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Writers & Writing: Memoir blends science and nature
“23 Woodcock in 22 Years,” by Jeff Wilkerson (University of Iowa Press, ISBN 978-1-60938-987-1) At first glance, Jeff Wilkerson’s memoir of science and nature, “23 Woodcock in 22 Years,” seems a bit of an anomaly. The subtitle, “Reflections on Hunting, the Night Sky and Our Place in the Universe,” seems even more incongruous. #placement_661376_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}…
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Neighborhood Spotlight: Julie Child—Drawn To Science
Julie Child recalls that, even as a young girl, she “always liked to draw plants and animals.” Little did she know then that she would later become a professional biological illustrator, with her work now preserved forever in many books, journals and pamphlets. A love of science and nature runs deeply in her blood. Her…
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Why don’t new memories overwrite old ones? Sleep science holds clues
Artificially coloured nerve fibres in a mouse’s hippocampus, the brain region where new memories are encoded.Credit: Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute/Science Photo Library New clues have emerged in the mystery of how the brain avoids ‘catastrophic forgetting’ — the distortion and overwriting of previously established memories when new ones are created. A…
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‘Precocious’ early-career scientists with high citation counts proliferate
In 2023, more than 450 scientists who had begun publishing research only in the previous eight years were among the ranks of most-cited researchers. Credit: Getty The number of ‘precocious’ scientists — those who become top-cited authors early in their careers — has surged in the past few years, according to an analysis1 of the…
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Advancing the science of headwater streamflow for global water protection
Abstract The protection of headwater streams faces increasing challenges, exemplified by limited global recognition of headwater contributions to watershed resiliency and a recent US Supreme Court decision limiting federal safeguards. Despite accounting for ~77% of global river networks, the lack of adequate headwaters protections is caused, in part, by limited information on their extent and…
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Climate engineering faces hostility— here’s how scientists say it might move forwards
Critics say that strategies to artificially shield Earth from sunlight are a distraction from carbon-cutting. Credit: Tui De Roy/Nature Picture Library Climate engineering has long been seen as the rogue approach to global warming. Public opposition has stymied field experiments of this strategy, which aims to artificially cool the Earth. Dozens of countries have called…
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Using natural language processing to analyse text data in behavioural science
Abstract Language is a uniquely human trait at the core of human interactions. The language people use often reflects their personality, intentions and state of mind. With the integration of the Internet and social media into everyday life, much of human communication is documented as written text. These online forms of communication (for example, blogs,…
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Sub-2W tunable laser based on silicon photonics power amplifier
Abstract High-power tunable lasers are intensely pursued due to their vast application potential such as in telecom, ranging, and molecular sensing. Integrated photonics, however, is usually considered not suitable for high-power applications mainly due to its small size which limits the energy storage capacity and, therefore, the output power. In the late 90s, to improve…
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Lack of diffusion of popular scientific ideas marks the presence of epistemic ‘bubbles’
Using a machine-learning framework to study the diffusion of biomedical knowledge in the literature, we find that scientific ideas experience popularity booms and busts when knowledge diffusion is constricted, which leads to adverse consequences for science and scientists. Our work highlights the need for research to have an effect on diverse audiences to achieve sustained…
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Multi-resolution analysis for high-fidelity deconvolution microscopy
Abstract A fidelity-ensured multi-resolution analysis deconvolution algorithm significantly enhances fluorescence microscopy’s resolution and noise control, enabling more accurate and detailed imaging for advanced biological research applications. Fluorescence microscopy is a cornerstone in visualizing biological samples, enabling scientists to observe live cells and subcellular structures in detail1. Despite its critical role, traditional fluorescence microscopy often suffers…