Compression causes cancer cells to start spreading Summary A zebrafish model of skin cancer shows that mechanical compression from surrounding tissues can flip cancer cells from a proliferative state into…
Depriving brain tumours of an amino acid could enhance chemotherapy Summary Glioblastoma, the most aggressive adult brain cancer with a very poor prognosis, appears to rely on the amino acid…
Ant queens produce sons of two distinct species Summary Researchers report a striking reproductive system in the Iberian harvester ant (Messor ibericus). New work (Juvé et al.) shows that these…
The diversity of microbial enzymes that turn a pollutant into an inert gas Summary Researchers have identified a previously unrecognised family of microbial enzymes that reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) to…
Earth’s capacity to store carbon could max out surprisingly soon Summary A new study warns that the Earth’s safe geological storage for captured carbon dioxide is far smaller than previously…
Damaged bridges flex and twist to prevent collapse Summary Steel truss bridges — built from connected frameworks of members — can sometimes survive the loss of a load-bearing element by…
Cocaine-activated ion channels engineered to break the loop of addiction in rats Summary Researchers engineered ion channels that are selectively activated by cocaine to control neuronal excitability in rats. The…
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother Summary Researchers report that Iberian harvester ant queens (Messor ibericus) can produce male offspring that are genetically a different…
Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of Slavs Summary This Nature study analyses genome-wide ancient DNA from 1,840 individuals (including 591 newly sampled) across Central and Eastern Europe…
Seismic detection of a 600-km solid inner core in Mars Summary This Nature paper reports seismological evidence for a solid inner core (IC) in Mars with a radius of roughly…
