This Nature briefing covers efforts to extend the lives of pets, Brazil’s scientific outlook after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election, evidence that jumping spiders may experience a sleep state similar to rapid eye movement (REM), and a newly identified marine amphibian fossil. It also examines the future of psychedelic medicine, theories about the origins of language, and practical ways for researchers to prevent equipment from disappearing in shared laboratories.
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In addition to humans, gene therapy to extend lifespan is also being studied in dogs. Credit: Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/Getty
Extending pets’ lives
Fueled by a boom in human longevity research, scientists are searching for ways to extend the lifespans of pets. Most current efforts focus on improving animals’ diets. Some researchers are also investigating whether drugs approved for humans could be repurposed for use in pets, while other groups are developing animal-specific treatments from the ground up.
These treatments include drugs and gene therapies for conditions ranging from muscle weakness in cats to heart disease in dogs.
Nature | 5 minute read
What Lula’s re-election means for Brazilian science
Physicist Paulo Artaxo said of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s re-election: “Words cannot express how happy the scientific community and Brazilian society are at Lula’s victory.”
Many researchers feared that a victory for right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro would lead to cuts in funding and undermine Brazilian science, as his father did when he was president of Brazil. Lula has pledged to continue his existing support for science, but his challenge will be to “translate science policy into lasting progress”, said engineer Francilline Garcia.
Nature | 6 minute read
Do jumping spiders dream?
Jumping spiders (Portia fimbriata) appear to experience a phenomenon similar to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and may even dream. Researchers found that P. fimbriata has a period of nighttime inactivity during which it responds more slowly to noise.
The spiders’ eyes also move rapidly, and their legs twitch at different points during the night. The researchers refer to this state as similar to REM sleep. Their findings suggest that spiders’ brains may be sufficiently developed to require a sleep state.
Science | 5 minute read
Reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper
This week’s image
The newly discovered amphibian species Gerrothorax maritimus was approximately 74 centimetres long and had a flat, armoured body. Credit: Ryosuke Motani
This flattened fossil belongs to Gerrothorax maritimus, a newly described amphibian species that lived approximately 237 million years ago. Two G. maritimus fossils were found in what is now China’s Guizhou province, far from any land that existed at the time. The discovery suggests that some amphibians were able to live in the ocean during this period.
The excellent preservation of the pair’s skeletons suggests that the fossils were not washed to their resting place by water.
Nature | 4 minute read
Image: Ryosuke Motani
Features and impressions
The uncertain future of psychedelic medicine
After regulatory rollbacks in 2024, some drug companies are making major investments in psychedelics as treatments for mental-health conditions. Clinical-trial results indicate that these drugs can be effective for conditions ranging from anxiety and drug use to eating disorders.
Other research is focused on fine-tuning psychedelic compounds to increase their clinical usefulness. However, researchers should not assume that the sector’s momentum will continue, says psychedelics researcher Philip Lucas. Obstacles such as the US government’s “war on drugs” have stalled the field in the past, and could do so again, he says.
Nature | 8 minute read
How language might have begun
In Revolutionary Origins of Language, anthropologists Chris Knight and Jerome Lewis argue that social cohesion, rather than conflict, drove the emergence of human language.
The authors draw on complex evidence, primarily from prehistoric and modern Africa, to support their theory. They suggest that women may have played an important role in the invention of language through “subtle work to maintain group cohesion”. Although the pair’s hypotheses appear reasonable, “the origins of language remain an intriguing mystery”, writes science writer Andrew Robinson in a review of the book.
Nature | 7 minute read
Keeping track of laboratory equipment
In shared laboratories, tools that keep disappearing can bring experiments to a halt and frustrate researchers. Nature spoke directly with scientists about how to protect their work, equipment and sanity without becoming the lab’s secret police.
Their advice includes clearly labelling equipment that belongs only to you, keeping spare versions of essential items and politely asking colleagues to return tools.
Nature | 9 minute read
Quote of the day
Production designer Dan Bishop and his team worked with archaeologists to ensure that the sets built for the upcoming comedy series Dig accurately depicted real-world excavation sites. (New York Times | 4 minute read)
Word of the year
Today’s celebration is Dictionary.com’s word of the year: “Max Thing”. Most commonly used as a suffix, the word means “to pursue an activity to its fullest extent or to optimize a particular aspect of life”. For example, today I went “Briefingmaxxing”.
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Jacob Smith, Associate Editor, Nature Briefing
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