Vaccines
Third COVID Vaccine Shot Boosts Protection in Israeli Study
The risk of severe disease dropped by factor of almost 20 in people over 60—but some dispute the benefits of offering an additional dose
Stories by Nature magazine
Climate Change
Australian Bush Fires Belched Out Immense Quantity of Carbon
The 2019–20 wildfires generated 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide—but a lot of that might have been mopped up by phytoplankton in the ocean
Medicine
Why Kids Beat Back COVID Better Than Adults
Innate immunity might be the key to why children have fared better with the virus. But the Delta variant poses fresh unknowns
Microbiology
COVID Advances Win $3-million Breakthrough Prizes
Pioneers of mRNA vaccines and next-generation sequencing techniques are among the winners of science’s most lucrative awards
Planetary Science
Success! Perseverance Mars Rover Finally Collects Its First Rock Core
The mission is living up to its name, drilling and storing a Martian rock after a misstep in August
Medicine
Rogue Antibodies Involved in Nearly One Fifth of COVID Deaths
Self-targeting antibodies attack part of the immune system that plays a key role in fighting infection
Ethics
Afghanistan’s Terrified Scientists Fear Persecution
Reprisals may come for their field of study, their ethnicity or involvement in international collaborations
Inequality
Too Many Scientists Still Say Caucasian
Racist ideas of categories for human identity continue to warp research and medicine
Evolution
How Did Neanderthals and Other Ancient Humans Learn to Count?
Archaeological finds suggest that people developed numbers tens of thousands of years ago. Scholars are now exploring the first detailed hypotheses about this life-changing invention
Natural Disasters
Home Seismometers Provide Crucial Data on Haiti’s Quake
A volunteer network helps to monitor aftershocks and illuminate the country’s earthquake hazards
Particle Physics
Exotic Four-Quark Particle Spotted at Large Hadron Collider
The rare tetraquark is one of dozens of nonelementary particles discovered at the accelerator and could help test theories about the strong nuclear force
Climate Change
Earth Is Warmer Than It’s Been in 125,000 Years
A landmark assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change says greenhouse gases are unequivocally driving extreme weather, but nations can still prevent the worst impacts...
Climate Change
New Climate Report Will Detail Grim Future of Hotter, Extreme Weather and Rising Seas
The first assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change in eight years will sound the alarm on soaring temperatures and other effects of unchecked carbon pollution
Space Exploration
China’s Space Station Is Preparing to Host 1,000 Science Experiments
The spaceborne studies will cover diverse topics, from dark matter and gravitational waves to the growth of cancer and pathogenic bacteria
Policy
NASA Investigates Renaming James Webb Space Telescope after Anti-LGBT+ Claims
Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence
Public Health
How the Delta Variant Spreads So Quickly
Viral load is roughly 1,000 times higher in people infected with the Delta variant than those infected with the original coronavirus strain, according to a study in China
Public Health
Should Children Get COVID Vaccines? What the Science Says
With vaccination campaigns underway in some countries while others weigh the options, Nature looks at the evidence for vaccinating younger people
Climate Change
China Launches World’s Largest Carbon Market: But Is It Ambitious Enough?
Experts welcome the trading scheme, but question whether it is up to the task of helping China achieve its climate goals
Biology
Behold the ‘Borg’: Massive DNA Structures Perplex Scientists
Researchers say they have discovered unique and exciting DNA strands in the mud; others are not sure of their novelty
Public Health
Kids Get ‘Long COVID,’ Too
Children can suffer lingering symptoms from the disease, but researchers are still working to determine how frequently and how severely
