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(Simon Proud/National Centre for Earth Observation/RAL space/Japan Meteorological Agency)
The month’s best science images
The Japanese weather satellite Himawari-9 captured this overhead view of the Moon’s shadow moving across Earth during a rare hybrid eclipse on 20 April, a phenomenon in which people at different points in the path of the eclipse see distinct phases. Observers on Australia’s North West Cape experienced a total solar eclipse, whereas those elsewhere saw partial or annular ones, in which the Moon blocks only part of the Sun.
See more of the month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team.
‘Remarkable’ AI tool designs mRNA vaccines
An artificial-intelligence (AI) software tool optimizes the gene sequences found in mRNA vaccines. The new methodology was developed by the California branch of Baidu Research, the AI-research arm of Beijing-based search-engine behemoth Baidu. It could help to create jabs that are more potent and stable than standard ones. The software borrows techniques from computational linguistics to design mRNA sequences with more-intricate shapes and structures than those used in current vaccines. Already, the tool has been used to optimize at least one authorized vaccine: a COVID-19 shot called SW-BIC-213.
Mind-reading machine is a ‘wake-up call’
Scientists have developed the first non-invasive method of determining the gist of imagined speech, presenting a possible communication outlet for people who cannot talk. The thought-to-speech technology relies on functional magnetic resonance imaging and large language models. Researchers used it to decode imagined speech in volunteers while they listened to podcasts. But the results were hit-and-miss, and it was easy to trick the technology. Neuroethicists are split on whether the latest advance represents a threat to mental privacy. “I think it’s a big wake-up call for policymakers and the public,” says bioethicist Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz.
Reference: Nature Neuroscience paper
Sudan’s researchers flee violence
Sudan’s academics and students have been forced to abandon universities and residential campuses because of clashes between warring military factions in Khartoum and other major cities. “Armed groups entered the lab,” says pathologist Shahinaz Bedri, the director-general of the country’s National Public Health Laboratory. “We are worried that there might be a bio-risk for them if they open fridges … by now, most of the unrefrigerated samples will have died.”
Features & opinion
The neurological causes of menopause
The first drug that treats hot flushes at the source — the brain — without hormones is being evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Fezolinetant and similar drugs in the pipeline represent a shift in thinking about the poorly understood symptoms of menopause. “We think of menopause as being driven by changes in the ovary,” says Hadine Joffe, who studies mental health and ageing in women. “The notion of the brain at the helm of menopause, that is a different concept.”
Why every nation needs a space agency
As commercial firms transform the global space economy, every country should consider establishing its own space agency to protect its interests, argues aerospace analyst Carissa Bryce Christensen. Almost all nations already use space-based services, such as satellite communications. And many will discover new links to the sector — because of a strong mining industry, for example. “Even if a nation’s space activities are minimal and its agency small, the organizational construct could have value,” Christensen writes. For example, decision-makers might be keener to speak to the head of a space agency than to someone with a lesser job title.
Fight fungus to save crops
From leaf rust in wheat to sheath blight in rice, most of the word’s worst crop diseases are caused by fungi. Fungi are resilient, adaptable survivors. And they have been helped along by modern monoculture farming methods and the overuse of antifungals. Rising temperatures and a growing population pile on further challenges. It is no longer enough to focus on clearing diseased crops, breeding plants for narrow resistance or spraying fungicides, argue evolutionary biologist Eva Stukenbrock and plant pathologist Sarah Gurr. “Much more awareness of the plight of the world’s crops as a result of fungal disease is needed, as is more government and private- sector investment in crop fungal research.”
How to solve the biggest climate challenges
In a special issue dedicated to climate solutions, The New Yorker explores the breakthroughs that can make the most difference.
• Satellites in development aim to pinpoint the illicit sources of the potent greenhouse gas methane and map carbon in the atmosphere in unprecedented detail. (16 min read)
• People hoping to reduce the carbon emissions from cargo ships — which is on par with the aviation industry — are turning to a time-tested technology: sails. (17 min read)
• Pavagada Ultra Mega Solar Park in southern India is one of the largest solar-generating solar farms in the world — but the people whose livelihoods relied on the land it covers say that not everyone receives a fair share in the fruits of a cleaner economy. (18 min read)
