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Ancient apex predator tore into hippos with hyena-like teeth

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00505-5

Newly discovered species of leopard-sized carnivore lived some 30 million years ago in what is now Egypt.

Breast cancer is on the rise: data reveal drastic gap in survival rates

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00265-2

Lack of screening and limited treatment options mean that low- and middle-income countries face higher death rates despite having fewer cases than wealthier nations.

The racial injustice laid bare by COVID must not be forgotten

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00458-9

A methodical analysis of pandemic policies in Chicago, Illinois, reveals why short-term interventions are unable to tackle systemic inequities that affect marginalized communities.

UK PhD students welcome 8% pay boost, but demand more to meet rising living costs

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00499-0

Minimum stipends will rise from October in line with living-wage levels, says the country's main funding agency.

Author Correction: HIV-1 Env trimers asymmetrically engage CD4 receptors in membranes

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08802-9

Author Correction: HIV-1 Env trimers asymmetrically engage CD4 receptors in membranes

How scientists can drive climate action: celebrate nature and promote hope

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00567-5

After years of storytelling and running classes and festivals, I’ve seen first-hand how a love of nature makes people want to protect it.

Will AI jeopardize science photography? There’s still time to create an ethical code of conduct

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00532-2

Generative artificial-intelligence illustrations can be helpful, but fall short as scientific records.

Trekking across Nepal to bridge its gender gap in the sciences

Nature Updates - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 24 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00276-z

Biochemist Babita Paudel strives to change Nepal’s standing as the Asian country with the lowest participation of women in science.

How a junk-food splurge can change your brain activity

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00549-7

A short bout of indulgence in fatty, sugary snacks leads to lingering brain-activity changes ― even if it does not cause weight gain.

Daily briefing: Where did COVID-19 come from? Evidence points to raccoon dogs

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00583-5

Where did the virus that causes COVID-19 come from? The number one suspect is the raccoon dog. Plus, what the brain can teach us about urban planning.

Stories of people, past, present and future: Books in brief

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00555-9

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the best science picks.

Tropical forest’s last old growth is being toppled — illegally

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00506-4

Satellite imagery helps to identify two hotspots of deforestation in the Atlantic Forest along Brazil’s eastern coast.

How AI is revealing the language of the birds

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00539-9

Crows make a huge number of different sounds; Artificial Intelligence could help us understand what they mean.

Putting early cancer detection to the test

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00530-4

Identifying tumours using blood samples is possible, but researchers are still working out how to validate and deploy multi-cancer tests.

Cancer evolution could inform targets for personalized anticancer vaccines

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00467-8

Through comprehensive genomic and immune analyses, mechanisms of lung cancer resistance after treatment with EGFR inhibition and vaccine therapy were investigated. This case report, together with data from the longitudinal lung cancer study TRACERx, highlight the importance of understanding when targeted variants are acquired during the cancer’s evolutionary history.

How to bring health and happiness to your lab

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00538-w

Can mindfulness, meditation and other tools designed to boost well-being make a difference? Adam Levy investigates.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 now unlikely to hit Earth — but scientists are ready for future threats

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00552-y

Objects that could strike the planet will be spotted more regularly as new asteroid-hunting telescopes come online.

What sparked the COVID pandemic? Mounting evidence points to raccoon dogs

Nature Updates - Fri, 21/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 21 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00426-3

More than five years on, studies suggest the animal is the most likely culprit, but other candidates haven't been ruled out.

Daily briefing: First in-womb treatment for motor-neuron condition is a success

Nature Updates - Thu, 20/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 20 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00556-8

A motor-neuron condition has been successfully treated in the womb. Plus, how has one month of Donald Trump’s second presidency affected science?

Author Correction: The genetic origin of the Indo-Europeans

Nature Updates - Thu, 20/02/2025 - 00:00

Nature, Published online: 20 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08789-3

Author Correction: The genetic origin of the Indo-Europeans