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| Super-precise optical clocks have made it possible to probe Earth's gravitational field by measuring differences in clock speed. Even more precise nuclear clocks could give these methods a major boost. (Andrew Brookes, National Physical Laboratory/Science Photo Library) | |||||
Ultra-precise 'nuclear' clock in sightResearchers have used a laser to prompt tiny energy shifts in an atomic nucleus — a major step towards building nuclear clocks. These could be around 10 times more accurate than the world's current best timekeepers, known as optical clocks, and less sensitive to disturbances. "We will be able to probe scenarios of dark matter and of fundamental physics that are currently inaccessible to other methods," says theoretical physicist Elina Fuchs. To turn the system into an actual clock, physicists will need to build higher-resolution lasers that nudge the nucleus with more precision. Nature | 5 min readReference: Physical Review Letters paper | |||||
Hot super-Earth has atmosphereInvestigations using the James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed that the exoplanet 55 Cancri e has a carbon-based atmosphere — the first time an atmosphere has been detected surrounding a rocky planet similar to Earth outside the Solar System. The planet orbits very close to its Sun-like star and can't support life as we know it, in part because it is probably covered by a magma ocean. "Earth probably went through at least one magma-ocean stage, maybe several," says planetary geologist Laura Schaefer. "Having actual present-day examples of magma oceans can help us understand the early history of our Solar System." Nature | 3 min readReference: Nature paper | |||||
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| 55 Cancri e is about twice Earth's radius and more than eight times as heavy (see a high-resolution version of this graphic). (NASA, ESA, CSA, Dani Player (STScI)) | |||||
Brazilian universities hit by strikesAcademic workers at some Brazilian institutions are entering their fourth week of strikes for better wages and more university funding. They say the country's president has come up short in his promise to boost science and education funding, in part because of opposition from legislators. "We are not against the government," says botanist Thiago André. "We are in negotiation with the government." The strikes have halted classes on many campuses, although many scientists are continuing their research. It's unclear when the strike will end. Nature | 5 min read | |||||
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The scientist who fled Aleppo"If you're passionate about research, about science, I think my advice is to never give up, '' says Syrian biochemist Aref Kyyaly. He recalls being close to abandoning his work when, in 2013, he decided to flee war-torn Aleppo with his family. The Council for At-Risk Academics helped Kyyaly secure a visa and job in the United Kingdom. "It was like a door was opened for me." Kyyaly has been granted permission to stay in the country and has secured a permanent job as a biomedical science lecturer, but his immigration status has hindered his career: "I have friends who started four or five years after me and now they're way ahead of me." Nature | 8 min read | |||||
'Nanopore' sequencing: now for proteinsBy squeezing a protein through a nanopore — a tiny opening created by another protein — researchers are starting to decipher the string of amino acid building blocks that proteins are made of. This nanopore sequencing is mostly used for DNA whose building blocks can be 'read out' as it passes through the nanopore, driven by an electrical current. Proteins can't be moved consistently by a current, so researchers have found ways to push or pull them through a pore using water, enzymes or molecular motors. "All the pieces are there to start with to do single-molecule proteomics and identify proteins and their modifications using nanopores," says chemical biologist Giovanni Maglia. Nature | 6 min read | |||||
How to illuminate the 'ugly' side of scienceData repositories, workshops and alternative journals allow scientists to share and discuss negative results, which could help to solve the reproducibility crisis and give machine learning a boost. Publishing negative-result studies is often seen as not worth the time and effort, yet "understanding the reasons for null results can really test and expand our theoretical understanding", says psychologist Wendy Ross. And highlighting negative results can help students to see that "you are not a bad researcher because you fail", adds computer scientist Ella Peltonen. Nature | 11 min read | |||||
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| A newly formed crater of Italy's Etna volcano puffs out perfect circles of vapour. These volcanic vortex rings form when cold air above the volcano causes hot gases travelling up the walls of a round vent to condense. Such displays are rare: the vent must have a circular shape and sides of the same height for such well-defined rings to form. See more of the month's sharpest science shots, selected by Nature's photo team. (Fabrizio Villa/Getty) | |||||
Quote of the day"We're living in the golden age of birding, and like any good cult member, I'm recruiting people to the cause."Technology that makes it easier than ever to identify birds and become part of the bird-watching community played a big part in science writer Kate Wong picking up the hobby. (Scientific American | 14 min read) | |||||
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What matters in science | View this email in your browser Monday 11 December 2023 Hello Nature readers, Today, we gaze at what might be the largest known protein, learn about the first global deal on limiting emissions from food production and discover how publishing pressures create unusually prolific authors. A structure prediction for a massive protein discovered by computational biologist Jacob West-Roberts and his colleagues. (West-Roberts, J. et al./bioRxiv ) Not...
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