Daily Toothbrushing Instructions: How Toothbrushes Remove Bacteria and Plaque

Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections, while new research explored bacteria-killing toothbrushes, the origins of Celtic and Germanic languages, gene therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy and an AI-operated laboratory. Other reports examined how health information can reshape social networks, Parkinson’s disease, diversity in spaceflight and the possible social consequences of artificial intelligence.

Science and politics

Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections, raising hopes that lawmakers will push back against disruptions to science introduced by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration. A Democratic majority in both chambers would allow the party to draft legislation opposing Mr. Trump’s science policies. However, because Democrats do not hold a two-thirds majority in either chamber, the president could veto those bills.

The results also brought scientists and medical experts further into the political arena. “The nerds are fighting back,” said Shaughnessy Norton, president of the political fundraising group 314 Action.

Nature | 7 min read

Research highlights

An electrically active toothbrush

New manual toothbrushes can destroy bacteria by generating their own electrical charge instead of relying solely on friction. The bristles are made from a polymer that researchers stretched and heated to give it a piezoelectric shape, meaning that it produces an electric charge when deformed.

As the curved bristles bend during brushing, they release an electrical charge that generates highly reactive oxygen in the surrounding saliva. According to the research team, these reactive compounds damage bacterial cell membranes. When the bristles relax, the material absorbs the charge again and can be reused.

Nature | 3 min read

Reference: Science Advances paper

Ancient genomes and European languages

Two studies analyzing more than 4,700 ancient human genomes identify possible origins of Celtic and Germanic languages and reveal migrations that may have spread their speakers across Europe. The findings could help explain why Germanic languages such as English and Dutch are widespread, whereas Celtic languages such as Welsh and Gaelic are concentrated among millions of people in northern Europe.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: Nature papers 1 and 2

Gene therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy

Three people with drug-resistant epilepsy experienced more than 90% fewer seizures per month after receiving an injection of a gene-carrying virus into their brains in an early-stage clinical trial. The treatment targeted the small area of brain tissue responsible for each participant’s seizures.

The virus delivers a gene that makes neurons in the targeted area responsive to clozapine, a drug that activates the gene therapy and helps suppress the abnormal electrical activity associated with seizures. The participants experienced no serious side effects, but the researchers said that long-term clozapine use could carry cardiovascular and other risks.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: New England Journal of Medicine paper

A largely autonomous genetics laboratory

Shanghai’s Genetics Research Institute has handed over nearly all control of a laboratory to robots directed by artificial-intelligence agents. The “self-driving” laboratory’s robotic arm can operate more than 20 types of equipment, carry out thousands of operations in a single project and perform experiments including DNA synthesis and sequencing.

The system, called “AutoDNA”, uses simple human prompts to plan and execute experiments. Once it is running, people need to intervene only to replenish reagents and maintain the hardware.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: Nature paper

This week’s infographic

Health information distributed during randomized clinical trials can unintentionally reshape social relationships, according to a trial in rural Honduras. Researchers found that an intervention providing information about child and maternal health affected people’s friendships, financial relationships and sources of health advice.

Overall connectivity declined in villages where only a small proportion of residents received the information. In villages where most households received the intervention, connectivity increased.

Nature News and Views | 6 min read

Reference: Nature paper

Features and perspectives

Diversity in spaceflight

When NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins launched to the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule last month, she became the first Black woman to lead a crewed space mission. Sian Proctor, the first Black woman to fly a spacecraft, on a SpaceX commercial mission in 2021, discusses how commercial spaceflight is expanding access and considers whether it could help create a future in space that reflects the diversity of people on Earth.

Space.com | 11 min read (free registration required)

Looking beyond the brain in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease research has traditionally focused on the brain and the process that causes dopamine-producing neurons to die. However, research has not yet identified a genetic component for most people with the disease, and its underlying triggers remain unknown.

Some scientists are investigating environmental factors that could contribute to the disease, while others are finding evidence that changes in gut proteins may occur before symptoms appear in the brain.

Nature | 15 min video

This article is part of Nature’s perspective: Parkinson’s disease, a supplement produced with financial support from Aspen Neuroscience, Inc.

Quote of the day

Humanity will know within 10 years whether artificial-intelligence tools will enable “rapid enrichment” or “social tearing apart”, says computer scientist Jeffrey Hinton. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024 for developing tools to understand the neural networks that power AI. (The Guardian | 5 min read)

Help name a space-cleaning robot

The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is asking the public to name its space-debris-removal mission. Suggested names can contain up to two letters and should fit the theme of “names inspired by keeping spaces clean and safe for future generations”.

UKSA has provided examples of past mission names for inspiration, perhaps also to discourage joke suggestions. One of those names previously topped a British naming survey.

Comments and suggestions about this newsletter can be sent to briefing@nature.com.

Thank you for reading,

Jacob Smith, Associate Editor, Nature Briefing

Contributed by Flora Graham

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Source: www.nature.com