Nature
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Research, news, and commentary from Nature, the international science journal. For daily science news, get Nature Briefing: https://go.nature.com/get-Nature-Briefing
A massive genomic study has linked mutations in a specific gene to an increased proportion of muscle, decreased levels of belly fat and blood sugar and a reduced risk of conditions including heart disease go.nature.com/4q03zHc
More muscle, less belly fat: mutations to a gene are linked to wide-ranging benefits
Analysis of one million diverse genomes yields mutations associated with lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and other ‘cardiometabolic’ conditions.
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The publishing system often asks authors to reshape one of the most personal parts of their identity: their name go.nature.com/4wCIdSz
James Bond, not Bond James: why scientific publishing must respect name order
Databases and submission systems are often inflexible. Can’t publishers do more on author names?
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The US National Science Foundation has kicked off a sweeping effort to deepen the ties between PhD students and industry go.nature.com/4hbpiJO
NSF rolls out ‘industry PhD’ programme — joining a global trend
The US pilot programme will provide financial support for four years to more than 250 students, who will gain industry experience.
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Nature research paper: Cretaceous zhelestid mammals are zalambdalestoids go.nature.com/3RCNkmG
Cretaceous zhelestid mammals are zalambdalestoids - Nature
New Mongolian fossil evidence shows zhelestids were not placental-like herbivore relatives, but a dental variant within Zalambdalestoidea, with distinctive molars alongside zalambdalestid skull and limb traits.
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Patent citations are one way to examine how academic research flows into commercial innovation. Which scholarly papers have patents cited the most? go.nature.com/4w45J9Z
Exclusive: the science papers that patents cite the most
Nature reveals the studies that are mentioned most often in patent filings — and why.
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Nature research paper: Miniaturizing and modifying natural proteins with Raygun go.nature.com/4w2usM2
Miniaturizing and modifying natural proteins with Raygun - Nature
Probabilistic sequence encoding from language model embeddings within a generative AI framework enables protein miniaturization, modification and augmentation while maintaining native architecture and functional integrity.
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Hundreds of scientists are collaborating on a quest to count every species of insect in one expanse of the Amazon go.nature.com/4pRzMjG
Tiny patch of Amazon likely holds 40,000 insect species — many new to science
Megaproject involving hundreds of sites is cataloguing rainforest insects from the ground to the canopy.
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Nature research paper: In situ structures of plant photosystem supercomplexes go.nature.com/4c4OTR5
In situ structures of plant photosystem supercomplexes - Nature
The cryo‑EM structure of the Oryza sativa photosystem II–light harvesting complex II supercomplex in its native membrane reveals the intact plant photosystem architecture, retaining physiologically relevant proteins and lipids that are otherwise lost during purification.
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Combining scientific research and artistic expression helped neuroscientist Shaira Berg to find her niche go.nature.com/4fCt3GZ
How I explore trauma through ‘cinematic neuroscience’
Combining scientific research and artistic expression helped neuroscientist Shaira Berg to find her niche.
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Diseases don’t stop at borders. Pandemics, climate change and conflicts demand a collective approach, says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus go.nature.com/4hMuDHB
Why the need for the WHO has never been greater
Diseases don’t stop at borders. Pandemics, climate change and conflicts demand a collective approach.
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Nature research paper: Octahedral-coordinated Co3O4 for water electrolysis in acid go.nature.com/4fMBY7z
Octahedral-coordinated Co3O4 for water electrolysis in acid - Nature
A new trigonal-phase Co3O4 manufactured using a vacuum-mediated molten-alkali mechanochemical method is described, demonstrating edge-shared octahedral coordination and achieving lower overpotential than spinel-type Co3O4 in the acidic oxygen evolution reaction, with reduced dissolution of cobalt.
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Sustaining Europe's strong position in the life-sciences sector will require investment and education in bioengineering go.nature.com/4hMuCU3
Europe can become a bioengineering powerhouse with these three changes
Sustaining the region’s strong position in the life-sciences sector will require investment and education in bioengineering.
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Inspired by long-lived animals — and human centenarians — researchers are hunting for ways to enhance DNA repair and extend healthspan go.nature.com/4pW4GaD
Could mending damaged DNA prolong life?
Inspired by long-lived animals — and human centenarians — researchers are hunting for ways to enhance DNA repair and extend healthspan.
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Nature research paper: Earliest siphuncle-bearing cephalopod from the early Cambrian go.nature.com/3RIQsNQ
Earliest siphuncle-bearing cephalopod from the early Cambrian - Nature
Early Cambrian Eoceras shaanxiense gen. et sp. nov. preserves septa and a segmented tube resembling a primordial siphuncle, extending cephalopod origins and revealing early assembly of chambered shells used for buoyancy regulation.
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Could 'biophotons' represent a new signalling mechanism in cells? Or be used to diagnose disease? go.nature.com/4xcUXPI
All living things emit a faint glow. Could this light be useful?
Nature - Ultra-weak ‘biophotons’ might be used to diagnose disease, or could even represent a new signalling mechanism in cells.
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Nature research paper: In situ structure of the poxvirus portal complex go.nature.com/4fD69xR
In situ structure of the poxvirus portal complex - Nature
Cryo-electron tomography uncovers the structure of a conserved hexameric ‘portal complex’ that spans the core wall in vaccinia virus, and shows how it is associated with viral functions such as assembly, mRNA release and genome uncoating.
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US senators from both sides of the political aisle released a draft spending bill on 2 August that, if passed, would temporarily halt a far-reaching and controversial proposal by the White House to overhaul federally funded science. go.nature.com/4ganlw9
Controversial White House plan to overhaul US science funding faces Senate opposition
Proposal to put political appointees in charge of research grants could be temporarily halted if lawmakers’ efforts are successful.
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Cancer-fighting drugs called bispecific antibodies are having a moment. A growing number are making their way into the clinic, and researchers are developing increasingly elaborate molecules with new capabilities. go.nature.com/4w32u2I
Cancer-fighting antibodies with a one-two punch take aim at tumours
Bispecific antibodies, which bind to two targets, are sweeping into the clinic and are prompting even more elaborate versions.
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Nature research paper: Over 20,000 precolonial earthworks in the Southwest Amazonia go.nature.com/4x9FT5k
Over 20,000 precolonial earthworks in the Southwest Amazonia - Nature
Using canopy-penetrating LiDAR data, the northern part of southwestern Amazonia appears to contain as many earthworks as previously estimated for the whole of Amazonia.
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We asked six attention researchers and educators for tips on how to mitigate disruptions and improve concentration go.nature.com/4fBOcBg
Science-backed tips on how to avoid distractions
Struggling to stay focused in the lab? Attention researchers offer some advice.
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Nature research paper: Rational design of disordered proteins for sequence–function investigation go.nature.com/4gZoDuW
Rational design of disordered proteins for sequence–function investigation - Nature
GOOSE enables the design and testing of thousands of disordered protein region sequences to reveal distinct sequence-to-function relationships.
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Book review 📚 The secret relationships that govern life on Earth go.nature.com/455Qum1
The secret relationships that govern life on Earth
Books on parasitism and symbiosis inspire wonder at the strange ways in which species’ lives intertwine.
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Vessels propelled by atomic reactors have low emissions but create other hazards that need clear regulations go.nature.com/4fPLRS8
Plans for nuclear-powered merchant ships must confront risks
Vessels propelled by atomic reactors have low emissions but create other hazards that need clear regulations.
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Nature research paper: A global view of human centromere variation and evolution go.nature.com/4fpD0aI
A global view of human centromere variation and evolution - Nature
Complete sequencing of more than 2,000 centromeres from diverse humans reveals structures and elevated mutation rates that shape the evolution of these critically important regions.
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Review mills are setting off a war in academic publishing. What happens to those caught in the middle? go.nature.com/4wIPjVW
‘A waste of time for all of us’: caught in the crossfire of the peer-review wars
Review mills — researchers who write fake referee reports with coercive citation requests — are setting off a war in academic publishing. What happens to those caught in the middle?
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A high-speed camera and underwater microphones help scientists to investigate a puzzle about bubbles go.nature.com/4cjPC0X
The physics of fizz: why some bubbles are louder than others
A high-speed camera and underwater microphones help scientists to investigate a puzzle about bubbles.
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Nature research paper: A digitally controlled silicon quantum processing unit go.nature.com/4bhtkfX
A digitally controlled silicon quantum processing unit - Nature
A silicon quantum processing unit executes high-fidelity multiqubit circuits, with all time-varying control signals generated by a digitally programmed cryogenic complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor controller and delivered to the low-noise, exchange-only qubit device through a high-density superconducting ribbon cable.
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A combination of drugs restores stem-cell function in mouse models of sickle-cell disease go.nature.com/4w8xMVH
Sickle-cell disease linked to prematurely aged stem cells in mice
A combination of drugs restores stem-cell function in mouse models of the blood disorder.
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Thanks to 400 year-old Chilean mummies, we know how smallpox reached the Americas go.nature.com/4bHfYdh
How smallpox reached the Americas: first genomic evidence points to Europeans
Viral sequences from Chilean mummies confirm the disease was introduced from Europe.
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The powerful fires scorching France and Spain are breaking records - and there are still months to go in the fire season go.nature.com/4xaW2Yn
Fires in Europe are breaking records: here’s what the future holds
Nature - Countries such as Spain and France can expect fire regimes more like those of California as climate change favours hot, dry conditions, scientists suggest.
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