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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16 May 2019: Recoding genomes, and material from the Moon's far side
09 May 2019: Urban vs Rural BMI, and the health of rivers
02 May 2019: China's growing science network, and talking brain signals
Nature PastCast April 1953: The other DNA papers
25 April 2019: Tiny earthquakes, the genetics of height, and how US-China politics is affecting research
18 April 2019: Reviving brains, lightning, and spring books
Podcast Extra: The first image of a black hole
11 April 2019: Heart failure and vacuum field fluctuations.
04 April 2019: MDMA and the malleable mind, and keeping skin young
Backchat March 2019: Calls for a research moratorium, and the evolution of science reporting
28 March 2019: Human impacts on Mount Kilimanjaro, sex differences in pain, and a crystal-based cooling method
21 March 2019: Antibiotics in orchards, and rethinking statistical significance
Nature Pastcast March 1918: The eclipse expedition to put Einstein to the test
14 March 2019: Ebola in DRC, a new HIV treatment, and the proposed US budget.
07 March 2019: Coastal carbon-sinks, mobile health, and Mileva Marić
28 February 2019: Cuckoo parasitism, topological materials, and cannabinoids in yeast.
21 February 2019: Mouse cell atlases and cataloguing viruses
14 February 2019: Atherosclerosis and disruptive science
07 February 2019: Massive chemical libraries, and CRISPR-CasX
31 January 2019: Women of the periodic table, and harvesting energy from Wi-Fi
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