Tag Archives: Science Magazines

Research Preview: Nature Magazine January 4, 2024

Volume 625 Issue 7993

Nature Magazine – January 3, 2024: The latest issue cover features  an artist’s impression of a massive young star in the process of forming.

US nuclear-fusion lab enters new era: achieving ‘ignition’ over and over

NIF beamlines entering the lower hemisphere of the NIF Target Chamber, as seen from the ground floor of the Target Bay.

Researchers at the National Ignition Facility are consistently creating reactions that make more energy than they consume.

By Jeff Tollefson

In December 2022, after more than a decade of effort and frustration, scientists at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) announced that they had set a world record by producing a fusion reaction that released more energy than it consumed — a phenomenon known as ignition. They have now proved that the feat was no accident by replicating it again and again, and the administration of US President Joe Biden is looking to build on this success by establishing a trio of US research centres to help advance the science.

DeepMind AI outdoes human mathematicians on unsolved problem

A player holds a hand of Set game cards over a green table.

Large language model improves on efforts to solve combinatorics problems inspired by the card game Set.

Davide Castelvecchi

The card game Set has long inspired mathematicians to create interesting problems.

Now, a technique based on large language models (LLMs) is showing that artificial intelligence (AI) can help mathematicians to generate new solutions.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine Dec 21, 2023

Volume 624 Issue 7992

Nature Magazine – December 20, 2023: The latest issue cover features ten people who helped to shape science during the year. The cover takes its inspiration from one of the developments that dominated the year: artificial intelligence. 

From Einstein to AI: how 100 years have shaped science

Looking back a century reveals how much the research landscape has changed 

Earth is warming but Mount Everest is getting chillier

Winds triggered by climate change sweep cold air down from the summit of Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks, leading to a cooling trend.

ChatGPT and science: the AI system was a force in 2023 — for good and bad

The poster child for generative AI software is a startling human mimic. It represents a potential new era in research, but brings risks.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine Dec 14, 2023

Volume 624 Issue 7991

Nature Magazine – December 13, 2023: The latest issue cover features the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN), which presented nine papers that map the entire mouse brain in unprecedented detail.

BICCN: The first complete cell census and atlas of a mammalian brain

Generating a complete multimodal cell census and atlas of the mouse brain through collaborative data collection, tool development and analysis.

How immense mountains create one of the rainiest places on Earth

The western coast of Colombia can get more than 26 metres of rain a year, thanks to the influence of air jets hitting the Andes range.

This bird escaped extinction — but its genes hint at an ominous future

The extravagantly feathered Seychelles paradise flycatcher lacks genetic diversity, which might hamper its resilience to climate change and other threats.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine Dec 7, 2023

Volume 624 Issue 7990

Nature Magazine – December 6, 2023: The latest issue cover features Internal Clocks – Blood proteins reveal age of human organs to help track health and disease…

A 27,000-year-old pyramid? Controversy hits an extraordinary archaeological claim

The massive buried structures at Gunung Padang in Indonesia would be much older than Egypt’s great pyramids — if they’re even human constructions at all.

Humanity’s oldest art is flaking away. Can scientists save it?

Ancient humans painted scenes in Indonesian caves more than 45,000 years ago, but their art is disappearing rapidly. Researchers are trying to discover what’s causing the damage and how to stop it — before the murals are gone forever.

Tinkering with immune cells gives cancer treatment a boost

Tumours respond more readily to radiation and other therapies in mice without a specific protein in their dendritic cells.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Nov 30, 2023

Volume 623 Issue 7989

Nature Magazine – November 29, 2023: The latest issue cover features trails left by satellites, including BlueWalker 3, a prototype communications satellite, as they pass across the sky.

‘Early dark energy’ fails to solve mystery of cosmic expansion

The extra ingredient would explain why the Universe is expanding so fast now — but conflicts with data from ancient quasars.

Huge California wildfires seeded cirrus clouds half a world away

Smoke from record-breaking fires in 2020 travelled all the way to Cyprus, where it helped to trigger cloud formation.

These falcons excel at problem-solving — and outdo some of the world’s smartest birds

A bird of prey called the striated caracara can figure out puzzles that are a struggle for Goffin’s cockatoos, which are known for their intelligence.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Nov 23, 2023

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Volume 623 Issue 7988

Nature Magazine – November 23, 2023: The latest issue cover features how cryo-electron microscopy can reveal the structure of motor protein myosin filaments, which power the heart via muscle contraction.

Earth just had its hottest year on record — climate change is to blame

Around 7.3 billion people faced temperatures strongly influenced by global warming over the past year.

UK first to approve CRISPR treatment for diseases: what you need to know

The landmark decision could transform the treatment of sickle-cell disease and β-thalassaemia — but the technology is expensive.

How AI is expanding art history

From identifying disputed artworks to reconstructing lost masterpieces, artificial intelligence is enriching how we interpret our cultural heritage.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Nov 16, 2023

Volume 623 Issue 7987

Nature Magazine – November 16, 2023: The latest issue cover features how echinoderms such as starfish and sea urchins have evolved five-fold symmetry, with five limbs radiating from a central mouth.

One brain area helps you to enjoy a joke — but another helps you to get it

Seinfeld episodes help scientists to distinguish between the brain regions involved in understanding and appreciating humour.

Spinal implant helps man with advanced Parkinson’s to walk without falling

Electrical stimulation improved his mobility, although researchers say that a larger study is needed to assess the device.

Manatees and conservation: how I protect these massive, vulnerable animals

Nataly Castelblanco Martínez works to raise awareness of the perils faced by the much-loved marine mammals.

Science Focus Magazine – November 2023 Preview

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BBC Science Focus Magazine (November 2023) The latest issue features ‘Rethinking caffeine’ – How the right amount unlocks lifelong benefits for your brain and body.

The science of Doctor Who

At 60 years old, Doctor Who, the BBC show following the adventures of the regenerating Time Lord, continues to be highly enjoyable fiction. But it’s science fiction. The Gallifreyan takes science seriously… so we take a closer look at some of the science of Doctor Who, from time travel and the TARDIS to invading Cybermen and rogue planets.

How to make the Moon on Earth

The expense and prestige involved in sending landers and rovers to the Moon means you can’t afford for them not to work when they get there. But the lunar landscape is like nothing here on Earth. So how, and where do you test equipment that’s bound for the Moon?

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Nov 9, 2023

Volume 623 Issue 7986

nature Magazine – November 9, 2023: The latest issue cover features the changes in dopamine signals in male zebra finches (depicted on the cover), as they engage in activities such as drinking, song evaluation and courting. The researchers found that dopamine responses are dynamically adjusted based on the birds’ current priorities. 

Brain and body are more intertwined than we knew

Gut bacteria. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of various bacteria found in a sample from a human small intestine.

A host of disorders once thought to be nothing to do with the brain are, in fact, tightly coupled to nervous-system activity.

A robot performs heart surgery with a strong but delicate touch

Device can wield tools inside one of the heart’s chambers while bracing itself against a stabilizer fitted into a major cardiac vein.

The Solar System’s biggest moon is spattered with salt

Dried brine from a subsurface ocean speckles the surface of Ganymede, which orbits Jupiter.

Research: New Scientist Magazine – Nov 4, 2023

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New Scientist Magazine (November 4, 2023): This issue features How healthy are you really? – New tests to give you the answer; The origins of Life; Machine Unlearning – Can we ever teach an AI to forget?; Moths that mimic spiders; Did wind help sculpt the Sphinx; and more…

Features

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?

News

Record-breaking quantum computer has more than 1000 qubits

The Great Sphinx of Giza may have been blown into shape by the wind

Strange supernova blasts hint we have glimpsed a black hole’s birth

Some insects disguise themselves as spiders to avoid getting eaten

Starfish don’t have a body – they’re just a big squished head