Hello Nature readers,
Today we hear from a scientist who fought in the trenches in Ukraine, discover that fighting disinformation could be a key role for scientists in impending elections and learn how to make the leap to using the command line of bioinformatics tools.
Neuroscientist Sergiy Sylantyev volunteered to fight for Ukraine soon after Russia's invasion in February 2022 (Sergiy Sylantyev)
'In case I die, I need to publish this paper'
When Russia invaded his home country last February, neuroscientist Sergiy Sylantyev left his institution in the United Kingdom and went to Ukraine, where he was immediately deployed to the front lines as a foot soldier. At one point, he worked on a now-published research paper in the trenches. Last November, he returned to his position as a lecturer and research scientist. "For each group sent from our training centre, about 50% died," he says. "I thought that in case I die here, I need to get this paper published."
Nature | 7 min read
Why mammals evolved same-sex behaviour
Same-sex sexual behaviour probably evolved independently several times in mammals as a way to smooth out social relationships when they started living in groups. An analysis of more than 6,000 mammalian species found that about 4% exhibited same-sex behaviours - including courtship, mating and forming long-term bonds - and these were particularly prevalent in non-human primate species. The researchers caution that the findings can't explain the evolution of sexual orientation in humans.
The New York Times | 5 min read
Reference: Nature Communications paper
Same-sex sexual behaviour has been reported in 261 mammalian species, and males and females were equally likely to be observed engaging in it. (J.M. Gomez et al./Nat. Commun.)
Features & opinion
Fight disinformation with data
Researchers in Europe have a golden opportunity to bring science to bear against online disinformation. The European Union's Digital Services Act should ensure that, from next year, large social-media platforms allow access to their data for research. But it's not a given that the regulation will be implemented fairly. Researchers must step up and work with policymakers to ensure that companies can't exploit a lack of clarity to delay or contest requests for data, argues a Nature editorial.
Nature | 5 min read
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How I learnt to love the command line
The text-based command line of bioinformatics tools can seem scary and unintuitive but will open up the world of computational biology, says Ming Tommy Tang, who is helping laboratory researchers to make the leap. He recommends getting hands-on with the Unix-Linux operating systems, using online courses (for example The Carpentries' YouTube series) or books such as The Linux Command Line or his own From Cell Line to Command Line. Tang advises patience and practice: "Even with those aids, don't be surprised if you run into trouble."
Nature | 6 min read
Futures: Scratch record
An ageing rock star faces the reality of selling out in the latest short story for Nature's Futures series.
Nature | 6 min read
Podcast: Satellite outshines stars
A new, ultra-bright satellite has astronomers worried that the increasing number of similarly bright objects in Earth's orbit could hamper observations. The new satellite, BlueWalker 3, at times outshines most stars. And companies around the globe plan on launching more than half a million satellites in the coming years. Some researchers suggest that regulations are needed to limit how bright these new objects can be. "We all need to share the night sky," astronomer Jeremy Tregloan-Reed tells the Nature Podcast.
Nature Podcast | 34 min listen
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Cats have nailed this one thing so well that they all do it and just come up with slightly different sizes. That's why they're perfect, evolutionarily."
Evolutionary biologist Anjali Goswami explains that all cat species look similar because they're masters of their ecological niche. (Scientific American | 6 min read)
Today Leif Penguinson is wandering in Cuc Phuong National Park the oldest national park in Vietnam. Can you find the penguin?
The answer will be in Monday's e-mail, all thanks to Briefing photo editor and penguin wrangler Tom Houghton.
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