A human’s best friend is a dog, but that’s not always reciprocated.
Some of our canine pets are colloquially called “ball junkies” because they have an addictive-like attitude toward their toys. They choose to play tug-of-war or fetch over…
The natural world teems with microorganisms. Billions of species of bacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi make up complex ecosystems in the soil, water and air. The activity of these microbes sustains…
As the host of the COP30 climate talks in November, Brazil has the opportunity to make a major contribution to protecting the planet. It could expand forested areas protected by law in the Amazon from about 230 million hectares to over 300…
CRISPR gene editing has made its way into every corner of modern biology, but not into every corner of the cell. Although researchers have used these systems to develop treatments for sickle-cell anaemia and blood cancers, to unlock the secrets…
Your News story describes how robots and chatbots are being used to perform religious rituals and support personal devotion (see Nature https://doi.org/p8ns; 2025). Such use of artificial intelligence (AI) comes with risks, including religious or…
As a child growing up in northern Sweden, environmental historian Sverker Sörlin fell in love with snow. “I see the light outside, before I even open the slatted blinds. Snow! The miracle of…
The global challenges of today, from climate-fuelled floods, droughts and heatwaves to food insecurity and health disparities, are felt intensely in Africa. To tackle those, universities on the continent must strengthen their research and…
