Research, news, and commentary from Nature, the international science journal. For daily science news, get Nature Briefing: https://go.nature.com/get-Nature-Briefing
Nature research paper: Imaging of nanoscale polar textures in quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 go.nature.com/4bbU55s
Imaging of nanoscale polar textures in quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 - NatureCryo-STEM reveals that SrTiO3 forms periodic polar nanodomains below 105 K, but these fragment below 40 K, linking quantum paraelectricity to nanoscale polar ordering and disordering.go.nature.comFern-covered landscapes dried out and fuelled gigantic wildfires some 200 million years ago during the mass-extinction event that ended the Triassic period of geological history go.nature.com/45r5jzz
Wildfires rampaged across Europe in the dying days of the TriassicInfernos ravaged continental expanses of ferns during mass extinction of land and sea animals.go.nature.comThe first volunteer was vaccinated against Ebola only 68 days after the WHO declared the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern We spoke to the study's lead scientists about how they were able to move so fast go.nature.com/4x7jMN0
Inside the high-stakes race to develop an Ebola vaccine for an escalating outbreakThe University of Oxford has already vaccinated its first clinical-trial participant. The study’s lead scientist Teresa Lambe tells Nature how they were able to move so fast.go.nature.comWith the benefits of AI tools come fresh patient-safety risks — and questions about who is responsible when things go wrong go.nature.com/3Rv5WoB
When physicians and AI work together, who is accountable? How to lay out medical liabilityA staging system based on how big a role AI has in patient care can help to identify who is responsible in cases in which care fails.go.nature.comNature research paper: Non-Gaussian statistics of the order parameter across a phase transition go.nature.com/45r3Au9
Non-Gaussian statistics of the order parameter across a phase transition - NatureSingle-atom measurements show non-Gaussian order-parameter fluctuations and critical scaling across a continuous phase transition, highlighting the importance of full statistical distributions in understanding universality.go.nature.comThe idea of AI sentience is drawing more focus to consciousness science. But some researchers aren’t sure that’s a good thing go.nature.com/4fWhFWu
Consciousness research is having an AI moment. Will the hype help the field?The idea of AI sentience is drawing more focus to consciousness science. But some researchers aren’t sure that’s a good thing.go.nature.comMitochondrial replacement therapy involves removing the nucleus from a person’s egg or a couple’s single-cell embryo and transplanting it into an egg from a young donor go.nature.com/3TXQzpm
Fertility clinics are offering young mitochondria in controversial fertility techniqueResearchers are alarmed that the procedure, which has not been rigorously studied, is advertised by clinics around the world.go.nature.comCould 'biophotons' represent a new signalling mechanism in cells? Or be used to diagnose disease? go.nature.com/44OuH29
All living things emit a faint glow. Could this light be useful?Ultra-weak ‘biophotons’ might be used to diagnose disease, or could even represent a new signalling mechanism in cells.go.nature.comNature research paper: Subnuclear genome compartmentalization controls bivalent chromatin activity go.nature.com/4vRsVZd
Subnuclear genome compartmentalization controls bivalent chromatin activity - NatureKnowledge of the spatial location of a gene is necessary to understand its epigenomic regulation.go.nature.comNot all wildfires can be averted, but data, models and collaborations can help to chart a course to a fire-resilient future go.nature.com/3RYSMjO
Extreme fire seasons are looming — science can help us adaptNot all wildfires can be averted, but data, models and collaborations can help to chart a course to a fire-resilient future.go.nature.comNature research paper: Mapping drivers of life expectancy change in Asia from 1990 to 2023 go.nature.com/4yCtJn1
Mapping drivers of life expectancy change in Asia from 1990 to 2023 - NatureUsing the Global Burden of Disease Study data across Asian countries and territories, life expectancy trends and the effects of cause-specific mortality and risk factors on changes in these trends are analysed.go.nature.comPeople who give tissue samples for biomedical research might have no idea that their cells are being used for biocomputers go.nature.com/4x61sE6
Researchers are building computers that run on brain organoids — but have neglected a major ethical issuePeople who give tissue samples for biomedical research might have no idea that their cells are being used for biocomputers.go.nature.comMathematicians must urgently recognize AI’s impacts on their field — and act swiftly to mitigate threats, says Jim Portegies go.nature.com/4vWS2d4
How to prevent AI from harming mathematicsMathematicians must urgently recognize AI’s impacts on their field — and act swiftly to mitigate threats.go.nature.comNature research paper: Genetic background sets the trajectory of experimental cancer evolution go.nature.com/3RzmnjJ
Genetic background sets the trajectory of experimental cancer evolution - NatureExperimentally replaying tumour evolution in divergent mouse strains reveals the importance of interactions between genetic ancestry and acquired cancer-driving mutations in shaping the earliest stages of cancer development.go.nature.comNature research paper: A global molecular code for birth order and neuronal identity in Drosophila go.nature.com/4b7QUMb
A global molecular code for birth order and neuronal identity in Drosophila - NatureA high-resolution developmental transcriptional atlas of the Drosophila melanogaster nerve cord identifies a shared transcriptional code that records neuronal birth order and organizes neuronal diversity.go.nature.comNature research paper: The planktonic microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef go.nature.com/4fMmgKR
The planktonic microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef - NatureThe Great Barrier Reef Microbial Genomes Database compiles prokaryotic, viral and eukaryotic genomes from seawater collected from the Great Barrier Reef, providing a rich resource for the study of marine microbial communities and ecosystem research and management.go.nature.comScientists have exploited a peculiar CRISPR enzyme so that it fights cancer by shredding the DNA in cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct go.nature.com/4pKLI6X
Bizarre CRISPR enzyme kills cancer cells by shredding their DNAEarly tests suggest the protein can be aimed at targets with tumour-causing mutations.go.nature.com
