Liquid-crystal specs refocus with the push of a button Summary Researchers have demonstrated spectacles that electronically switch focal power using liquid-crystal optics, allowing wearers to toggle between near and far…
Daily briefing: Epigenetic atlas shows how ageing tweaks DNA Summary This Nature Briefing (02 September 2025) highlights a major new epigenetic “atlas” mapping DNA methylation changes across the adult lifespan…
Flies evolved a shock-absorber tissue used during embryonic development Summary Two new studies examined a long-noted fold in Drosophila embryos — the cephalic furrow, which separates the head from the…
A way to determine how partial charges of atoms in a molecule are distributed Summary Atomic partial charges are small shifts in electron density across atoms in a molecule. Mahmoudi…
Brain tumours in mice grow more slowly when starved of key amino acid Summary Researchers report that many glioblastomas — an aggressive form of brain tumour — take the amino…
Ancient DNA clarifies the early history of the Slavs Summary The News & Views piece summarises a new Nature paper by Gretzinger et al. that uses ancient DNA to examine…
This is the world’s largest ‘mosquito factory’: its goal is to stop dengue Summary The Wolbito do Brasil facility in Curitiba is the world’s largest production site for Aedes aegypti…
Depriving brain tumours of an amino acid could enhance chemotherapy Summary New analysis and accompanying commentary in Nature report that glioblastoma — the most aggressive adult brain cancer — reprogrammes…
Compression causes cancer cells to start spreading Summary A zebrafish model of melanoma shows that mechanical compression by surrounding tissues pushes cancer cells to switch from a proliferative state into…
How academics and ‘big tech’ can learn from one another Summary Steven C. Currall (executive director for academic–corporate initiatives at Harvard) argues that collaborations between universities and large technology firms…
