Research highlighted in this briefing examines how the developing human brain removes neurons with chromosomal abnormalities around birth, the feasibility of a space-based planetary sunshade, warning signs of suspicious journal activity, and why a second dengue infection can be more severe. The edition also explores the need for better measures of immune health, how lived experience can shape scientific research, an experimental treatment for a rare bone-forming disease, and which animals humans might beat in a race.
By the time a baby is born, its brain has lost a large number of neurons because of a genetic abnormality. Credit: Getty
Neurons with abnormalities disappear before birth
Around the time of birth, the developing human brain appears to eliminate vast numbers of neurons carrying mutations. Researchers found that more than a quarter of the neurons sampled from human fetuses had some form of chromosomal abnormality. That proportion fell to 6% in newborn babies’ brains.
The findings point to a previously unrecognized mechanism that helps regulate the number of neurons in the brain and determine which fetal neurons survive, said study co-author Diane Hsiao, a pediatric neurogeneticist.
Nature | 5 minute read
Reference: Nature paper
A possible space-based sunshade
A new report suggests that it could be possible to launch a fleet of satellites that reflect sunlight away from Earth and reduce global temperatures within 20 to 40 years. The timetable for realizing such a “planetary sunshade” would depend on how quickly heavy-lift rockets capable of transporting materials into deep space are developed.
Space systems engineer Chantal Cappelletti said that many people consider the idea “just a pipe dream.” However, falling space-launch costs have made space-based solar geoengineering seem more realistic.
Nature | 6 minute read
Reference: Planetary Sunshade Institute Report
Warning signs of suspicious journal activity
Researchers identified three warning signs that a journal may warrant investigation for suspicious publishing activity. The indicators are that a journal doubles its publication output in one year, at least 70% of its published articles come from a single country, or at least 15% of its articles are flagged by the free online tool Questionable Paper Screener.
Using journal titles listed in the OpenAlex database, the team identified 3,753 journals that met at least one of these criteria. The researchers emphasized that these signals can identify journals worthy of further investigation but do not prove that a journal is problematic.
Nature | 5 minute read
Reference: Zenodo preprint (not peer reviewed)
Why dengue can be more severe the second time
Results from a clinical trial in which volunteers were intentionally infected with a weakened strain of dengue virus could help explain why the disease is often more severe after a second infection. This effect has complicated efforts to develop a dengue vaccine.
People who had previously been infected with dengue tended to have higher viral loads and stronger hyperinflammatory signals during their second infection than people who had never encountered the virus. Those with the highest viral loads had fewer antibodies to fight the infection, and their antibodies were less effective.
Nature | 4 minute read
Reference: Science Translational Medicine paper
Features and perspectives
Defining immune health
To better understand how individuals respond to particular treatments, a group of medical researchers argues that scientists should develop a comprehensive characterization of “immunity,” or immune health, across cells, tissues, organs and molecular interactions.
The first step, they say, is to identify key measurements that indicate when immune function has weakened or diminished. “Immune health could become a routine aspect of medicine if scientists can figure out which measurements matter, validate them in diverse populations, and establish when acting on those measurements improves disease outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
Nature | 11 minute read
How lived experience shapes science
Formerly homeless ecologist Sage Raymond studies interactions between urban wildlife and people living in shelters. When a reviewer commented on a draft of her previous work that she and her colleagues seemed “naive about homelessness,” Raymond was shocked.
“That assumption shocked me; it implied that someone with my background did not belong in academia,” Raymond wrote. She developed skills that supported her research, but says that “many of the life experiences that bring diversity to science are invisible,” leaving room for harmful assumptions.
Quote of the day
Ashley Krupiel participated in a clinical trial of galetosumab, a treatment for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). FOP is an extremely rare disease in which connective tissue gradually turns into bone.
Although the drug cannot reverse the progression of Krupiel’s disease, her participation could still provide researchers with valuable safety and efficacy data. (New York Times | 6 min read)
Which animals could humans beat in a race?
Determining which animal could lose to a human in a running race is more complicated than it might seem, according to researchers interviewed by the BBC. Many animals have higher top speeds than the average human, but they may accelerate more slowly. Distance also matters: faster animals may not have the stamina to reach the finish line.
As for the writer, lacking both speed and stamina makes the chances of winning generally low.
Readers can share which animals they think would be most suitable, along with feedback on the newsletter, at briefing@nature.com.
Thank you for reading,
Jacob Smith, Associate Editor, Nature Briefing
- Nature Briefing: Careers — insights, advice and award-winning journalism to help you optimize your work life.
- Nature Briefing: Microbiology — coverage of microorganisms, the most abundant life forms on Earth, and their roles in health, the environment and our food system.
- Nature Briefing: The Anthropocene — climate change, biodiversity, sustainability and geoengineering.
- Nature Briefing: AI and Robotics — 100% written by humans, of course.
- Nature Briefing: Cancer — a weekly newsletter written with cancer researchers in mind.
- Nature Briefing: Translational Research — biotechnology, drug discovery and pharmaceuticals.
Source: www.nature.com
