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The Manatee Nebula is a shell of dust and gas left over from a supernova between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago, during which the core of an exploding star collapsed to form a black hole. (B. Saxton, (NRAO/AUI/NSF) from data provided by M. Goss, et al.) | |||||
Cosmic ray mystery solvedA black hole at the core of the Manatee Nebula is a source of some of the most energetic particles the Galaxy can produce: cosmic rays. Matter ejected from a companion star spirals into the black hole, generating jets of plasma accelerated to near-light-speed. The finding supports the idea that black holes are a source of the high-energy particles that rain down on Earth from space. Nature | 5 min readReference: Science paper | |||||
Obesity drugs tame inflammationBlockbuster anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic seem to dampen inflammation — raising hope that they could be used to treat diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, that are characterized by brain inflammation. This anti-inflammatory action might partly explain why these drugs, which mimic the hormone GLP-1, seem to provide strong protection against cardiovascular disease. "We know from animal studies and human studies that GLP-1 seems to reduce inflammation almost everywhere," says endocrinologist Daniel Drucker, co-author of a study showing how the drugs work in the brain to calm inflammation. Nature | 6 min readReference: Cell Metabolism paper | |||||
Hunt for gravitational waves heads to spaceThe first experiment to measure gravitational waves from space has been given the go ahead by the European Space Agency. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will send laser-equipped spacecraft to orbit the Sun in search of gigantic ripples in space-time caused by mergers between supermassive black holes, the spiralling of colliding white-dwarf stars and other events. Construction of the multibillion-euro mission will begin in 2025, with the launch planned for 2035. "The first time I wrote a proposal for LISA was 31 years ago," says Karsten Danzmann, who leads the LISA consortium. "People thought it was ridiculous. I said, 'Just you wait.'" Nature | 4 min read | |||||
Gene therapy restores some hearingSeveral recent small trials have seen gene therapy provide some hearing to children who had severe-to-complete hearing loss. "It's an enormous breakthrough," says geneticist Karen Avraham. "Other than cochlear implants, we haven't really had any successful therapies to treat deafness." The treatments aimed to deliver a gene called OTOF, which is needed by sound-transmitting hair cells in the ear. It remains to be seen how long the effect will last. Science | 7 min readReference: The Lancet study | |||||
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How will we spend loss-and-damage cash?In November, a historic decision was made by nations at the United Nations climate conference to set up a loss-and-damage fund. The money is intended to help low- and middle-income countries deal with extreme weather events and slower disasters such as sea-level rise. But the fund is insufficient, and spending it will involve agonizing choices about who has suffered most. "Loss and damage is so dependent on people's values and belief systems," says environmental researcher Douwe van Schie. Nature | 12 min read | |||||
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How new tests track down tuberculosisFast, accurate and accessible diagnostic tests are needed to eradicate tuberculosis (TB), a curable disease that nevertheless killed around 1.3 million people in 2022. "It's the people who have TB and don't know they have it, they're the ones who are spreading the disease," says environmental-health scientist Jerry Cangelosi. Ideas range from adapting COVID-test technology to using a phone camera to analyse TB-detecting nanoparticles. "The technologies are advancing, but honestly, it's too slow," says infectious-disease specialist Ruvandhi Nathavitharana. What is needed, she argues, is the kind of funding and political will that was directed against COVID-19. Nature | 10 min readThis article is part of Nature Outlook: Medical diagnostics, an editorially independent supplement with financial support from Seegene. | |||||
One way to eradicate extreme poverty"Poverty is financial," says social psychologist Catherine Thomas. "But it's also social and psychological." In one programme she studied in Niger, an unconditional US$300 cash transfer was accompanied by life-skills training that improved self-confidence and community. It increased incomes for women in extreme poverty more than giving cash on its own, or microfinance schemes that tend to help entrepreneurial men who are at or above the poverty line. And it was cost-effective, says Thomas. Nature Careers Working Scientist podcast | 21 min listenThis podcast is the first episode in How to Save Humanity in 17 Goals, a series made in partnership with Nature Food about work that addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is editorially independent and produced with financial support from the University of Queensland. | |||||
Quote of the day"Zoozve is NOT a moon of Venus. But it's also NOT NOT a moon of Venus. It's both and neither."A misprint on an astronomy poster led broadcaster Latif Nasser down a playful path of discovery in which he spoke to NASA researchers and prolific asteroid-discoverers to learn about quasi-moons. (Twitter thread | Leisurely scroll — or read it all on one webpage) | |||||
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What matters in science | View this email in your browser Friday 3 May 2024 Hello Nature readers, Today we learn that an orangutan is the first wild animal documented using a medicinal plant to treat a wound. Plus, we explore better treatments for urinary tract infections and introduce a special collection on sex and gender in science. Rakus, two months after he was observed applying a poultice to an open wound on his cheek. The wound is healed and the scar is barely visible. ( Click through for a look at the unpl...
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