Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here. The worm-like caecilian Siphonops annulatus is the first amphibian described to produce ‘milk’ for offspring hatched outside its body.Credit: Carlos Jared A species of amphibian is the first observed to nourish its young with a milk-like … Read more
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has become a workhorse of the private satellite launch vehicle market.Credit: Associated Press/Alamy Who Owns the Moon? In Defence of Humanity’s Common Interests in Space A. C. Grayling Oneworld Publications (2024) The Moon seems to be back on everyone’s radar. NASA’s Artemis mission is expected to shuttle humans back to the lunar … Read more
T cells (blue; artificially coloured) attack a cancer cell (red).Credit: BSIP Lecaque/Science Photo Library More than 35 years after it was invented, a therapy that uses immune cells extracted from a person’s own tumour is finally hitting the clinic. At least 20 people with advanced melanoma have embarked on treatment with what are called tumour-infiltrating … Read more
Long-term use of antiretroviral drugs can cause abnormal fat accumulation in people with HIV.Credit: Jose Calvo/SPL People with HIV are the latest group to benefit from the new generation of anti-obesity drugs. If early data about the treatments’ effects are confirmed, the drugs could become key to controlling the metabolic problems often caused by anti-HIV … Read more
In late 2021, midway through the COVID-19 pandemic, George Stagg was preparing to give exams to his mathematics and statistics students at the University of Newcastle, UK. Some would use laptops, others would opt for tablets or mobile phones. Not all of them could even use the programming language that was the subject of the … Read more
Christina Goudreau Collison signs the term ‘steric hindrance’ while teaching the hydroboration reaction in her organic chemistry class at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.Credit: Olivia Schlichtkrull Sign language in science The lack of scientific terms and vocabulary in many of the world’s sign languages can make science education and research careers inaccessible … Read more
Cillian Murphy picked up the best actor award for his portrayal of Oppenheimer.Credit: Landmark Media/Alamy Oppenheimer won big at last night’s Oscars, scooping 7 awards out of 13 nominations, including best picture. The film has been lauded for its accurate portrayal of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life, and its examination of both the human and … Read more
Karin Kirk skiing.Credit: Chris Kerr Karin Kirk is a freelance science journalist who has built a career on icy ground. She lives in Bozeman, Montana, a corner of the northwestern United States known for its snow-capped mountains and vast wilderness areas. There, she balances her work as a science writer and climate educator with her … Read more
This year, voters in five of the world’s biggest carbon-emitting territories go to the polls. These regions — the United States, India, Indonesia, Russia and the European Union — represent one-third of the world’s population and about the same proportion of human-made carbon emissions. How the political wind blows from these elections will be crucial … Read more
In February, megafires ripped through the Chilean central coastal hills, killing at least 132 people, injuring hundreds and destroying 7,000 homes. At the time of writing, more than 300 people remain missing. These wildfires are not a one-off calamity. You only need watch the news to know that wildfires are becoming more frequent and more … Read more