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Iran elects heart surgeon as president: scientists are hopeful
Iran has elected a former heart surgeon as its next president. Scientists expect Masoud Pezeshkian, who ran the nation’s health ministry in an earlier administration, to revive universities and reconnect the country’s isolated scientists with their international counterparts. His term could also usher in improvements to human rights, investment in science, greater academic freedom and…
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Canada just hiked PhD and postdoc pay — here’s how to get your country to do it, too
Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars often struggle to make ends meet, despite playing a crucial part in driving research and innovation. The cost-of-living crisis, which took root in many countries in late 2021, has worsened the situation. Respondents to a November 2022 Nature survey of early-career academics reported sometimes having to get groceries from food…
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How conspiracies took root in our culture
Think to New Worlds: The Cultural History of Charles Fort and His Followers Joshua Blu Buhs Univ. Chicago Press (2024) In March 2024, a mammoth review by the US Department of Defense concluded that there was “no evidence” that the US government had encountered alien life. Yet, that pronouncement is unlikely to have changed many…
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Scientists relieved by far-right defeat in French election — but they still face uncertainty
An election-night rally in Nantes, France.Credit: Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Scientists in France are relieved that the right-wing party National Rally (RN) was defeated in yesterday’s parliamentary elections. But the absence of a clear winner presents uncertainty for scientists, and many do not think that the new government will make a positive difference to research…
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COVID czar Patrick Vallance appointed UK science minister
Patrick Vallance was the UK government’s chief science adviser during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.Credit: Adrian Dennis-WPA Pool/Getty The scientific adviser who graced UK televisions with nightly updates during the COVID-19 pandemic has been appointed as the country’s science minister. The appointment is one of many made by new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer,…
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Ex-Meta scientists debut gigantic AI protein design model
A structural model of green fluorescent protein, a workhorse of biotechnology.Credit: Laguna Design/Science Photo Library An artificial intelligence (AI) model that speaks the language of proteins — one of the largest yet developed for biology — has been used to create new fluorescent molecules. The proof-of-principle demonstration was announced this month by EvolutionaryScale in New…
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Embark on a Journey to See How Science and Nature Define our Future
9pm Sunday DYNAMIC PLANET – DocumentaryDynamic Planet, a series filmed over three years, travels to the most extreme places on all seven continents to explore the work and lives of extraordinary people and animals on the front lines of climate change. Highlighting what is under threat but also how the natural world is adapting in…
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Daily briefing: Spinal fluid causes aural migraine pain, suggests research in mice
Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here. About one-third of people who suffer from migraines experience a phenomenon known as aura before the headache.Credit: Tunatura/Getty Spinal fluid might cause migraine pain Research in mice hints at how brain activity triggers aural migraines. It…
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A data science roadmap for open science organizations engaged in early-stage drug discovery
Abstract The Structural Genomics Consortium is an international open science research organization with a focus on accelerating early-stage drug discovery, namely hit discovery and optimization. We, as many others, believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to be a main accelerator in the field. The question is then how to best benefit from recent advances…
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‘All things that wander in the heavens’: how I swapped my ivory tower for the world of science fiction
Astrobiologist and science-fiction writer Seven Rasmussen teaches at Tacoma Community College in Washington state.Credit: Iván Ramírez Through golden hive minds, dreaming androids and interstellar alien worlds, astrobiologist and speculative science-fiction author Seven Rasmussen explores humanity within the unfamiliar and strange. Rasmussen writes short stories that often feature space and the distant future — topics that…
