Category Archives: Research

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Feb 29, 2024

 and Bo Xia

Volume 626 Issue 8001

Nature Magazine – February 28, 2024: The latest issue cover features ‘Tale of the Tails’ – How a genetic element aided tail loss in humans and apes; RNA-editing therapies for genetic diseases have in the past few months gained approval for clinical trials, raising hopes for safer treatments…

Move over, CRISPR: RNA-editing therapies pick up steam

Two RNA-editing therapies for genetic diseases have in the past few months gained approval for clinical trials, raising hopes for safer treatments.

200 years of naming dinosaurs: scientists call for overhaul of antiquated system

Some palaeontologists want more rigorous guidelines for naming species, along with action to address problematic historical practices.

MEGA-CRISPR tool gives a power boost to cancer-fighting cells

A system that edits RNA rather than DNA can give new life to exhausted CAR T cells.

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Feb 23, 2024

Current Issue Cover

Science Magazine – February 22, 2024: The new issue features ‘Snake Shift’ – Burst of evolutionary innovation occurred with the origin of snakes….

Solving the puzzle of Long Covid

Long Covid provides an opportunity to understand how acute infections cause chronic disease

Research: New Scientist Magazine – Feb 24, 2024

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New Scientist Magazine (February 22, 2024): This issue features ‘The Human Brain’ – How it works, why it fails and the secrets to using it better…

New evidence finally reveals how male and female brains really differ

The strange truth about why thinking hard makes you feel exhausted

Why the brain’s microbiome could hold the key to curing Alzheimer’s

Supercommunicators review: Learning how to change deeply held beliefs

Are you truly healthy? These new tests provide the ultimate check-up

How we will discover the mysterious origins of life once and for all

With privacy concerns rising, can we teach AI chatbots to forget?

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Feb 22, 2024

Volume 626 Issue 8000

Nature Magazine – February 21, 2024: The latest issue cover features ‘Smoke Alarm’ – How smoking alters the immune response even years after quitting…

Great ‘Stone Age’ wall discovered in Baltic Sea

Megastructure stretching nearly 1 kilometre long is probably one of the oldest known hunting aids on Earth.

The immune markers that predict who can keep SARS-CoV-2 in check

People infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 cleared the virus more quickly if they had high levels of certain immune cells.

Introducing meat–rice: grain with added muscles beefs up protein

The laboratory-grown food uses rice as a scaffold for cultured meat.

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Feb 16, 2024

Current Issue Cover

Science Magazine – February 15, 2024: The new issue features ‘A record drought in October 2023 that lowered the Amazon River near the Brazilian city of Tefé, revealing sand dunes and forcing local fishing boats to compete for spots.

Giant solar farms could provoke rainclouds in the desert

Updrafts from dark solar panels could fuel storms

X-ray survey bolsters theory of universe’s expansion

eROSITA telescope shows galaxies’ “clumpiness” matches predicted effect of dark energy, dark matter

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Feb 15, 2024

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Nature Magazine – February 14, 2024: The latest issue cover climate and land-use stresses could push the rainforest past a tipping point as early as 2050. The researchers probed five causes of water stress — global warming, annual rainfall, seasonal intensity of rainfall, length of the dry season and deforestation — using palaeorecords,  climate models and observational data.

First passages of rolled-up Herculaneum scroll revealed

Researchers used artificial intelligence to decipher the text of 2,000-year-old charred papyrus scripts, unveiling musings on music and capers.

Deepfakes, trolls and cybertroopers: how social media could sway elections in 2024

Faced with data restrictions and harassment, researchers are mapping out fresh approaches to studying social media’s political reach.

Research Preview: Science Magazine-February 9, 2024

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Science Magazine – February 8, 2024: The new issue features ‘Citrus Oils’ – How the fruits regulate oil gland development…

Researchers discover new kind of magnetism

More than 200 materials could be “altermagnets,” predicted just a few years ago

A thousand years of solitude

How did the first human settlers of the Canary Islands survive a millennium of isolation?

Research Preview: Nature Magazine- February 8, 2024

Volume 626 Issue 7998

Nature Magazine – February 7, 2024: The latest issue cover features ‘Dead Reckoning’ – Mass predator die-offs exert a hidden effect on lake ecosystems…

Surprise find: a blood-based immune system is discovered in the gut

Immune guardians called complement proteins are manufactured by gut cells and help to protect against pathogens.

Black-hole observations solve cosmic-ray mystery

Data from an African observatory show that jets from a collapsed star are capable of producing some of the Galaxy’s fastest particles.

Obesity drugs have another superpower: taming inflammation

The blockbuster medications that reduce body weight also reduce inflammation in organs such as the brain, raising hopes that they can treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Research Preview: Science Magazine-February 2, 2024

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Science Magazine – January 25, 2024: The new issue features ‘In Hot Water’ – How will El Niño change in a warmer world?; Herbivore impacts don’t depend on species origin; Reconstructing histories of sign language and more…

Degradation trumps mutations in cancer

Redirecting targeted proteins for degradation can overcome acquired drug resistance

Sustainability limits needed for CO2 removal

The true climate mitigation challenge is revealed by considering sustainability impacts

Research Preview: Nature Magazine- February 1, 2024

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Volume 626 Issue 7997

Nature Magazine – January 31, 2024: The latest issue cover features ‘Significant Otters’ – How restored top predators helped slow down coastal damage; Hijacked neurons boost cancer’s ability to grow and spread; Mechanical process yields flexible fibers for wearable electronics…

How does chronic stress harm the gut? New clues emerge

A bacterium in the intestines of stressed mice interferes with cells that protect against pathogens.

How cancer hijacks the nervous system to grow and spread

A new wave of research is unpicking the relationship between cancer and neurons — and looking for ways to stop the crosstalk.

The clever system that gave Roman wines an amber colour and nutty aroma

Wine-fermentation jars used in Georgia today hint at the properties of ancient vintages.