As a result of the pandemic, workers around the world have become accustomed to meeting colleagues online. To find out if this switch from face-to-face meetings came at a cost to creativity, a team compared the number of ideas generated by workers collaborating either online, or in-person. They showed that people meeting virtually produced fewer creative ideas than those working face-to-face, and suggest that when it comes to idea generation maybe it’s time to turn the camera off.
Research article: Brucks & Levav
News and Views: Virtual collaboration hinders idea generation
Video: Why video calls are bad for brainstorming
Fragments from an ancient pyramid suggest earliest known use of a Maya calendar, and how sweet snacks could damage rare iguanas’ metabolism.
Research Highlight: Deer symbol hints at early adoption of Maya calendar
Research Highlight: Tourists’ sweet treats threaten rare iguanas’ health
Researchers looking at the skin cells of zebrafish have discovered a new type of cell division, which doesn’t require DNA replication. DNA is usually essential for healthy cells, but the researchers think this puzzling finding may be a temporary measure to help the fish produce skin more rapidly during growth spurts.
Research article: Chan et al.
News and Views: Stretched skin cells divide without DNA replication
Video: A new kind of cell division
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how laser-equipped submarines could help analyse gelatinous animals’ anatomy, and a push for a flagship mission to Uranus.
The New Yorker: Shedding Light on Untouchable Sea Creatures
Nature: Next stop, Uranus? Icy planet tops priority list for next big NASA mission
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Coronapod: The race to expand antibody testing
23 April 2020: Denisovan DNA in modern Europeans, and the birth of an unusual celestial object
Coronapod: Troubling news
Coronapod: An untapped resource
09 April 2020: A plastic-recycling enzyme, and supercooled molecules
Coronapod: Ramping up responses
02 April 2020: Dating an ancient hominid skull, and an ancient Antarctic rainforest
Coronapod: Old treatments and new hopes
25 March 2020: Ultra-fast electrical switches, and computing heart health
Podcast Extra: Rosamund Pike on portraying Marie Curie
Coronapod: “Test, test, test!”
19 March 2020: Rosamund Pike in Radioactive, and the resurgence of Russian science
Podcast Extra: Coronavirus - science in the pandemic
Long Read Podcast: Are feelings more than skin deep?
12 March 2020: An ancient bird trapped in amber, and life beneath the ocean floor
05 March 2020: Ultrafast machine vision, and quicker crystal creation
Backchat: Covering coronavirus
27 February 2020: Mapping fruit flies’ neural circuitry, and perfecting the properties of metallic glass
Podcast Extra: ‘There is lots of anxiety’: a scientist’s view from South Korea
20 February 2020: Improving battery charging, and harnessing energy from the air
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