How is the UK government funding the KAKENHI basic-science infrastructure? A petition to bolster the country’s scientific funding needs to be restructured

The new UK government’s science minister has been named as clinical researcher Patrick Vallance, who gained a high profile for his sober TV appearances as the government’s chief scientific adviser during the COVID pandemic. Vallance is not a Member of Parliament and has no ministerial experience. But his hiring is “a reassuring signal to the wider research community, that they’ve actually got somebody who understands what they do”, says Jill Rutter, a former civil servant and researcher at the Institute for Government, a think tank in London.

Hundreds of thousands of scientists in Japan have signed a petition calling on the government to increase funds for Japan’s most important source of basic-science funding, KAKENHI. In absolute terms, the annual budget for KAKENHI has remained flat for the past decade, hovering at just under 240 billion yen (US$1.5 billion). The petition’s organizers say double this amount is needed to regain the country’s competitiveness on the international stage. The country’s funding mechanisms need to be restructured according to others.

Nature: The Role of the Spinal Fluid in Neuroprotective Wearable Medical Ultrasonic Devices, and How to Detect Aural Migraines

Research in mice hints at how brain activity triggers aural migraines. It suggests that the ‘aura’ phase before the headache — when people experience symptoms such as blind spots — temporarily changes the content of the cerebrospinal fluid, the clear liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Researchers suggest that this altered fluid will travel through a previously unknown gap in the skull to the nerves where it will cause pain and inflammation. “Migraine is actually protective, as it signals something abnormal is happening in the brain, and that is what we found.” says co-author Maiken Nedergaard. The person is being told to rest and recover, so the pain is protective.

With a lack of social science, humanities or arts modules, many science degrees hamper researchers’ ability to build trust, do work relevant to the public, and be innovative and creative. The book is called Nature and is a 12 min read.

The engineers argue that full body, continuous Wearable Ultrasonic will benefit health care and research. Existing wearables — such as smart watches and glucose monitors — generally collect data from only within millimetres below the skin’s surface. Medical technology that uses sound waves can be used for diagnostic purposes, making it accessible and affordable. But researchers must refine the durability, flexibility and accuracy of these devices, as well as make them more comfortable to wear and extend their battery life. (Nature | 8 min read)

Source: Daily briefing: Spinal fluid causes aural migraine pain, suggests research in mice

The secret lives of amphibians: Lyridiomycosis, a fungal disease that’s protected by a mini sauna

At least 90 amphibian species are at risk of extinction due to a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis that can be treated with a mini sauna. As a bonus, it helps them to become resistant to future infections at cooler temperatures — and anyone can build one in their backyard. The article co-written by Anna Savage explains that this is one of those types of research that is so obvious and intuitive that you think, “Why didn’t I do that?”

Andrew Robinson’s pick of the top five science books to read this week includes a fascinating history of 30 threatened European scientists who were turned away from the United Kingdom during World War II and a valuable book based on a national survey of whether climate anxiety is affecting people’s decisions about procreating.

Lynn Brielmaier was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, orALS, when he was 59 years old, because of his demanding, physical job as a maritime electronics engineer. He was given hope by a US programme that allowed expanded access to experimental therapies. He writes that the track has been filled with bureaucratic hurdles. People living with fatal diseases deserve a seamless system that helps them get access to treatments that might extend their lives.

The thylacine that saved me: How I lost my family, or how I found my husband, and what I can do to save my family

Andrew Pask is checking out his team’s stem cells from the fat-tailed dunnart, a mouse-like mammal that is the closest living relative of the tiger. “Our main project is to bring back the thylacine,” says Pask. To get it, they are trying to produce a complete genome for the species, as well as develop cloning and in situ fertilization for the animals. People claim we are playing God with our work. But we played God when we wiped out the thylacine. My research is looking at the healing of lost habitats. (Nature | 3 min read)

Stuart Cantrill, the editorial director of physics and chemistry Nature, was present when the final report of the United Kingdom’s Infected Blood Inquiry was delivered. The report’s damning verdict: a litany of failures in the country’s National Health Service, more than 30,000 people infected with HIV and hepatitis from blood and blood products, and successive governments who failed to respond adequately to the unfolding scandal. “Of course, many died long before the inquiry was even set up, including my dad,” writes Cantrill. “The devastation wrought on my family cannot be undone, but if lessons are actually learned and real change implemented in patient safety culture, that will at least bring some comfort.”

In the latest Nature Careers advice column, a biology postdoc who wants to break into industry keeps receiving impersonal, early-stage rejections even for jobs they were well suited for. An industry scientist, a career development leader and a sales specialist have tips on how to stop your application disappearing into a black hole.

When he was a junior researcher, climate scientist Peter Stott was present at the climate summit where the landmark Kyoto Protocol was agreed. A new stage play based on the summit feels relevant as it did in 1997, he writes. “The denouement was as thrilling in Kyoto the play as it was in Kyoto the city.”

It’s difficult for biologists to get an animal listed on the list as “endemic” in the first place. They can cope by collaborating and connecting with their local communities. And occasionally, a small miracle — such as when ecologist Luis Coloma saw evidence of an iconic Ecuadorian jambato toad (Atelopus ignescens) that was thought to be extinct. I did not believe it. He lost his faith in seeing the frogs again. “It was a dream.”

Source: Daily briefing: 15-minute reaction turns old clothes into useful molecules

Chemical Breakdown of Polyester and Cotton into Clothing Molecules in South Africa’s Oldest Homogeneous Mounds

The best homes for the Southern harvester termites have been mounds along the Buffels River in South Africa. The mounds are said to be around 34,000 years old, making them the oldest known inhabited mounds. “We knew them to be old, but not that old.” says soil scientist Francis.

A chemical-processing technique breaks down polyester fabrics into reusable molecules in only 15 minutes. It can even tackle mixed materials such as polycotton, breaking down the polyester and leaving the cotton to be recovered. A refined version can recycle 81% of clothing worldwide according to the researchers. “We have a simple process that we can scale to treat large quantities of clothing,” says chemical engineer and study co-author Dionisios Vlachos. “We are very optimistic that this can actually be taken to the real world.”