot, not an evidence-grading system. A visible connection is a lead to investigate, not a scientific conclusion.

Sources & context

Numbered references link the explanation to its sources. Hypothetical examples and visual metaphors are labelled in the text. Checked 3 October 2026.

  1. NLM: Linked Discoveries pilot announcement
  2. NLM Technical Bulletin: PubMed Linked Discoveries
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