Magdalena Skipper

‘Black rain’ in Tehran — what are the health effects? Toxic smoke from burning oil depots has blanketed Iran’s capital following missile strikes.

‘Black rain’ in Tehran. Damage to Iran’s oil facilities had released toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and nitrogen compounds into the air; there are dire health effects

🧪 #MedSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

China pledges billion-dollar spending boost for science Funding for national laboratories and important research projects would increase under the government’s plans.

China increases science funding again (by at least 7-% over the next 5 years) as it pledges billion-dollar spending boost for science

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www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Stop the use of AI in war until laws can be agreed Researchers working on the most advanced AI models want rules to be drawn up to minimize the harm the technologies could cause. Their warnings need to be heard.

AI is being used in warfare despite there being no agreed rules for this application.

Researchers working on the most advanced AI models want rules to be drawn up to minimize the harm the technologies could cause.

We agree; read our Nature editorial 🧪 @nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Forget SkinTok: the real science of skincare and why it matters for your health Skip the complicated regimens and expensive products seen on social media. The science of skin is deep but the recommendations are simple.

What does science really tell us about skincare? Skin is sometimes described as the largest organ in the human body. Turns out advice on how to look after it is rarely based on real science. Nor does it emphasize the link with overall health

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www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A really cool piece of research on this week’s cover - what happens when a soft material slides against a rigid body… like sneakers on a basket ball court?

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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@nature.com

Ten years since the first reported observation of gravitational waves In 2016, the first direct observation of gravitational waves was reported. The measurements by the LIGO detectors gave astronomers a new way to observe the Universe.

Ten years since the first reported observation of gravitational waves

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www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Is UK science in jeopardy? Huge funding reforms spark chaos and anxiety Major reforms to the United Kingdom’s national research funding agency are aimed at boosting the nation's economy.

Is UK science in jeopardy? Huge funding reforms by UKRI spark chaos and anxiety

#AcademicSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

First ‘practical PhDs’ awarded in China — for products rather than papers The programme is designed to train more elite engineers who can help boost the country’s innovation.

First ‘practical PhDs’ awarded in China. Last month, Zheng Hehui defended his PhD thesis in civil engineering at Southeast University in Nanjing, but Zheng had not written a thesis. Instead, he talked about a product he had developed

#AcademicSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

RIP Gladys Mae West, a US mathematician best known for her foundational work on GPS systems.

At @springernature.com we remember her every day as a major communal space in our London offices is named after her
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Treatment of a teenager with an ultra-rare condition is a medical milestone It will change regulators’ rule books

This could be a real breakthrough in precision medicine… all down to a change in regulation. Instead of approving a specific treatment, what is being approved is a new “master protocol” for the treatment of groups of genetic conditions within a single framework
#MedSky

economist.com/science-and-...

When two years of academic work vanished with a single click After turning off ChatGPT’s ‘data consent’ option, Marcel Bucher lost the work behind grant applications, teaching materials and publication drafts. Here’s what happened next.

Everyone should read this!

🧪 #AcademicSky

When two years of academic work vanished with a single click

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Guinea-Bissau suspends a US-funded vaccine trial as African scientists question its motives Officials from the US Department of Health and Human Services, which funded the controversial study, say that it will proceed as planned.

Guinea-Bissau suspends a US-funded vaccine trial as African scientists question its motives.

“African scientists say that the Guinea-Bissau study shows how political pressure, funding interests & fragmented oversight can push local health priorities aside.”
🧪 #MedSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Hi @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social with us in May #Crick @matthewcobb.bsky.social General bookings from1st Feb
www.campdenmayfestivals.co.uk/literature/e...

How do vaccine cutbacks affect public health? Ask Japan As Robert F. Kennedy Jr slashes the US childhood vaccine roster, Japan is racing to make up for lost ground after decades of setbacks.

History is a great teacher.

In this piece our own @heidiledford.bsky.social looks at what we can learn from what happened in Japan when vaccine support was withdrawn and how the government is now working to reverse the effects 🧪
#MedSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Toxic environment has to be dealt with. No question. But it cannot be an excuse for lack of research integrity. This would help no one

Credit in research goes hand in hand with responsibility. In this week’s editorial we argue that when things go wrong & a retraction is needed, if it is clear who among the authors is responsible they should be named in the retraction note. COPE agrees
🧪 #AcademicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Can we? Let’s hope so

I wonder how many could have predicted this finding - AI tools boost individual scientists but could limit research topics

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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These five themes will likely dominate the year in US science. Perhaps no terrible surprise here but there may be some glimmers of hope 🤞🏼

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@nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Job applicants are winning the AI arms race against recruiters Companies have been hit by a wave of chatbot-generated applications

It appears that employers are being flooded by chatbot-generated applications… so journals being hit but AI-generated manuscripts are no longer alone 🧐
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economist.com/business/202...

As Wikipedia turns 25, Jimmy Wales talks to us about his new book, the importance of scientific transparency and the rise of artificial intelligence. Good to know that he still has faith in humans when it comes to sourcing facts!
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@nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Defossilize our chemical world Achieving net zero means eliminating fossil fuels, not carbon — the chemical element has a crucial part to play in powering the modern world.

Defossilize our chemical world - we argue in this week’s editorial.
Demand for ‘embedded’ carbon found in chemicals is expected to double by 2050, but this carbon cannot come from the usual sources, such as coal, natural gas and oil

🧪 @nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Octopus-inspired ‘synthetic skin’ changes colour and texture on demand A material that can switch its appearance, cephalopod-style, could have future applications in robotics or display technology.

The wonderful world of materials engineering - authors of this @nature.com paper have created the first materials that can change not just their colour, but also their surface texture on demand
🧪 #TechSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The future of space exploration depends on better biology Rockets are great, but sewage treatment is what you need for the long haul

Naively, I never considered it - if we are to successfully ‘colonise’ space we need to get much better at understanding & building functional ecosystems that include recycling & environmental regulation.
We know how to build rockets; time to better understand biology
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economist.com/leaders/2025...

Quantifying the global eco-footprint of wearable healthcare electronics - Nature An integrated systems engineering framework based on life-cycle inventories is used to quantify the global eco-footprint of wearable healthcare electronics and identify effective mitigation strategies...

This is a fascinating approach - a systems engineering-based life-cycle assessment framework - for identifying ecologically responsible innovation in next-generation wearable electronics 🧪

@nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Science in 2026: what to expect this year Hear the biggest stories from the world of science | 01/01/2026

Science in 2026: what to expect this year 🧪

@naturepodcast.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Let 2026 be the year the world comes together for AI safety AI technologies need to be safe and transparent. There are few, if any, benefits from being outside efforts to achieve this.

There is no question that AI tools are transforming our lives, on a personal & professional level. And the future direction of travel is clear. So before it’s too late, the world needs to come together on AI safety. How about making it a New Year’s resolution?

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www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Family, colleagues in 'disbelief' after leading scientist dies aged 52 University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Emma Johnston has died from complications associated with cancer, aged 52.

This is incredibly sad news! It was a highlight of this past year to have met Emma Johnston in Melbourne, when we collaborated on an event that Melbourne University and @springernature.com held together in May. Emma was a thoughtful and energetic leader. What a loss!

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Taking a proper break with this rather incredible book. The intro talks about the effect of Industrial Revolution on craft in Britain & gives this tantalising stat - in mid 1880s Britain was responsible for 43% of world’s manufactured exports. Apparently China accounts for less than 30% today!

Seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 Immense progress in gene-editing, drug discovery and conservation are just some of the reasons to be cheerful about 2025.

Seven feel-good science stories to round up 2025. All too often we forget to celebrate the positives
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#AcademicSky

www.nature.com/articles/d41...