Hello Nature readers,
Hello Nature readers, this is the news that matters in science today. You can also sign up to get it free in your inbox.
Artists illustration of blood vessels. (Konstantin Inozemtsev/Alamy)
New type of blood vessel discovered in bone
Researchers have discovered a network of tiny blood vessels criss-crossing our long bones, connecting the surface to the interior. The capillaries help to explain why doctors can inject drugs directly into a patient’s leg bone to get them quickly to other parts of the body. The capillaries might also solve how the immune cells made in the bone marrow make their way out. “It’s totally crazy there are still things to find out about human anatomy,” said immunologist Matthias Gunzer.
Reference: Nature Metabolism paper
Marijuana feature riles cannabis researchers
An article in The New Yorker and a New York Times opinion piece that draw a connection between marijuana use, schizophrenia and violent crime have sparked criticism among cannabis researchers. “We did NOT conclude that cannabis causes schizophrenia,” wrote pharmacologist Ziva Cooper on Twitter, who worked on a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report referred to in both pieces.
The Seattle Times | 5 min read
DNA sequencing: coming to a cop shop near you
Law-enforcement agencies in the United States have started using Rapid DNA machines, which can analyse the DNA profile of a sample in around 90 minutes — with no scientist or lab tech needed. A new law allows many of those profiles to be linked to the national DNA database. The New York Times explores what fast, cheap, easy DNA testing means for crime fighting, privacy and freedom.
The New York Times | 12 min read
FEATURES & OPINION
How to deal with not getting tenure
“I didn’t see being denied tenure as a blessing, but having that door closed put me on a path to doing something I really enjoy,” says inorganic chemist Sibrina Collins, who is now executive director of the Marburger STEM Center at Lawrence Technological University in Michigan. Collins and others who have faced the tough experience of being rejected for tenure tell Nature how they moved on, and why “the best revenge is doing well”.
Shutdown will cast a long shadow over research
Hydrologist Anne Jefferson has been collecting and sharing stories of the US government shutdown at #ScienceShutdown on Twitter — and the stories have her worried about the effects on science for years to come.
The non-stop waste of water
A new book dives into how societies, city states and regions have collapsed into rubble or dry leaves because of water mismanagement – and warns it could happen again. In The Water Paradox, environmental economist Edward Barbier calls for an end to policy, markets and governance that underprice water and allow it to be used as if it were plentiful.
