Nature

A massive tsunami hit Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures not too long after a disastrous magnitude 9.0 earthquake, this quake took the lives of tens of thousands in their wake. Then, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Ōkuma went through a series of explosions as a devastating conclusion, discharging toxic radioactive waste into the surrounding environment.

NEWS 29 July 2021 A blood marker predicts who gets ‘breakthrough’ COVID Real-world evidence from a medical centre links high levels of potent antibodies after vaccination to a reduced risk of infection. Smriti Mallapaty 0 Smriti Mallapaty Smriti Mallapaty is a senior reporter in Sydney, Australia. View author publications You can also search for this

A vehicle roughly 10 micrometres long can trace a circular path under the command of polarized light. Credit: D. Andrén et al./Nature Nanotechnol. Materials science 28 July 2021 Mini ‘metavehicles’ zip and swerve on light power Light can be used to both propel and steer tiny vehicles made with materials that have distinctive optical properties.

Utah’s governor has encouraged residents to pray for rain for over two months. Gov. Spencer Cox, who has declared two drought emergencies in the last three months and encouraged residents to help save water, has invited residents to use the first weekend of June to pray for “divine intervention,” regardless of religious affiliation. “We may be

A bumblebee visiting a robotic flower receives a drop of sugar water as a reward. Credit: Jan-Hendrik Dudenhöffer Animal behaviour 28 July 2021 A caffeine buzz gives bees flower power Bumblebees dosed with caffeine can more easily remember the scent of sugar-heavy blossoms. Share on Twitter Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Facebook

Conservation tool will concentrate on recovery efforts to give a detailed picture of threats to the population of animals and plants. A new conservation tool could assist in placing thousands of endangered animal and plant species on the path to recovery, allowing animals like the California condor and the Sumatran rhino to thrive once again.

NATURE PODCAST 28 July 2021 Has the world’s oldest known animal been discovered? Researchers debate whether an ancient fossil is the oldest animal yet discovered, and a new way to eavesdrop on glaciers. Benjamin Thompson & Noah Baker Benjamin Thompson View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Noah

CAREER COLUMN 28 July 2021 How to get media coverage and boost your science’s impact A good communications strategy can get your research seen by decision makers, says Rebecca Fuoco. Rebecca Fuoco 0 Rebecca Fuoco Rebecca Fuoco leads communications at the Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley, California. View author publications You can also search

For a time, social media has been buzzing with videos of a Chinese city, Dunhuang, being blasted by a sandstorm that reached a height of over 100 meters in the nation’s northwestern region. (Photo : Getty Images) Dunhuang Under Sandstorm A giant wall of sand caught on camera seemingly swallowing large buildings and entire roads. pic.twitter.com/YrjiSdg2aW

As we look at a scene, high-speed eye motions create ‘streaks’ (right) on the retina that we do not perceive but that the eye uses to maintain a coherent view. Credit: Martin Rolfs Neuroscience 27 July 2021 The unnoticed eye motions that help us see the world Eye movements lasting only a few hundredths of

Not less than 85 active wildfires have burned approximately 1.5m acres across 13 US states, most of these wildfires occur in the west, where the dried landscape has triggered the flames which moves very fast, causing extreme fire behavior that has been difficult to contain. (Photo : Getty Images) Dixie Fire   The statistics from the

CORRESPONDENCE 27 July 2021 Scientists — reach across the aisle, Republicans could be back soon Imran Khan 0 Imran Khan University College London, UK. View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Share on Twitter Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Share via E-Mail Share via

CORRESPONDENCE 27 July 2021 Global climate models do not need more behavioural science M. Granger Morgan 0 & Hadi Dowlatabadi 1 M. Granger Morgan Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA. View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Hadi Dowlatabadi University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. View author publications You

Scientists warned that flash flooding of the kind witnessed in London this weekend will become more frequent as the climate crisis gets worse, and the UK government, householders, and businesses must put in more effort to protect against potential harm. (Photo : Getty Images) Climate Policy in the UK   A hydrologist at the University of

Download PDF My group wants to understand the components of lung surfactants — complex substances that keep our air sacs from collapsing. Bioengineers would like to make synthetic surfactants to treat lung disease, but we must understand the real ones first. As a computational chemist, I use computer simulations to understand the molecular dynamics of

It seems like climate change is to blame once again for decline in population among species. Researchers from Michigan State University fear the ‘precipitous decline’ of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America, as well as the possibility of its breeding range becoming inhospitable if global warming shall persist. (Photo : Photo by Chris

NATURE PODCAST 26 July 2021 Audio long-read: How ancient people learned to love carbs Archaeological evidence shows that ancient people ate bread, beer and other carbs, long before domesticated crops. Andrew Curry 0 & Nick Petrić Howe Andrew Curry Andrew Curry is a science journalist in Berlin. View author publications You can also search for

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) discovered multiple instances of Candida Auris that were resistant to all medicines in two health institutions in Texas and a long-term care facility in Washington, D.C. for the first time. According to researchers, a deadly, difficult-to-treat fungal infection spreading through nursing homes and hospitals across the United

As per an updated outlook from The Weather Company, an IBM Business, there is a possibility summer could round off on a hot note in the western U.S, and a warm fall is likely in much of the mid-section of the nation. (Photo : Getty Images) Hottest June in the Nation  As per an outlook

NEWS 23 July 2021 Bullying and harassment are rife in astronomy, poll suggests Nearly half of researchers surveyed in the United Kingdom and elsewhere reported problems, with people from marginalized groups most likely to be mistreated. Philip Ball 0 Philip Ball Philip Ball is a science writer and author; his latest book is How To

CAREER COLUMN 23 July 2021 The lessons I learnt supervising master’s students for the first time PhD student Emilio Dorigatti supported three junior colleagues during their degrees. Emilio Dorigatti 0 Emilio Dorigatti Emilio Dorigatti is a PhD student in data science and bioinformatics at the Munich School for Data Science in Germany, working on new

Earth is our spherical abode. But think of the Earth being flat. After all, some individuals actually believe in this idea which is retrograde. How would the day-to-day life function? Would it even function at all? Let’s explore how strange the Earth would have been if it were flat and whether humans would have been

NEWS 23 July 2021 China’s space station is preparing to host 1,000 scientific experiments Researchers around the world are eagerly awaiting the completion of Tiangong, to study topics from dark matter and gravitational waves to the growth of cancer and pathogenic bacteria. Smriti Mallapaty Smriti Mallapaty View author publications You can also search for this

Typhoon In-fa was making a  continuous deep, resonant sound toward the eastern coast of China in the middle of the day on Saturday, local time, and while the storm may make efforts to gain more strength, this typhoon could possibly bring catastrophic impacts to the area, and also to the major port city of Shanghai.

NATURE PODCAST 24 July 2021 Coronapod: the latest on COVID and sporting events As the Olympics kick off, data on the impact of large sporting events is still limited, despite large research efforts Noah Baker & Holly Else Noah Baker View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Holly

NEWS 23 July 2021 Single chip tests thousands of enzyme mutations at once The technique vastly speeds up understanding of how the proteins function and how to target drugs. Sara Reardon 0 Sara Reardon Sara Reardon is a freelance journalist based in Bozeman, Montana. She is a former staff reporter at Nature, New Scientist and

Despite spending almost the same amount of money on products, men’s purchasing produces 16 percent more climate-warming emissions than women’s, according to research. (Photo : Getty Images) The most significant difference was in men’s spending on gasoline and diesel for their automobiles. According to the researchers, gender variations in emissions have been poorly researched and

The Ganges River is one of the biggest contributors of mercury into coastal oceans. Credit: ESA/Shutterstock Geochemistry 23 July 2021 Toxic mercury rides rivers into the sea Research suggests that rivers are a bigger source of mercury in coastal waters than is the atmosphere — a finding that contradicts some global models. Share on Twitter

As Arizona gets ready for a potentially consequential flooding event this weekend, flash flooding and dust storms threaten the region in the middle of exceptional drought. (Photo : Getty Images) Authorities Issue Flash Flood Watches  Totals of forecasted rainfall across the United States have a targeted spot with the maximum amounts directly over Arizona in

NEWS 23 July 2021 NASA investigates renaming James Webb telescope after anti-LGBT+ claims Some astronomers argue the flagship observatory — successor to the Hubble Space Telescope — will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence. Alexandra Witze Alexandra Witze View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Share

NEWS 22 July 2021 COVID vaccines have higher approval in less affluent countries Surveys show that people in ten low- and middle-income nations are generally more eager to receive the COVID-19 jab than people in two wealthier nations where vaccine is plentiful. Max Kozlov Max Kozlov View author publications You can also search for this

California’s policymakers rely on forests and shrublands to remove CO2 from the atmosphere in part to meet an ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. Still, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, warn that future climate change may hinder the ecosystem’s ability to perform this service. The UCI Earth system scientists wrote in a

A sulphur-crested cockatoo grabs a snack by walking along the edge of a rubbish bin to open the lid. Credit: Barbara Klump/Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Animal behaviour 22 July 2021 Rubbish-raiding parrots take lessons from co-conspirators Sulphur-crested cockatoos are the first parrots known to have complex culture centred on food-gathering. Share on Twitter

This summer, triple-digit temperatures have been frequent across the northern Plains as the area has suffered a lot of sweltering heat waves. But that hasn’t been the case for southern Plains states.  (Photo : Getty Images) Heat Wave Through June and July, it has been kind of different from north to south in the Plains.

NEWS 22 July 2021 DeepMind’s AI predicts structures for a vast trove of proteins AlphaFold neural network produced a ‘totally transformative’ database of more than 350,000 structures from Homo sapiens and 20 model organisms. Ewen Callaway Ewen Callaway View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Share on Twitter

The Niederaussem facility near Bergheim, Germany, ranked among the top ten power plants for carbon emissions in 2018. Credit: Oliver Berg/DPA/AFP/Getty Climate change 21 July 2021 How to win big for the climate: rein in the ‘super polluters’ Just 5% of the world’s power plants account for almost three-quarters of carbon emissions from electricity generation.

Researchers located in Germany have observed recent attacks by chimpanzees and forced engagement with the larger species of Gorillas. The main reason is not yet concluded whether it is about the food supply, territory, climate change or the decline of rainforest productivity. What is new to the eyes of the public is that Chimpanzees are the one

NATURE PODCAST 21 July 2021 How the US is rebooting gun violence research Funding for gun violence research in the US returns after a 20-year federal hiatus, and the glass sponges that can manipulate ocean currents. Shamini Bundell & Benjamin Thompson Shamini Bundell View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed

President Xi Jinping says the situation is “extremely severe” after three days of intense rain that could serve as a year’s rain fell in the city of Zhengzhou. (Photo : Getty Images) Heavy Rainfall in Zhengzhou  Twelve people lost their lives in the underground rail system of Zhengzhou as China’s central province of Henan witnessed

Domesticated cannabis in Qinghai province, China. Credit: Guangpeng Ren Genomics 21 July 2021 The surprising place where pot farming first blossomed Humans first began cultivating cannabis, a source of both fibres and drugs, some 12,000 years ago. Share on Twitter Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Share via E-Mail Share via E-Mail

The intestinal contents of a man killed in a prehistoric ritual (clockwise from upper left): barley, charred food that had been encrusted in a clay pot, flax seeds and sand. Credit: Peter Steen Henriksen, the Danish National Museum Archaeology 20 July 2021 The guts of a ‘bog body’ reveal sacrificed man’s final meal Tollund Man,

Maine is the very first state in the United States and the first government in the world to prohibit the hazardous chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl, or PFAS, which are infamous for not degrading readily in the environment and may linger in a person’s body for decades after exposure. Maine passed a new law on Thursday(July

CORRESPONDENCE 20 July 2021 ISSCR guidelines uphold human right to science for benefit of all Zubin Master 0 , Robin Lovell-Badge 1 & Bartha Knoppers 2 Zubin Master Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA. View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Robin Lovell-Badge The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK. View

According to a new technique of analyzing satellite data of Earth’s cloud cover, clouds are highly likely to exacerbate global warming. (Photo : Christopher Burns) Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of East Anglia conducted the study, which provides the best evidence that clouds would increase global warming over time, aggravating climate change.

CORRESPONDENCE 20 July 2021 Six years as university rector changed how I do genetics Giuseppe Novelli  ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7781-602X 0 Giuseppe Novelli University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Share on Twitter Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Share via

NEWS 20 July 2021 China launches world’s largest carbon market: but is it ambitious enough? Experts welcome the trading scheme, but question whether it is up to the task of helping China achieve its climate goals. Bianca Nogrady Bianca Nogrady View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar Share

If the red tide wreaking havoc on Tampa Bay and resulting in enormous fish fatalities does not clear up soon, scientists worry that the bay could become a “dead zone.” (Photo : Wikimedia Commons) Huge Quantities of Dead Fishes According to NPR, the solid waste division of Pinellas County, where Tampa Bay is located, has collected

Plateau pikas ‘kiss’ during the growing season, when their metabolic rates are much higher than during the winter. Credit: Zhou Jinshuai/Xinhua/Alamy Zoology 19 July 2021 Pikas in high places have a winter-time treat: yak poo Snacks of faeces help the pocket-sized mammals survive the cold and wind atop a vast plateau that abuts the Himalayas.