Artificial IntelligenceOctober 14, 2024
AI Comes to the Nobels: Double Win Sparks Debate about Scientific Fields
While many researchers celebrated this year’s chemistry and physics prizes, others were disappointed by the focus on computational methods
Davide Castelvecchi, Ewen Callaway, Diana Kwon, Nature magazine
ArchaeologyFebruary 23, 2024
The Life and Gruesome Death of a Bog Man Revealed after 5,000 Years
Vittrup Man, who was bludgeoned to death in a Danish bog, was a Scandinavian wanderer, according to new research
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
EpidemiologyJanuary 26, 2024
Syphilislike Diseases Have Plagued Humans for 14,000 Years
Ancient DNA recovered from Brazilian remains shows that syphilis and other treponemal diseases originated some 10,000 years earlier than previously thought
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
PharmaceuticalsJanuary 23, 2024
AI Program Finds Thousands of Possible Psychedelics. Will They Lead to New Drugs?
Researchers have doubted how useful AI protein-structure tool AlphaFold will be in discovering medicines—now they are learning how to deploy it effectively
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Artificial IntelligenceSeptember 21, 2023
AI Tool Pinpoints Genetic Mutations That Cause Disease
Researchers have adapted the AI network to search for genetic changes linked to ill health
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
AnthropologySeptember 13, 2023
Ancient Human Fossil Trip to Space Raises Questions and Criticism
The decision to send hominin bones on a commercial spaceflight has raised eyebrows among paleontologists
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
EpidemiologyAugust 21, 2023
Why a Highly Mutated Coronavirus Variant Has Scientists on Alert
Research is under way to determine whether the mutation-laden lineage BA.2.86 is nothing to worry about — or has the potential to spread globally
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Genetic EngineeringMay 12, 2023
First U.K. Children Are Born Using DNA from Three ‘Parents’
The U.K.’s fertility regulator reveals that at least one child has been born using mitochondrial replacement therapy, but the procedure’s effectiveness remains to be seen
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
ArchaeologyFebruary 9, 2023
Surprising Chemicals Were Used to Embalm Egyptian Mummies
Resins used by ancient Egyptians to prepare bodies for the afterlife are found in vessels in a 2,500-year-old workshop
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Public HealthOctober 25, 2022
Which COVID Studies Pose a Biohazard?
Controversy surrounding a study that involved modifying SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, has prompted researchers to call for better guidance from funders
Ewen Callaway, Max Kozlov, Nature magazine
AnthropologyOctober 21, 2022
First Known Neandertal Family Discovered in Siberian Cave
Ancient DNA from closely related individuals offers fresh insight into Neanderthals’ lives and social structures
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
ArchaeologyJuly 28, 2022
How Humans’ Ability to Digest Milk Evolved from Famine and Disease
A landmark study is the first major effort to quantify how lactose tolerance developed
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Public HealthJuly 14, 2022
Chronic Covid: The Evolving Story
When SARS-CoV-2 lingers in the body, it accumulates many of the same mutations seen in the most dangerous global variants. What can scientists do with this knowledge?
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
AnimalsFebruary 1, 2022
From Great Dane to Tiny Terrier, a Mutation Creates Enormous Variation in Dog Sizes
A genetic change that evolved from ancient wolves can help make dogs giant or small
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
VaccinesDecember 9, 2021
Omicron Is Likely to Weaken COVID Vaccine Protection—but Boosters Could Restore It
The rapid spread of new variants such as Omicron offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 is adapting and how the pandemic will play out over the next several months
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Public HealthDecember 9, 2021
COVID Variants Hint at How the Virus Will Evolve
The rapid spread of new variants such as Omicron offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 is adapting and how the pandemic will play out over the next several months
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
EpidemiologyNovember 29, 2021
Heavily Mutated Omicron Variant Puts Scientists on Alert
Researchers are racing to determine whether a fast-spreading coronavirus variant poses a threat to COVID vaccines’ effectiveness
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
HealthJune 25, 2021
Deleted Coronavirus Genome Sequences Trigger Scientific Intrigue
Partial SARS-CoV-2 sequences from early outbreaks in Wuhan were removed from a U.S. government database by the scientists who deposited them
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
MedicineMay 21, 2021
Mix-and-Match COVID Vaccines Trigger Potent Immune Response
Preliminary results from a trial of more than 600 people are the first to show the benefits of combining different vaccines
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Public HealthJanuary 8, 2021
Could New COVID Variants Undermine Vaccines? Labs Scramble to Find Out
Researchers race to determine why variants identified in Britain and South Africa spread so quickly and whether they’ll compromise vaccines
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
ComputingDecember 1, 2020
DeepMind’s AI Makes Gigantic Leap in Solving Protein Structures
Google’s deep-learning program for determining the 3-D shapes of proteins stands to transform biology, scientists say
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
MedicineNovember 16, 2020
COVID Vaccine Excitement Builds as Moderna Reports Positive Result
Preliminary data show that the immunization is 94 percent effective and seems to prevent severe infections
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
MedicineOctober 21, 2020
Human Challenge Trials Will Deliberately Infect Dozens in the U.K.
Proponents of the trials say they can be run safely and help to identify effective vaccines, but others have questioned their value
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine
Public HealthAugust 12, 2020
Russia’s Fast-Track Coronavirus Vaccine Draws Outrage over Safety
The immunization could be dangerous because it hasn’t been tested in large trials, researchers say
Ewen Callaway, Nature magazine