Daily briefing: Climate scientists determined to rise to the challenge of Trump 2.0

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Modern humans could outrun our ancient human relatives Australopithecus afarensis, according to an analysis of a 3D digital model of the iconic ‘Lucy’ fossil. Researchers recreated Lucy by merging details of her near-complete 3.2 million-year-old skeleton, the muscular features of modern apes and an estimate of muscle mass based on the bones’ surface area. The model showed that Lucy could run on two legs, albeit slowly, despite lacking the lengthened Achilles tendon and shortened muscle fibres of modern humans — which suggests that adaptations in these muscles are what prepare us for endurance running.

Nature | 4 min read

Reference: Current Biology paper

A huge study has confirmed concerns that fake or flawed research is polluting medical systematic reviews, which summarize evidence from clinical trials and shape treatment guidelines worldwide. After trawling through 50 systematic reviews from publishers under the umbrella of Cochrane, an organization renowned for its gold-standard reviews of medical evidence, a team of more than 60 researchers reported “some concerns” about 25% of the clinical trials in the reviews, and “serious concerns” about 6% of them. The study is part of an effort to address the problem by creating a short checklist that will help researchers to spot untrustworthy trials.

Nature | 7 min read

Reference: medRxiv preprint (not peer reviewed)

US president-elect Donald Trump has indicated he will make sweeping changes in climate policy within days of his inauguration, such as pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement for a second time. Many climate scientists are dreading the changes, but the mood is not entirely sombre. Some researchers have expressed their determination to rise to the challenge — whether through activism or by improving their public communication about the climate crisis. “I almost feel like: here’s an exciting opportunity to do my job better,” says polar researcher Eric Steig.

Nature | 6 min read

The icy crust on Jupiter’s moon Europa is much thicker than scientists had thought, which could quash the hope of finding the ingredients for life in the salty oceans beneath its surface. Using measurements collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, researchers estimated the ice is around 35 kilometres thick, which could suggest the ocean doesn’t have the heat or chemical reactions needed to spark life. The thick crust could thwart the efforts of the Europa Clipper, another NASA spacecraft headed for the Jovian system, to investigate the moon for the ingredients for life.

Science | 5 min read

Reference: American Geophysical Union abstract (not peer reviewed)

Features & opinion

China plans to ramp up the use of small, low-altitude drones into a 1.5 trillion yuan (US$207 billion) business, potentially helping to reduce carbon emissions and boost areas of the economy. But there’s been little research on whether the public is prepared for daily encounters with potentially thousands of the flying robots, argues aerospace engineer Xun Huang. He urges academia, industry and governments to help ensure that drones live up to their promise without threatening people’s privacy or the security of protected areas.

Nature | 7 min read

Eco-acoustics researcher Jérôme Sueur makes a simple demand of humanity in his new book Natural History of Silence: “shhh!”. The racket of technology — from ships, airplanes and machinery and more — is ever present, disrupting the natural rhythms of several species, Sueur argues. He offers practical advice on how to tune the noise down, but “his winding and verbose prose often carries a tone of resentment, which could repel the people he wants to hush”, writes Nature reporter Alix Soliman in her review.

Nature | 5 min read

From meat-metal bonds to the surprising reason blueberries are blue, 2024 has been a bumper year for chemistry insights. Eight of the most fascinating are highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News in this jaunty and well-illustrated round-up.

Chemical & Engineering News | 5 min read

Infographic of the week

Marine algae called diatoms use light-responsive proteins to sense how deep they are in water. The proteins, called phytochromes, can switch between active (Pfr) and inactive (Pr) forms. Near the surface of the water, diatoms are exposed to the full spectrum of light. At this depth, ultraviolet and red light wavelengths convert the phytochrome to an inactive form. In deeper waters, only green and blue light can penetrate, which activates the phytochrome. The active protein then induces cellular responses that acclimatize the algae to the depth. (Nature News & Views | 7 min read, Nature paywall)

Today I’m acting like a supermassive black hole. By that I mean napping after a period of overeating. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers spotted a black hole in the early Universe that appeared ‘dormant’ — sucking in gas much more slowly than they’d expected for one of its unexpectedly enormous size. They suspect that the giant was caught ‘napping’ after a 5–10-million-year period of ravenously ‘eating’ as much as possible.

Don’t let us get caught napping in this newsletter. Send any feedback to briefing@nature.com.

Thanks for reading,

Jacob Smith, associate editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Flora Graham

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