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War disrupts Ukraine’s Antarctic science
Staff shortages and economic uncertainties resulting from Russia’s war are threatening Ukraine’s research in Antarctica. Even though the polar region is demilitarized, few researchers can participate in expeditions because many are fighting or have fled the conflict, explains Olena Marushevska at Ukraine’s National Antarctic Scientific Center in Kyiv. This could mean disruptions to the gathering of data that scientists say are crucial for showing the rapid effects of human-induced climate change. “It’s not that we collect data for ourselves, we collect data for the world,” says Marushevska.
Horizon turmoil changed scientists’ lives
The United Kingdom will finally rejoin the European Union’s Horizon Europe research-funding programme, after two anxiety-filled years of political negotiation. The turmoil has taken its toll on many scientists. Some were forced to give up their funding or move to an EU institution so that they could participate in the scheme. “I just hope that this deal sees us through to some high-quality research in the future,” says cellular microbiologist Teresa Thurston.
Why cats love tuna
Cats have receptors in the taste buds on their tongues that detect umami, the savoury flavour found in meat — and tuna in particular. In cats, as in humans, the umami receptors are triggered by a combination of amino acids and nucleotides. Cats’ taste buds seem to be particularly attuned to histidine and inosine monophosphate, compounds tuna contains in high amounts. In tests with 25 cats that were given flavoured water, “it was one of the most preferred combinations”, says flavour researcher and co-author Scott McGrane. “It really seems to hit that umami sweet spot.” Why cats have evolved a taste for tuna remains a mystery.
Reference: Chemical Senses paper
Features & opinion
Lessons from a landmark climate case
In Switzerland, more than 2,000 women are suing the government for not protecting them from heat-related health risks — a case that hinges on how courts weigh up scientific evidence. A group of academic specialists shares lessons on how to translate research outcomes into legal language, such as focusing only on relevant details and observing scientific integrity. “Interveners must recognize that assessments of evidence are not about finding absolute truths, but are informed by ethical and political views and values,” the scientists write.
Learn to trust negative data
“A perfectly executed experiment might produce data that are utterly inconclusive, or you might get what look like beautiful, exciting data from a botched experiment,” says bioengineer Jelle van der Hilst. Here are five steps to producing results you can trust:
• Don’t hide negative data and failed experiments — and be open to feedback
• Ask for help with experimental protocols
• Practise your protocols
• Plan experiments carefully before you start
• Learn to accept negative data
Five best science books this week
Andrew Robinson’s pick of the top five science books to read this week includes a disturbingly vivid investigation of waste and a punchy investigation into how the world can achieve net-zero carbon emissions.