How academics and ‘big tech’ can learn from one another
How academics and ‘big tech’ can learn from one another Summary Steven C. Currall argues that collaborations between academia and large technology firms can offer huge benefits but are often…
Earth’s capacity to store carbon could max out surprisingly soon
Earth’s capacity to store carbon could max out surprisingly soon Summary Researchers estimate that Earth can safely store roughly 1,460 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂) in stable sedimentary basins once…
The diversity of microbial enzymes that turn a pollutant into an inert gas
The diversity of microbial enzymes that turn a pollutant into an inert gas Summary Reductase enzymes convert the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) into harmless dinitrogen (N2). A new…
Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of Slavs
Ancient DNA connects large-scale migration with the spread of Slavs Summary This Nature study combines newly generated ancient DNA from 591 individuals with published datasets to create dense temporal and…
Cocaine-activated ion channels engineered to break the loop of addiction in rats
Cocaine-activated ion channels engineered to break the loop of addiction in rats Summary Researchers have engineered ion channels that are selectively activated by cocaine and that can either stimulate or…
Damaged bridges flex and twist to prevent collapse
Damaged bridges flex and twist to prevent collapse Summary Steel truss bridges — built from connected frames of members — can sometimes avoid catastrophic failure when a load-bearing element breaks…
PICALM Alzheimer’s risk allele causes aberrant lipid droplets in microglia
PICALM Alzheimer’s risk allele causes aberrant lipid droplets in microglia Key Points • Genome-wide ASoC mapping in human iPSC‑derived microglia (iMGs), astrocytes and neurons prioritises functional non-coding LOAD risk variants;…
Amygdala–liver signalling orchestrates glycaemic responses to stress
Amygdala–liver signalling orchestrates glycaemic responses to stress Key Points • The medial amygdala (MeA) is rapidly activated by physical, social and visual stressors and its activity precedes rises in blood…
Supervised learning in DNA neural networks
Supervised learning in DNA neural networks Summary This paper demonstrates a DNA-based molecular system that performs supervised learning and subsequent classification entirely in vitro. The authors extend DNA strand-displacement ‘seesaw’…
Commensal yeast promotes Salmonella Typhimurium virulence
Commensal yeast promotes Salmonella Typhimurium virulence Summary This Nature paper shows that the common gut fungus Candida albicans can increase the virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) by producing l-arginine after…