Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here

Colour mosaic from NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas

In an image captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, sunlight reflects off lakes of liquid methane around Titan's north pole. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/University of Idaho

Astronomers draw first global map of Titan

Astronomers have used data from NASA’s Cassini mission to map the entire surface of Titan for the first time. It reveals that Saturn’s largest moon has a diverse terrain of mountains, plains, valleys, craters and lakes unlike anywhere in the Solar System outside Earth. NASA plans to send a drone to explore the surface of Titan by 2034.

Nature | 4 min read

Reference: Nature Astronomy paper

Source: Ref. 1

Samoa declares measles emergency

Samoa has declared a state of emergency, closed all schools and imposed mandatory immunization because of a measles epidemic that had killed six people as of last week. Most of the deaths have been among infants, none of whom were vaccinated. “The way it is going now and the poor (immunisation) coverage, we are anticipating the worst to come,” said Leausa Take Naseri, Samoa’s director-general of health.

The Guardian | 3 min read

Microgravity makes blood flow backwards

The low gravity on the International Space Station makes some astronauts’ blood flow extremely slowly — and sometimes even flow backwards — in a vein that connects the head and the body. In tests on 11 astronauts in space after 50 days, 6 showed stagnant or retrograde flow in the left internal jugular vein, which caused one to develop a potentially dangerous blood clot.

New Scientist | 3 min read

Reference: JAMA Network Open paper

Research highlights: 1-minute reads

3D printing conquers glass

An innovative ‘ink’ made of glass precursors mixed with organic compounds allows researchers to 3D print glass objects at low temperatures.

Low fibre hinders gut recovery

Human-derived gut bacteria, living in mice, took longer to bounce back after antibiotic therapy when their hosts were fed a low-fibre diet. Separation from other mice also slowed recovery.

‘Bubble wrap’ cushions a cell’s nucleus

A cell protects its nucleus by swaddling it in a minuscule wrapping of soft but resilient protein fibres. The cellular protein vimentin helps to prevent the all-important organelle from rupturing when the cell needs to squeeze through tight spaces.

U-2 spy plane reveals secrets of Ur

Declassified pictures taken by a cold-war spy jet and satellites show that the Mesopotamian city of Ur sprawled over a much bigger area than scientists had realized. The city, located in modern-day Iraq, might at some points have covered more than eight times as much ground as previously estimated.

Get more of Nature’s research highlights: short picks from the scientific literature.

Features & opinion

How we probe and pollute the cosmos

The rich, crowded future of space is the focus of two books that explore the triumphs and disasters of space hardware. They inspire wonder at what we’ve achieved and a fresh awareness that we’ve only just begun, writes reviewer Meg Urry.

Nature | 5 min read

What kind of scientist are you?

When it comes to your research style, are you a Niels Bohr — or more of an Alexander Fleming type? Business researchers Carsten Lund Pedersen and Thomas Ritter have come up with a two-by-two matrix that sorts scientists by their approach to scientific investigation. The benefits, they say, are “a basis for more objective self-analysis and reflection, and a better understanding of your colleagues and how they are likely to complement your own strengths and limitations”.

Nature Index | 6 min read

How to cut plastic in the lab

Reducing the amount of disposable plastic used in the lab is a challenge, and contamination means that recycling is just as hard. From complex decontamination processes to convincing recycling companies that ‘glucose’ is not toxic waste, discover how scientists are finding ways to make it happen.

Mosaic | 15 min read (or this 4-min short version if you’re in a hurry)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The truth is that the system is making young people ill and they need our help.”

The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention, argues a Nature Editorial.