Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images Nature abhors a vacuum, and so, too, does geopolitics. With the US under Donald Trump vacating the stage when it comes to tackling global warming, the climate crown is waiting to be claimed – and if China’s president, Xi Jinping, wants it, it is his for the taking. China’s climate…
Single Atom Acts as a Quantum Computer and Simulates Molecules A quantum computer has used a single atom to model the complex dynamics of organic molecules interacting with light By Davide Castelvecchi & Nature magazine A view inside the trapped-ion quantum computer that carried out a first-of-its-kind simulation of molecular chemistry. The University of Sydney/Sciencebrush.design…
Dense breast tissue and tumours appear similar on scans, which can make the latter hard to identify Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock If you have dense breast tissue, you could benefit from an extra round of cancer screening, according to a large trial that found this caught tumours that were missed in standard mammograms. The UK’s health services offer…
The quantum-based magnet technique could allow scientists to spot ultralight dark matter particles.
Vitamin D May Slow Cells’ Aging Vitamin D supplements may help prevent the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences that shrink with aging, a large study shows. But the health effects aren’t yet clear By Stephanie Pappas edited by Jeanna Bryner A new study suggests vitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by protecting telomeres. Olga…
Some social media videos recommend taping your mouth shut entirely to improve sleep, while others advise only partly closing it Sevda Ercan/Getty Images There is little good-quality evidence to support the social media trend of taping your mouth closed at night to alleviate breathing difficulties – and some scientists worry it could bring its own…
The collision of two lightning-bolts-in-the-making spawned an exceedingly brief but extremely energetic flash of gamma rays. This first-of-its-kind observation may help explain an origin of some of the most energetic radiation on Earth. Researchers have for years linked the production of gamma rays to the acceleration of electrons by strong electric fields in thunderstorms. Yet…
This Nature Outlook is editorially independent, produced with financial support from Avadel. A healthy diet and regular exercise have long been staples of weight management. But research shows that the role of sleep, which helps to regulate appetite hormones and calorie intake, is just as important. Esra Tasali, a sleep specialist at University of Chicago…
Fragments of the virus have been found in Aedes vexans mosquitoes in Nottinghamshire, UK imv/iStockphoto/Getty Images West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne infection that can be fatal to humans, has been detected in the UK for the first time. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said today that a research project it runs with the Animal…
Weather forecasting is getting cheaper and more accurate. An AI model named Aurora used machine learning to outperform current weather prediction systems, researchers report May 21 in Nature. Aurora could accurately predict tropical cyclone paths, air pollution and ocean waves, as well as global weather at the scale of towns or cities — offering up…
