Daily briefing: The dark side of the battery boom

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Measles has been so rare in many countries that some physicians have never seen a case — but that is changing. Dropping vaccination levels mean that the ruthlessly contagious disease is sparking outbreaks in North America, Europe and elsewhere. The good news is that vaccination is highly effective, and the symptoms tend to be mild in the tiny percentage of people who are vaccinated but still get infected. The same is not true for those who don’t have immunity: measles can have severe symptoms, especially in young children. In an outbreak, physicians might recommend giving babies between 6 months and 11 months of age an extra, early dose of the MMR vaccine, “which is not a problem at all, there are no additional side effects”, says Diego Hijano, a paediatric infectious-disease physician.

Nature | 8 min read

The beetle Sceptobius lativentris is trapped in a biological ‘catch-22’ — it must regularly groom velvety tree ants (Liometopum occidentale) or die. Using their hairy arms, the beetles groom the usually aggressive ants to harvest chemicals called cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) from the ants’ exoskeletons. The compounds camouflage them with the ants’ scent and stop them from drying out. This disguise locks the beetles in a symbiotic relationship with the ants: if they produce their own CHCs, the ants will recognize and attack them; if they stop harvesting the ants’ CHCs, their bodies will desiccate.

Science | 5 min read

Reference: Cell paper

Proposals to reform the United Kingdom’s largest funding agency aim to ensure that the country’s research creates jobs and money. Physicist Ian Chapman, who leads UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said that the country’s researchers are an under-used asset “that we need to sweat” to boost economic growth. But some researchers are concerned that the reforms could drain university science of funds and put the nation’s participation in major international science projects — such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory — in jeopardy.

Nature | 7 min read

Newly released files have delivered further revelations about the links between sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the scientific community. Mentions of researchers in Epstein’s emails do not indicate wrongdoing, but do highlight the extent of his involvement with the field — including with scientists at the now-shuttered Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard, which Epstein funded to the tune of US$6.5 million. “It’s unheard of for somebody who’s providing funding to be engaged with the actual research on that level,” says mathematician Jesse Kass. “There should be some serious discussion [in academic circles] over what went wrong.”

Nature | 8 min read

Features & opinion

Bioengineer Kiana Aran — who has invented an award-winning fingertip sensor for disease detection, among other things — took her science to the next level when she donned a variety of biosensors and entered a pitch-black cave for five days. In complete darkness and silence, “food was intense and delicious”, says Aran — a perception that was mirrored by later measurements, which showed that the proteins linked to taste receptors had shifted significantly. And an electroencephalograph recorded brain activity that indicated disrupted circadian rhythm, which might have contributed to “dreams that were so vivid they felt real”.

Nature | 10 min read

In The Elements of Power, journalist Nicolas Niarchos lays bare how the rise of electric vehicles and other battery-powered devices has accelerated a corrupt and exploitative supply chain of critical minerals such as cobalt and tungsten. A culmination of years of reporting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during which time Niarchos was arrested and interrogated, the book is “not a heartwarming read”, writes journalist Chris Stokel-Walker in his review. But it comes with a clear message: some ‘greener’ technologies come at a human cost that is invisible to most consumers.

Nature | 6 min read

Scientists have genetically edited field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) — nicknamed ‘stinkweed’ for its distinctive smell — so that it’s suitable for animal feed and can produce an oil similar to rapeseed (canola) oil. The plant grows in winter, meaning it could be cultivated after the harvest of autumn crops such as soya and wheat. The plant, marketed as CoverCress, has already received regulatory approval in the United States. Besides increasing farmers’ income, the researchers note that growing crops throughout the year can help to improve soil health, sequester more carbon in the ground and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by encouraging no-till farming practices.

Nature Podcast | 22 min listen

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On Friday, Leif Penguinson was relaxing by a small waterfall in the Urbasa Natural Park in Spain. Did you find the penguin? When you’re ready, here’s the answer.

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Jacob Smith

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