How James Watson changed the world, and how it all went wrong. Plus, the African Medicines Agency might transform the continent’s health and a surprising feature of a familiar galaxy.
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Galaxy M61 sports a long stellar stream, which had not been spotted before now.Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/A. Romanowsky et. al.
In the first test image from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, astronomers have spotted a ‘tail’ on the galaxy Messier 61 — a thread of stars called a stellar stream. The presence of this tail, which spans around 180,000 light years, suggests that the galaxy once tore apart a much smaller one. The power of Rubin, which contains the largest-ever digital camera, leads astronomers to hope that this finding is only an appetizer for observations to come.
Nature | 3 min read
Reference: Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society paper
Scientists feel that the pressure to publish is rising, but that the time and resources they have to do the necessary research are falling. In a survey of 3,200 researchers, only 45% agreed that they have sufficient time for research, and even that proportion seems surprising to some scientists. “I do not know anyone who feels that way,” says engineer Anastasia Borschevsky.Uncertainty over funding also emerged as a major concern, particularly among respondents in North America, reflecting unprecedented cuts to US research funding this year.
Nature | 5 min read
Reference: Elsevier’s 2025 Researcher of the Future report
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