For biologists, a long-standing question has been why some animals live longer than others. This week a team have attempted to answer this, by measuring the rates that different animal species accumulate mutations. They show that longer-lived animals acquire mutations at a slower rate, which helps to explain why cancer risk does not scale with lifespan.
Research article: Cagan et al.
News and Views: Mutational clocks tick differently across species
A clinical trial suggests a change to the treatment of a pregnancy ailment, and astronomers identify the largest known structure produced by a single galaxy.
Research Highlight: Ambitious trial inspires a rethink on a common ailment of pregnancy
Research Highlight: Even among ‘giant’ galaxies this one is record-setting
Many European countries are dependent on Russian fossil fuels for energy production. Following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, these countries are looking to wean themselves off these fuels, which could have short- and long-term impacts on emissions and food production.
Feature: What the war in Ukraine means for energy, climate and food
Editorial: The EU can simultaneously end dependence on Russia and meet climate goals
Editorial: The war in Ukraine is exposing gaps in the world’s food-systems research
Last week, a new estimate of the W boson’s mass caused much excitement among physicists. The result suggests that this particle is heavier than theory predicts, a finding that could be the first major breach in the standard model of particle physics. However, measuring W bosons is notoriously tricky, and further work will be needed to confirm the finding.
News: Particle’s surprise mass threatens to upend the standard model
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24 May 2018: Climate costs, cleverer cab journeys, and peering through matter with muons
17 May 2018: Probing the proton, research misconduct, and making sense of mystery genes
10 May 2018: AI neuroscience, liquid crystals, and depression in academia
03 May 2018: Building early embryos, the fear response in mice, and ancient rhino remains
26 April 2018: Mini brains, and an updated enzyme image
Backchat April 2018: Sexual harassment, social media, and celebrity scientists
19 April 2018: Synchronised shrimp, supernova science, and spring books.
12 April 2018: The power of remote sensing, and watching a neutron star glitch
05 April 2018: Human's influence on the Mississippi and 'dirty' mice
29 March 2018: AI in chemistry, and liquid droplets in living cells.
22 March 2018: Mexican cavefish, the gut microbiome, and a wearable brain scanner.
15 March 2018: Geoengineering Antarctica and increasing NMR’s resolution.
8 March 2018: Surprising graphene superconductors, and 50 years dreaming of electric sheep.
1 March 2018: Brain waves and a fingerprint from the early Universe
Backchat February 2018: Luck, debate, and the quantum internet
22 February 2018: A focus on adolescence
15 February 2018: Optical clocks, healthy ageing, and fieldwork during pregnancy
08 February 2018: Tough timber, magpie intelligence, and invasive crayfish
01 February 2018: Stone Age tools in India, and coral reefs in crisis
25 January 2018: Tiny robots, 3D images, and a honeycomb maze
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