Cresci et al. show that glass eels are able to use their magnetic compass to imprint the magnetic direction of tidal flows at the estuaries of the streams where they develop into yellow eels. The authors hypothesize that this ability helps glass eels to maintain their position in … | Continue reading
Scientists long assumed that new genes appear when evolution tinkers with old ones. It turns out that natural selection is much more creative. | Continue reading
Telomere shortening is associated with aging. Here the authors analyze mice with hyperlong telomeres and demonstrate that longer telomeres than normal have beneficial effects such as delayed metabolic aging, increased longevity and less incidence of cancer. | Continue reading
Swarms of crustaceans called krill dominate Antarctic ecosystems, yet their influence on biogeochemical cycles remains a mystery. Here Cavan and colleagues review the role of krill in the Southern Ocean, and the impact of the krill fishery on ocean fertilisation and the carbon si … | Continue reading
Species comparisons using single-cell transcriptomics and accessible chromatin profiling in stem cell-derived cerebral organoids are used to map dynamic gene-regulatory changes that are unique to humans. | Continue reading
Denis Rebrikov also told Nature that he does not plan to implant gene-edited embryos until he gets regulatory approval. | Continue reading
Chris Lintott’s chronicle of the booming citizen-science project Zooniverse is inspirational, finds Michael West. | Continue reading
Laura Spinney weighs up Frank Snowden’s sweeping history charting the impact of infectious diseases on society. | Continue reading
Chassis-independent recombinase-assisted genome engineering (CRAGE) enables the integration of plasmids encoding biosynthetic gene clusters into the chromosomes of diverse bacteria to optimize production of natural products in non-native strains. | Continue reading
In a nanobeam that is strongly coupled to a single-electron transistor, electron tunnelling back-action induces self-sustaining mechanical oscillations. This oscillator can be compared to a phonon laser and can be stabilized. | Continue reading
CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) can target select genes and, rather than being used to delete them, can be used to activate their expression. Chen and colleagues use a CRISPRa-based approach to drive the expression of multiple endogenous genes in tumors and presentation of the antige … | Continue reading
Researchers rapidly corrected finding through discussions on social media and preprints. | Continue reading
The combination of metallurgy concepts and nanotechnology with liquid metal processing has been largely unexplored. Here the authors use liquid-phase ultrasonication to produce a model system of catalytically active nano-alloys, demonstrating electrocatalysis and photocatalysis. | Continue reading
Editor asked to resign from journal for saying he’ll review only papers whose data he can see. | Continue reading
Nomawethu Hlazo, a PhD student in archaeology at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, speaks to Nature about her experiences. | Continue reading
Researchers without access to backup power scramble to save invaluable specimens and expensive reagents. | Continue reading
By applying a pressure of 2.8 GPa using a diamond anvil cell, a topological phase transition is found to occur in Cr-doped PbSe. This enables a thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of 1.7 at room temperature. | Continue reading
Simulated mergers of two massive stars provide a solution to the long-standing puzzle of the origin of strong magnetic fields in a subset of massive stars. | Continue reading
How to prevent unwanted dispersal of reagents in microfluidic systems. | Continue reading
HuBMAP supports technology development, data acquisition, and spatial analyses to generate comprehensive molecular and cellular three-dimensional tissue maps. | Continue reading
CRISPR–Cas9 engineering of the Drosophila Atpα gene (encoding the α-subunit of the sodium pump) is used to study the ability of mutations that evolved independently in several insect orders to confer resistance to keystone plant toxins. | Continue reading
Molecular crystals that show a reversible shape change by external stimuli are invaluable for the design of actuators but their strong deformations usually lead to their destruction. Here the authors report a fluorenone derivative showing a strong, reversible and instantaneous sh … | Continue reading
By exploiting the electro-optic properties of thin-film lithium niobate, an integrated single-waveguide Fourier transform spectrometer with a footprint of <10 mm2 and an operational bandwidth of 500 nm in the near- and short-wavelength infrared is demonstrated. | Continue reading
State supreme court will determine whether case that accuses government of endangering public welfare can proceed. | Continue reading
Sam Illingworth explains how poetry can help to communicate and celebrate your science. | Continue reading
Artificial-intelligence researchers are trying to fix the flaws of neural networks. | Continue reading
Microbes fight infection using components of a cGAS pathway. | Continue reading
Papers from 2015 are a tougher read than some from the nineteenth century — and the problem isn't just about words, says Philip Ball. | Continue reading
On the centenary of the Nobel laureate’s birth, Patrick French explores her science-infused series Canopus in Argos. | Continue reading
Two strategies for choosing a parking spot save far more time than a third, according to researchers’ estimates. | Continue reading
Desiree Dickerson discusses learning to control the voice in her head that insisted she wasn’t good enough. | Continue reading
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, who discovered the first extrasolar planet orbiting a Sun-like star, share award with theoretical cosmologist James Peebles. | Continue reading
The champion of India’s freedom movement was an innovator and supporter of sustainable science. | Continue reading
Biological advances have repeatedly changed who we think we are. | Continue reading
Physicist who shared Nobel for theoretical basis of superconductivity. | Continue reading
Papers need to include fewer claims and more proof to make the scientific literature more reliable, warns William G. Kaelin Jr. Sam Ogden | Continue reading
Pacific parrotlets rapidly adjust their toes and claws to perch stably. | Continue reading
Improved understanding of conditions in the stratosphere are helping to produce more-accurate short-term climate forecasts. | Continue reading