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People from the Xhosa ethnic group have greater genetic diversity than people of non-African descent.Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty
First genomic study of schizophrenia in African people
The first genomic analysis of schizophrenia in an African population has identified multiple rare mutations that occur more frequently in people with the condition. The mutations are mainly in genes that are important for brain development and the brain’s synapses, tiny structures that coordinate communication between neurons. The work helps fill a gap in our genetic knowledge, which is drawn mostly from people of European descent. It’s also significant because African people as a group have genomes that are much more diverse than those of other populations, and harbour a large number of unique gene variants (because the vast majority of human evolution took place in Africa).
India bets big on quantum technology
India’s latest budget includes more than a billion dollars in funding for quantum computing, communications and cryptography, to be spent over five years. The considerable sum places India alongside the United States, Europe and Russia in terms of quantum-technologies investment. Overall, India’s science ministry received a 10.8% increase in the 2020–21 budget over promised funds in 2019–20.
Harvard chemist’s arrest shocks researchers
Researchers are stunned by the arrest of Charles Lieber, a prominent Harvard University chemist and nanotechnology pioneer. US prosecutors allege that Lieber hid a lucrative agreement with China’s Thousand Talents Plan and with a leading Chinese university. “Charlie is the purest scientific scholar I have ever seen and personally I have 100% trust and confidence in him,” says biomedical engineer Xiaocheng Jiang, a former student of Lieber’s.
Coronavirus outbreak
Chinese paramilitary policemen prepare to patrol at Nanning Wuxu International Airport in the city of Nanning in southern China.Credit: Costfoto/Barcroft Media/Getty
Infections in China pass 20,000
• The number of people infected with the 2019-nCoV coronavirus in China reached 20,438 on 3 February, after more than 3,000 new cases were reported in a day. China’s National Health Commission also reported another 64 deaths, bringing the total to more than 420 in mainland China. Media are also reporting the death of a man in Hong Kong, the second fatality reported outside the mainland. (Nature | continuously updated)
• It is possible that international efforts to quash 2019-nCoV will halt the outbreak — but what if they don’t? Epidemiologists explore two of the most probable future scenarios: 2019-nCoV becomes a fifth “mundane” endemic human coronavirus that we don’t pay much attention to, or it becomes another seasonal pathogen, akin to seasonal influenza. (STAT | 8 min read)
• In early January, ophthalmologist Li Wenliang was targeted by police after he warned fellow doctors that a SARS-like outbreak was happening at Wuhan Central Hospital. Li went public with the experience, and the local authorities have since apologized. But Li, and his parents, ended up infected with the virus themselves. (BBC | 5 min read)
Features & opinion
People will not trust unkind science
A mean and aggressive research working culture threatens people’s respect for scientists and their expertise, says science engagement expert Gail Cardew. “A kinder research culture will build stronger, deeper support for research, as well as higher-quality science,” she says. “Maintaining public trust should not mean shouting more loudly in a noisy world.”
How to build fairer algorithms
To build algorithms that treat people equally, we need to take account of the pathways that give rise to inequity, argue computer scientist Matt Kusner and statistician Joshua Loftus. They outline (with helpful graphics) three ways in which causal models can smoke out unfairness in predictive algorithms using counterfactuals, sensitivity to unobserved quantities and the long-term impacts of decisions.
Don’t make the immigration mistakes I did
When he arrived in the United States as a tenure-track faculty member, water sustainability researcher Jaivime Evaristo found himself in a stressful immigration limbo. He and his family eventually found a happier home in the Netherlands. “I hope that other immigrant scientists take heed from my tale,” he says. Don’t let excitement over a new job blind you to the complexities of a country’s immigration system, and don’t assume that your university will have a system in place to deal with foreign hires.
