GoKawiilWhat the science says about shrinking focus, plus a quantum ‘thermometer’ that can take a reading inside a cell and a celebrity-whale rescue that went very wrong.
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A cancer cell (nucleus in blue, cellular ‘skeleton’ in green). Scientists have devised nanosensors that can measure the temperature inside cancer cells, including the cell nuclei.Credit: Howard Vindin, The University of Sydney/Science Photo Library
Researchers have created a thermometer small enough to check the temperature of a single living cell, and even individual cellular regions, such as the nucleus. The nanosensors are made of pentacene — a line of five benzene rings — embedded into tiny crystal fragments that are coated with a cell-friendly polymer. The sensors rely on a quantum property called spin, which causes them to glow when excited by lasers and microwaves — a glow that changes depending on how warm they are.
Nature | 6 min read
Reference: Science Advances paper
A stranded humpback whale became the focus of people’s sympathy in Germany, but researchers say that efforts to save it might have done more harm than good. The whale, which was nicknamed ‘Timmy’, was transported into deeper seas in a water-filled barge as part of a plan fronted by a far-right media personality, among others. Video of the whale struggling in the barge and being dragged by its sensitive fluke have horrified some marine biologists, and a veterinarian that fled the rescue team said the mission went badly awry. “It’s very hard to watch,” says oceanographer Burkard Baschek. “The animal must have suffered greatly.”
Science | 8 min read
The abrupt termination last year of thousands of research grants by the US National Institutes of Health disproportionately hit researchers from groups that have been historically under-represented in the biomedical sciences — including women, people of colour and investigators from sexual and gender minorities. “Who’s based in the sciences gets to influence what questions are being asked, so when diverse investigators and scientists are pushed out, then those questions are also pushed out,” says epidemiologist Arjee Restar.
Nature | 7 min read
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