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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

As the United Kingdom installs its next government, most of the problems it must tackle — from environmental to medical and social issues — are underpinned by science research and policy. Nature spoke to five researchers about their concerns and what actions they think the government should take. MARIE CLAIRE BRISBOIS :Look for solutions across…

Piles of discarded clothes wait to be sorted at a textile-recycling factory in Taiwan.Credit: Annabelle Chih/Getty Researchers have developed a chemical-processing technique that can break down fabrics into reusable molecules, even when they contain a mixture of materials. The process, outlined in a Science Advances paper on 3 July1, shows that chemical recycling can give…

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…

Scientists in Japan are calling for increased funding for basic research.Credit: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty More than 500 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of scientists in Japan have launched a petition that calls on the government to increase funds for its main scientific-grants agency. The petition calls for greater funding for the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific…

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here. A tumour (artificially coloured) fills the alveolus of a human lung. Some evidence suggests that risk of these cancers decreases with age. Credit: Moredun Animal Health Ltd/Science Photo Library Why lung cancer risk declines in old…