nature Magazine – March 9, 2023 issue:

Sims-style ‘digital twin’ models can tell us if food systems will weather crises

From COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine, virtual models could inform global food policy before emergencies unfold.

Big bats fly towards extinction with hunters in pursuit

Human hunt at least 19% of bat species worldwide — especially flying foxes, which can have wingspans of 1.5 metres.

Large tropical bats with narrow home ranges are disproportionately likely to be hunted by humans, according to a global analysis of 1,320 bat species — nearly all of the 1,400 known to science¹.

How to stop the bird flu outbreak becoming a pandemic

From tracking the disease’s spread in wild birds to updating human vaccines, there are measures that could help keep avian influenza in check.

Fears are rising about bird flu’s potential to spark a human pandemic, as well as its destruction of wildlife and farmed birds. An 11-year-old girl tragically died in Cambodia last week after catching avian influenza. That followed reports earlier this year of the virus spreading from mammal to mammal through a mink farm, and causing mass mortality in Peruvian birds and sea lions. Since the beginning of 2022, more than 50 million poultry birds in the United States, and a similar number in Europe, have either died of the disease or been killed in efforts to stem its spread. Can bird flu be stopped, and if yes, how?

nature – March 2, 2023 issue:

Custom-built drug shows its powers against tuberculosis

An upgraded antibiotic holds promise for treating tuberculosis strains that are resistant to existing treatments.

Kevlar helps to make one tough synthetic tendon

A water-filled gel has the strength and elasticity of natural tendon.

Big dino, little dino: how T. rex’s relatives changed their size

‘Impressive’ fossil analysis reveals why some dinosaurs were massive but their cousins were tiny.

nature – February 23, 2023 issue:

Exercise triggers fat breakdown at some times of day and not others

Adipose tissue in mice dumps fat during early workouts rather than late ones.

Cities worldwide claw vast amounts of land from the sea

China, the United Arab Emirates and other countries are adding area by converting wetlands and shallow waters into solid land.

Genome editor tackles disease that can cause sudden death

Scientists repair a mutation that causes heart-muscle abnormalities and can kill without warning.