Nature

Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, could help to ensure that independent scientific advisers publish and disseminate complete data and evidence for changes to vaccine guidance.Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock Coronavirus vaccines have arrived, and many countries have started their vaccination campaigns. The authorities face a race against time as infections and deaths from COVID-19 continue to

It was a Friday afternoon in March 2013 when Andy Geall got the call. Three people in China had just become infected with a new strain of avian influenza. The global head of vaccines research at Novartis, Rino Rappuoli, wanted to know whether Geall and his colleagues were ready to put their new vaccine technology

According to a study published recently in the scientific journal nature plants, the Graz University of Technology has discovered a bacterium that provides immunity to rice plants against pathogens. Rice plant immunity (Photo : Pixabay) The scientists at the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology at The Graz University of Technology have been studying the microbiome of rice

When microbiologist Christopher Rensing navigates Fuzhou’s busy streets on his mobility scooter, he finds many people in the Chinese city consider it a novelty vehicle rather than a medical necessity.Credit: Shutterstock The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented me from rejoining my research group at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in Fuzhou, China, where I work as

The frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions and climate events have significantly affected both human life and the natural environment.  (Photo : Photo by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash)A taxi rides under heavy rain that is causing flooding in Macau, China Holding capacity for atmospheric water vapor has been increasing due to global warming,

1. Förster, T. Energiewanderung und Fluoreszenz. Naturwissenschaften 33, 166–175 (1946). ADS  Article  Google Scholar  2. Förster, T. Zwischenmolekulare Energiewanderung und Fluoreszenz. Ann. Phys. 437, 55–75 (1948). Article  Google Scholar  3. Brixner, T. et al. Two-dimensional spectroscopy of electronic couplings in photosynthesis. Nature 434, 625–628 (2005). ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  4. Scholes, G. D., Fleming,

I’m a thin-film materials scientist and manage the Centre for Applied Superconductivity at the University of Oxford, UK. As you can see from the sole of my shoe, which is decorated with the transgender pride flag, I’m a trans scientist. I’d long believed that coming out as transgender would be career-ending. Instead, Oxford was the

The complete story behind the large-scale destruction of the rare endangered plant species remains murky at best. However, what is clear is that as of September 202, reports of mass destruction from the Earth’s only known population of the Tiehm’s buckwheat plant (Eriogonum tiehmii) raises concerns. (Photo : Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Jim Morefield

The platypus is infamous, not just for being odd-looking, but for being one of the overall weirdest creatures in modern times. It has the torso and tail resembling those of a beaver, the beak and webbed feet of a duck, and it can produce venom! What type of animal is a platypus?  (Photo : Photo

On their Facebook page, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shared a video of an overpass created exclusively for animals. The wildlife division placed the structure over a busy interstate. The Utah government made it to keep both animals and motorists safe and avoid injuries from accidental collisions. Many local animals like bears, deer, moose, and many

A hospital worker and COVID patient in South Africa, where a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been identified.Credit: Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty As concern grows over faster-spreading variants of coronavirus, labs worldwide are racing to unpick the biology of these viruses. Scientists want to understand why SARS-CoV-2 variants identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa seem

“The idea is not environmentally relevant.” That feedback was one of the negative comments that Michigan State University researcher Gemma Reguerra got when she first proposed her new research project to the National Science Foundation. (Photo : Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash)Microscope Fortunately for Reguera, many other reviewers and the foundation’s program manager did

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here Democratic candidates for Senate Jon Ossoff (left) and Raphael Warnock (right) bump elbows during a 4 January rally in Atlanta.Jim Watson/AFP/Getty The results of a run-off election in Georgia mean that the balance of power in

Vaccine maker Novavax launched a late-stage trial of its shot last December and will face difficulty recruiting and maintaining participants.Credit: PA Images/Alamy Global health researchers breathed a collective sigh of relief last month after nations across Europe, North America and elsewhere issued emergency approvals of the first COVID-19 vaccines. But as the shots are rolled

If the Antarctic ice sheets ever collapse, the global sea levels would rise to about 180 feet or 60 meters. The consequences would be nothing short of devastating, especially for areas near the shore and communities with low elevation. (Iceber: Photo by Cassie Matias on Unsplash) In hopes of better understanding how the Antarctic ice

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here The new study goes beyond earlier work by including DNA of parents, children and spouses of identical twins.Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Scientists have quantified the small genetic differences between monozygotic twins. Researchers analysed the DNA of 381

Delta Airlines joined the ranks of Alaska and American Airlines in no longer accepting emotional support animals (dogs, cats, etc.) and requiring trained service dogs proper and official documentation when boarding their planes. (Photo : Photo by Artem Labunsky on Unsplash)Yellow service Labrador Delta will no longer take new bookings for an emotional support animal,

Genomic techniques can be used to specify the DNA sequence of cells in an entire mouse embryo (pictured). Credit: Meng Zhu, Zernicka-Goetz Laboratory, Cambridge University/SPL Genomics 08 January 2021 DNA barcodes help to detail the genomic architecture and sequence of an unbroken cell or even an entire embryo. A powerful method that combines microscopy and

Astronomers have proposed a new explanation for the mysterious blue veil that surrounds Pluto. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI/SPL Planetary science 08 January 2021 Dwarf planet on the Solar System’s outer fringes might have particles of frozen organic matter in its atmosphere. An analysis suggests that Pluto’s atmosphere is rich in particles of frozen organic compounds, which might

Photosynthetic organisms like Algae, Bacteria, and Plants use light as their number one source of energy. A fuel of some sort. However, too much light can be a bad thing. (Photo : Photo by Mark Leeds)Moss covered bricks Too much exposure to light can damage the photosynthetic lifeform’s internal machinery, and that can lead to

The campus of James Cook University, where Juergen Reichardt spends his retirement as an adjunct professor.Credit: Suzanne Long/Alamy Towards the end of my last academic appointment as the vice chancellor of research and innovation at Yachay Tech University in Ecuador, I wondered what the future would hold for me. I am almost 63 years old,

Aside from being faithful companions, dogs have also been known to be a valued ally for law enforcement; their keen senses can detect bombs, contrabands, and drugs, among many things. But, one dog from Montana chose a more serene career choice. Pepin, a Belgian Malinois from the Missouri River’s headwaters in Montana, is a park

Scientists have mapped the interconnected brain regions involved in a mouse’s empathetic response to seeing a companion in distress. Credit: Alamy Neuroscience 07 January 2021 A mouse sharing a companion’s fear has different neural patterns to one sharing another animal’s pain. Mice witnessing another mouse in fear or pain, or even gaining relief from pain,

1. Gelens, L., Anderson, G. A. & Ferrell, J. E. Jr. Spatial trigger waves: positive feedback gets you a long way. Mol. Biol. Cell 25, 3486–3493 (2014). PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar  2. Hubaud, A., Regev, I., Mahadevan, L. & Pourquie, O. Excitable dynamics and Yap-dependent mechanical cues drive the segmentation clock. Cell 171,

The government of India announced that they would be holding a mass nationwide online “Cow Science” exam in February of 2021 for the promotion of the sacred animal. (Photo : Photo by Arbendra Pratap)A cow in India This initiative is a part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advocacy to promote and protect the animal

1. Greif, D. et al. Site-resolved imaging of a fermionic Mott insulator. Science 351, 953–957 (2016). ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar  2. Cheuk, L. W. et al. Observation of 2D fermionic Mott insulators of 40K with single-site resolution. Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 235301 (2016). ADS  Article  Google Scholar  3. Cocchi, E. et al. Equation of

The speed of the planet’s rotations depends on the frequently complex motion of the innermost molten core along with its oceans, atmosphere, natural satellites, and other celestial bodies. (Photo : Photo from NASA) Because of the constant changes in the conditions that aid in determining the speed that the planet spins, scientists have enough reasons to

The emission spectrum of helium. Laser pulses can expose quantum aspects of pairs of helium atoms. Credit: Dept. of Physics, Imperial College/SPL Atomic and molecular physics 06 January 2021 Zapping helium ‘dimers’ with lasers allows a glimpse into a fleeting relationship. Helium atoms are stand-offish, rarely interacting with atoms of other elements or with one

Restaurants and pubs closed in London as part of an effort to halt a spike in COVID-19 cases.Credit: Kate Green/Anadolu Agency/Getty Stay-at-home orders do little to curb covid spread An analysis of COVID-19 data from 41 countries has identified 3 measures that each substantially cut viral transmission: school and university closures, restricting gatherings to no

Before 2020 ended, Pinkfong, the company behind the song Baby Shark, partnered up with EcoDrive Hong Kong and released a new rendition of the song Baby Shark. Still, the lyrics are about the harmful consequences of single-use plastics. The song, which is appropriately titled ”No More Single-Use Plastic!” to educate young children about how these pollutants destroy

NASA’s VIPER rover will be equipped with a one-metre-long drill to mine for ice below the Moon’s surface.Credit: Daniel Rutter/NASA Ames With its lunar sample-return mission last month, China kicked off a new surge in visitors to the Moon. At least eight spacecraft from nations including Russia, India, China, Japan and the United States are

A CrossFit gym owner, along with the South African Animal Sanctuary that condoned her action, is experiencing the internet community’s heated fury. She pulled a stunt that caused a tremendous amount of uproar from many concerned citizens.  Emma Roberts, an adventurer, health enthusiast, lifestyle coach, and gym owner, is under fire after doing a pull-up

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson — who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union — signs the Brexit trade deal with the EU, struck on 24 December.Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Researchers reacted with relief to the news that the United Kingdom and the European Union had reached a last-minute trade deal on 24 December —

As a wildlife ecologist, I study many species, but the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is my speciality. I’ve worked with these duck-billed monotremes, which are indigenous to eastern Australia, for 13 years. So much remains unknown about them — as solitary animals, they are very hard to capture. The males have a venomous spur on each

Most plants can perceive and react to a broader spectrum of light compared to some other organic lifeforms. New research under Prof. Nitzan Shabek’s laboratory in the University of California, Davis (UC DAVIS) ‘s Department of Plant Biology, College of Biological Sciences, has been published, focusing on how the plants respond to specific light waves,

1. Zhou, Y., Kanoda, K. & Ng, T.-K. Quantum spin liquid states. Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 025003 (2017). ADS  MathSciNet  Article  Google Scholar  2. Chowdhury, D., Sodemann, I. & Senthil, T. Mixed-valence insulators with neutral Fermi surfaces. Nat. Commun. 9, 1766 (2018). ADS  Article  Google Scholar  3. Barkeshli, M., Nayak, C., Papić, Z., Young, A.

Since more and more people and organizations, advocate and spread awareness regarding the dreadful risks of global warming and climate change, the arctic’s dire troubling state is close to being general knowledge by now. The Arctic is in big trouble. Despite the overwhelming evidence, there are still those who do not believe in what’s happening

The strangely bright star J005311 (artificially coloured X-ray image, pictured) will eventually collapse into a neutron star. Credit: XMM-Newton/ESA, L. Oskinova/Univ. Potsdam, Germany Astronomy and astrophysics 04 January 2021 A strange and unstable astronomical object seems to have formed from the merger of two white dwarfs. Unusual X-ray emissions from a star called J005311 suggest

Dragging nets and other fishing gear across the sea floor can cut the amount of carbon stored in sediments. Credit: Alamy Ocean sciences 04 January 2021 Bottom trawling not only erodes the sea bed, but also reduces its carbon-storage capacity. A common fishing method called bottom trawling causes potentially irreversible erosion of the sea floor

Catnip (Nepeta cataria), also known as catmint, catswort, and catwort, is a plant famously known for its ability to intoxicate felines, putting them in a state resembling getting high or drunk. It’s like a drug but for cats! From Egyptian royalties to modern cat ladies, this plant has been used by cat owners for decades,

2020 was a year filled with mourning as death counts due to the unexpected occurrence of a global pandemic caused by the SARS-Cov-2 or most commonly known as Covid-19. However, the fatality rate was not exclusive to humans, as many animal species have also perished during the year. The current global virus might not have

The entire year of 2020 was nothing short of bizarre, especially with the idea that a single Asian Bat caused a global lockdown. To call it weird would be an understatement. But, it’s not just the pandemic causing mammal that shook the world; there’s a plethora of freakishly weird natural stories and scenarios that happened

Last 2018, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirmed two missions designed to take solar exploration close to the actual Sun than any space study ever did in the past. Their Parker Solar Probe, which launched in the same year, announced and the 2020 follow-up, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), the

2020 might not have been the best year for humans, but the same could also be said for animals. From massive Murder Hornets to the Asian Bat that is said to have started the pandemic, many wildlife species have had the spotlight shone upon them, for all the wrong reason, throughout the year. It would

Credit: Adapted from Getty In March, every single aspect of my scientific working life shut down. This was incredibly disruptive. But looking back, it has given me an opportunity to look at different parts of my job in isolation. Taking everything away and then rebuilding from scratch, piece by piece, has allowed me to appreciate

To say that 2020 was a bizarre year is an understatement. From making memes about the possibility of World War III, an infestation of murder hornets, to an actual global pandemicIt has been weird, to say the least. However, it’s not all gloom and sadness. Because of the many changes in people’s lifestyles, there have been

1. Bromberg-Martin, E. S., Matsumoto, M. & Hikosaka, O. Dopamine in motivational control: rewarding, aversive, and alerting. Neuron 68, 815–834 (2010). CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar  2. Kravitz, A. V. & Kreitzer, A. C. Striatal mechanisms underlying movement, reinforcement, and punishment. Physiology (Bethesda) 27, 167–177 (2012). Google Scholar  3. Vidal-Gadea, A. G. &

1. Husmann, D. & Gozani, O. Histone lysine methyltransferases in biology and disease. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 26, 880–889 (2019). CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar  2. Bennett, R. L., Swaroop, A., Troche, C. & Licht, J. D. The role of nuclear receptor-binding set domain family histone lysine methyltransferases in cancer. Cold Spring Harb.