A 100 years of human-origins research is celebrated out of Africa
On February 7, 1925, Nature published an article on a fossil found in South Africa. The fossil was the skull of a hominin named ‘Taung’. Taung was around 3.8 years old when it died, with a brain of near-adult size and developmental maturity beyond that of a human of the same age, researchers have said.
A bile acid would explain why calories aren’t lowered as much
A molecule made by bacteria called lithocholic acid can prolong lifespan in nematodes and fruit flies, as per two studies published in Nature this year. The molecule, which is made by bacteria in the gut, aids the digestion of fats. It was fed to the animals and extended their lifespans through calorific restriction.
Governments don’t use science to solve their biggest problems
US is the best country for incorporating science into government decisions, according to Nature magazine’s survey of leading science-policy specialists. The US is followed by the UK, Philippines and Ireland. Over 60% of survey respondents said science advice fails to incorporate a diversity of people or viewpoints. Some 60% respondents said that funders’ failure to do so was an impediment to science advice.
How to recover from a climate disaster
Over 2,000 Nature readers said the US presidential election 2020 could have big impacts on a variety of things, including climate change and public health. Reforms by the National Natural Science Foundation of China to help young scientists get research funding could be making it more difficult. The poll was conducted between October 10 and November 5.
Deplatforming on January 6th decreased the reach of misinformation
A new study published in Nature has found that deplatforming did not reduce harms of online misinformation on fringe users. It added that complementary effects in online social networks and news consumption were a natural experiment. “It’s hard to see how deplatforming can reduce the harms of online misinformation,” it stated. This comes days after Facebook removed fake news from its platform.