The last universal common ancestor lived around 4.2 billion years ago

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Tornado science has come a long way since the original Twister film came out in 1996 — and the makers of the sequel are keen to showcase it, says meteorologist and scientific advisor Kevin Kelleher. For the 2024 version, “if they could change things and make it a bit more scientifically correct, they did”, he says — not least because the director, Lee Isaac Chung, is from Arkansas tornado country himself.

Nature | 6 min read

CAR-T therapy, which genetically engineers a person’s own immune cells to destroy tumour cells, could treat deadly brain and spinal cancers in children. In small clinical trials, the therapy shrank tumours by more than half in some cases and only one participant experienced severe side effects. One young man even remained in remission more than 30 months after his first treatment.

Nature | 5 min read

The shared forebearer of all life — known as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) — lived around 4.2 billion years ago, ate carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and produced acetate that might have fed other life. Researchers inferred information about our great-great-grandblob’s genetics and biology by tracing duplicated, lost and mutated genes back up the family tree. LUCA probably possessed an early immune system, too — hinting that it lived in an established ecosystem full of microbes and pathogens.

Science | 6 min read

Reference: Nature Ecology & Evolution paper

Features & opinion

From ice climbing to horseback riding, extreme outdoor skills can facilitate fieldwork that might appear otherwise impossible to achieve. Key to the success of such expeditions is a culture of safety, plenty of preparation and, of course, snacks.

Nature | 10 min read

Strategies that make it easier to talk to strangers could help us reconnect to people we used to know, write psychologists Lara Aknin and Gillian Sandstrom. In their experiments with almost 200 people, those who ‘warmed up’ by sending messages to current friends were more likely to then pluck up the courage to message someone they had lost touch with. Don’t worry about imposing, the duo points out — old friends appreciate hearing from us more than we think. And it’s worth the effort: participants who sent the message reported greater feelings of happiness afterward than those who didn’t.

Scientific American | 6 min read

Reference: Communications Psychology paper

Where I work

Biologist Ernesto Filippi tracks the health of cervone snakes (Elaphe quatuorlineata) alongside the practitioners of a 2,000-year-old snake-catching ritual in Cocullo, Italy. As well as taking a starring role in the procession of St Dominic of Sora, where they adorn the saint’s statue, the snakes are microchipped and examined by scientists. Then they’re released at the exact spot where they were captured. The data contributes to snake-conservation strategies — and, from this year, a study of animals’ responses to natural disasters. (Nature | 3 min read)

On Friday, we were searching the lush forests of Tierra del Fuego National Park in Argentina for our hiding penguin. Did you find Leif Penguinson? When you’re ready, here’s the answer.

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Katrina Krämer

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