Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here.
Wildfires disrupt California universities
The University of California, Berkeley, and the neighbouring Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory were among the institutions in California that temporarily closed their doors this week because of wildfires. Blazes whipped up by hurricane-force winds have prompted mass evacuations and the second precautionary power cut in a month. Researchers say that things have gone more smoothly this time, compared with the chaos triggered by planned power outages in early October.
Geneticists recoil from ‘gay gene’ app
Scientists and genetic counsellors are not happy about a controversial app that offers to interpret the results of a person’s consumer DNA test to gauge their level of attraction to others of the same sex. The app is loosely based on the findings of a massive study on the genetics of same-sex sexual behaviour — even though the analysis concluded that a person’s genes cannot predict their sexuality. The geneticists behind the research say that the app misrepresents their work, and genetic counsellors point out that it is an example of how facile DNA-analysis tools have the potential to cause anxiety, unnecessary medical expenses and stigmatization.
More people at risk of rising seas
The most detailed maps yet of coastal topography vastly increase estimates of the number of people whose homes are threatened by rising seas. Under worst-case climate-change scenarios, up to 630 million people will face flooding at least once a year by 2100 — three times as many as previously thought. Researchers used neural networks to reduce the errors in satellite data from NASA, which can falsely identify built-up areas and forests as higher ground.
Reference: Nature Communications paper
Features & opinion
India’s tiger renaissance isn’t what it seems
The iconic Indian tiger seems to be a major conservation success story: the government announced in July that the number of wild tigers (Panthera tigris) in the country had doubled from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 today. But many scientists are sceptical of the data, and a lack of trust between independent researchers and their government counterparts isn’t helping.
Psychiatry, pseudopatients and fake data
Fifty years ago, an experiment that purposely sent healthy people to mental hospitals had far-reaching and much-needed effects on psychiatric care. But when journalist Susannah Cahalan set out to tell the story of social psychologist David Rosenhan and his volunteers, she was left doubting that much of it really happened.
Beware Brexit promises for science
The British government has been talking up its plans for more funding for research following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. But the promises rely on the health of the country’s economy — and Brexit looks likely to put that at risk, argues a Nature Editorial. Analysts predict that income per capita could be between 2.3% and 7% lower after the split.