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Nature squeakbits [26 February 2026]

Posted in Books, pictures, Running, Travel with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2026 by xi'an

In this issue of Nature, uncovering the fundamental (and Ig-Nobel worth) reason why basketball shoes are squeaking, the reason being a shockwave travelling through the sole!, two tribunes against nuclear testing and “must & should” towards a successor to the START treaty… While we should ask & act for a global and if not unilateral nuclear disarmament! This alas coïncides with France announcing the increase of its nuclear arsenal and the extension of its “umbrella” to several EU countries…

And another coverage of the deplorable Trump administration dismantling the biodefense and pandemic preparedness branches of the US NIAID, presumably a late under-the-belt jab at the national institute Anthony Fauci directed for 38 years. Meaning one of the forefronts for pandemic research and vaccine development has been dismantled. Plus the US EPA revoking the 2009 statement that climate change is endangering the US population and removing greenhouse-gas emission rules. In tune with the Drill, baby, drill! motto of the Trump supporters more interested in their short-term profits than in the long-term (no-)future of the country. Paradoxically sitting in the same issue as a comment calling for a policy-making assessment of avoidable climate-change risks. Illustrated by London’s drownin’ below

And a summary of their conclusions from 23 of the 27 members (from 27 countries) of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origin of Novel Pathogens for the WHO. After 3.5 years of debate on the origin of COVID-19! Four hypotheses are examined and other hoaxes and conspiracies are debunked.

Another political entry about the EU and its Horizon Europe programme (that is funding my ERC Synergy grant) baring (researchers from) Chinese research organisations from applying for its grants in sensitive methodologies, in order to prevent “the undesired transfer of IP”. Following similar and earlier actions in the US with the (newspeak!) China Initiative launched by Trump 1.0 that turned into a witch hunt.

An exciting 228 metres of rock and mud providing a window on the past 23 million year weather. Obtained from the West Antarctica Ice Sheet.

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Nature tidbits [19 June 2025]

Posted in Books, Kids, pictures, Travel, University life with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 9, 2025 by xi'an

Editorials on China becoming the World scientific superpower, along with a call for continued collaboration under security risk assessment, the news that all incoming Nature publications will come accompanied by the full editorial process (reviews and authors’ responses), which sounds most sensible to me, another call for novel research indicators to be used eg in the REF but… being co-funded by Elsevier is not especially promising!—along with a Nature investigation on paper mills—, and another personal take calling for new FAA models on air controller loads, which are too light according to the author!, who thinks controllers can handle several flights concurrently.

News on the incoming Vera Rubin Observatory telescope in Chile—if not close to the Atacama peaks I climbed during ISBA 2004—and its unique technology (with a camera the size of a car!). As well as a highlight on African space agencies (where I discovered that Egypt is the most active). Plus, a rather vague report on ether0 as a “stepping stone towards a reasoning model“,  once again playing with words and double meaning on what’s reason(ing). Further entries (alas!) onH ow Trump 2.0 is reshaping science with the impact of barring entry to 19 countries’ nationals and China multiplying calls to attract researchers from abroad and keep students in the country. Including unusually large salaries and benefits. (Pangolins and axolotls make an appearance in both this issue and the next, how unlikely is this?! With the conflicting items of information that the former are primarily hunted for their scales or for their taste.)

The most frightening section of the 19 June issue is however on the threat of a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which would bring a new Ice Age to Western Europe and dramatic changes in the weather worldwide. Along with several research articles on climate change and its impacts.

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Nature tidbits [26 June 2025]

Posted in Books, Kids, Travel, University life with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 1, 2025 by xi'an

Editorials on how fast advances in computer vision and face recognition are lacking in ethical standards (with plenty of shoulds and musts, but no proposal to enforce those),  a call for stronger condemnations of Trumpian attacks on science and academics by international scientific institutions, taking as a leading example a statement of concern by the Pontifical Academy of Science (or Pontificia Academia Scientiarum in plain latin) in Vatican, which, considering the history of the relations between Church and Science, is not an obvious choice!, another (mostly) Trumpian-induced plea for the return of foreign aid to low and middle income countries from the high income donors, rather than focussing on defence budgets (again with no practical strategy to achieve this goal)—with different headings in printed and online versions.

Half-a-dozen entries on How Trump 2.0 is reshaping science, from the federal judicial ruling that NIH grants are illegal since discriminatory (with no immediate impact), to the new vaccine panel members set by RF Kennedy with a dearth of experts and the arrival of vaccine sceptics (or worse), to a Nature supplement entitle Science Inc., looking at private funding to compensate for federal disengagement (with France’s Sanofi and Capgemini deserving a mention, for once), to an original Nature—and KFF, a non-profit health-policy research organization from San Francisco— investigation on how to make the US healthy again. If at all feasible.

As expected, the gap with other wealthy (and more healthy) nations is stupendous for many criteria. Caused by much higher death rates associated with COVID-19, substance misuse, chronic diseases, transport accidents (poor public facilities), and gun deaths (of course, even though this latter cause was recently removed from the HSS website). With a significant difference between States and ethnicities. The fixes requiring more federal intervention and money, as well as opposing the gun lobby, it is very very unlikely this is going to happen, witness the recent cut on Medicaid.

“one 5-year-old out of every 20 will die before the age of 45 The comparable figure is one in 50 in the United Kingdom and one in 100 in Switzerland.”

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hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death [Libé cover]

Posted in Books, Kids, pictures with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2025 by xi'an

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Nature tidbits [06 Feb 2025]

Posted in Statistics with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 10, 2025 by xi'an

Entries about the scary rise in H5N1 risks of a human transmission, compounded by Trump’s America leaving WHO, hence the US connection with global monitoring and its substantial funding of the organization. Advising against drinking raw milk as a primary precaution. Even camembert?!

A (naïve, imho) call by the presidente of the Union of Concerned Scientists to boost scientific integrity to protect (US) federal research despite the chainsaw massacre unfolding daily in (US) federal agencies. And the disregard of said massacrers for accountability and legal boundaries. And unions, definitely unions.

Also entries (and two Nature collections) on the one hundredth anniversary of the Taung Child fossil uncovering, as the first Australophitecus africanus  that opened the way for the theory that Africa was the birthplace of humanity, along with other extended books reviews. On quantum theory (it’s complicated!, according to Sean Carroll) and Kepler mission (by Jason Steffen). And a show at Cité des Sciences in La Villette about silence that I would love to attend.

A quick assessment of deepseek against its competitors. Mostly praising its open code. And another one on 23andMe losses and trouble,  reflecting the one-shot strategy of the company that cannot sell its analysis more than once (despite repeatedly trying, as I can confirm from their frequent emails). And opening concerns about their data or rather our data. Since there is very little protection in the US for this kind of data, considered out of healthcare.

New challenges of large carnivores in Western Europe, with a rise of wolverines, success story for the Iberian lynx, talks of reintroducing wolves to Scotland (to cull red deer like those who roam Buachaille Mor), degrading setting in France with looser rules for shooting wolves.

Microplastics in the brain, unsurprisingly increasing the chances of clots and surprisingly easily moving into blood vessels and the brain. And, speakiMicroplastics in the brainng of plastic, recycling, at last? Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) mentioned as evaluating the life-cycle analysis of a new approach with superheated water. Exposing the elephant in the room, namely that there is very little true recycling going on and that part of the recycled plastic ends up as fuel, hence contributing to pollution. Costs and impact of turning used products into new material are mentioned (and staggering albeit not compared with the initial costs and impact.

And I remain perplexed by the Two-Eyed Seeing Indigenous perspective for neuroscience article. As I do not see the scientific component, besides directions to work with local communities.

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