First DNA from Pompeii body casts illuminates who victims were

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A specific class of touch receptors trigger the characteristic ‘wet dog’ shake in furry mammals. Researchers applied drops of sunflower oil to the backs of the mice’s necks and tracked the shake response to receptors called C-fibre low-threshold mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs). In people, these receptors are associated with pleasant touch sensations, such as a soft hug or a soothing stroke.

Nature | 4 min read

Reference: Science paper

During his campaign, Donald Trump made industry-friendly promises about reducing the regulation of artificial-intelligence systems and carbon emissions, and teaming up with controversial political figure Robert F. Kennedy Jr to “make America healthy again”. Compared to his last term, observers say that Trump is coming into office better prepared, with a stronger grip on his party and on the legislature. But some policies — such as President Joe Biden’s signature climate achievement, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act — will be difficult to undo.

Nature | 8 min read

Remains recovered from plaster casts of five people who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius have overturned some old assumptions about who they were. For example, a victim wearing an intricate golden bracelet had been described as a mother who died while holding their child. In fact, the adult was male and the two people were not related. Many of these narratives were designed to boost public interest in the site, notes archaeologist Steven Ellis. DNA evidence confirmed more scholarly interpretations, based on cultural artefacts, that Pompeii had a genetically diverse population descended from immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: Current Biology paper

A blood test that uses biomarkers to distinguish bipolar disorder from depression could slash the time it takes to get an accurate diagnosis, claims its maker Alcediag. The test uses biomarkers related to RNA editing to diagnose the condition, and has already been approved in France and Italy. However, the small size of trials that underpin the test and the lack of independent replication of their results has left some researchers unconvinced.

Nature | 6 min read

Features & opinion

In his new book Mojave Ghost, geologist and Pulitzer-prizewinning poet Forrest Gander traces the 1,300-kilometre-long San Andreas Fault on a journey of self-exploration, grief and growth. The resulting ‘novel–poem’ “is an intriguing, beguiling and thought-provoking read, especially for anyone interested in the connections between language, storytelling, nature and science”, writes environmental journalist Jon Christensen. “If Gander’s book is hard to summarize, it is because the details matter…. They are the notes in a beautiful if discordant composition.”

Nature | 6 min read

A perfect world made of memory begins to ring hollow in the latest short story for Nature’s Futures series.

Nature | 6 min read

When cells are starved, their mitochondria divide into two distinct forms: one that concentrates on energy production and one that produces essential cellular building blocks. The finding solves a longstanding mystery of how these cellular powerhouses can keep working, even when resources are limited. This division of labour also happens in certain cancer cells, which might be one reason that they can thrive in hostile conditions.

Nature Podcast | 27 min listen

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