Addiction is a chronic disease that can destroy the lives of individuals and their families. Researchers are teasing apart the complex neural, genetic and behavioural factors that drive people to lose the ability to resist damaging substances, and are looking for ways to treat, reverse or even prevent addictions. Read more in this special Outlook supplement […]
Nature
Researchers track eye movements to sway moral decisions
Altering the timing of a decision on the basis of gaze manipulates choices. People asked to choose between two written moral statements tend to glance more often towards the option they favour, experimental psychologists say. More surprisingly, the scientists also claim it’s possible to influence a moral choice: asking for an immediate decision as soon […]
Outlook: Melanoma
Melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — is on the rise in many parts of the world. But new treatments, and efforts to tell people how to prevent it, could mean we will soon gain the upper hand on the disease. Read more in this Nature Outlook I edited.
Fungi borrowed bacterial gene again and again
Multiple independent gene transfers gave fungi ability to colonize plant roots. A single gene from bacteria has been donated to fungi on at least 15 occasions. The discovery shows that an evolutionary shortcut once thought to be restricted to bacteria is surprisingly common in more complex, eukaryotic life. Bacteria frequently trade genes back and forth […]
Outlook: Stroke
Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, yet it can often be prevented. Each year, some 17 million people worldwide will have a stroke and almost 6 million of them will die. Research seeks to guide rehabilitation, to help maintain brain function after a stroke, and to develop treatments to repair the […]
Women and minorities still face uphill struggle in UK science
Campaign group suggests ‘quick wins’ to begin levelling the playing field. Even with the government’s attempts to increase the representation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in science and mathematics, progress in the United Kingdom has remained too slow, according to a report published today by a UK non-profit organization. “Looking back over […]
You don’t always know what you’re saying
People’s conscious awareness of their speech often comes after they’ve spoken, not before. If you think you know what you just said, think again. People can be tricked into believing they have just said something they did not, researchers report this week. The dominant model of how speech works is that it is planned in […]
Dietary fibre acts on brain to suppress appetite
Mouse study suggests that brain activity, not gut hormones, accounts for fibre’s weight-control action. People have long been told that a diet high in fibre can help to fight obesity, but how it does so has been unclear. A study of mouse metabolism now suggests that a product of fibre fermentation may be directly affecting […]
UK foreign aid turns to research
£375 million from development budget will be redirected to science partnerships with middle-income economies. The United Kingdom has launched a five-year, £375 million (US$630 million) fund to support science and innovation partnerships with researchers in developing countries that will focus on economic development. Read more in Nature.
Sponsor a fish and save Canada’s experimental lakes
Fans of environmental science can now play a direct role in helping Canada’s unique Experimental Lakes Area continue to do the research it has done for decades. The International Institute for Sustainable Development, based in Winnipeg, took over running the ELA on 1 April, after the federal government eliminated funding for the decades-old environmental research […]