Nature Briefing

"Bird Flu infections, squid-inspired drug delivery, and final hours of COP29."

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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.blogspot.com).

 

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Hello Nature readers, Today we explore a worrying bird flu infection, discover a squid-inspired drug-delivery device and brace ourselves for the final hours of COP29.

The ill adolescent did not work or live on a poultry farm, and researchers have found no signs of H5N1 infection in household pets, leaving the source of their infection unclear. (Pictured is a coloured scanning electron micrography image of bird flu virus particles (pink) infecting a human cell (blue).) (Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library)

Teenage case of bird flu rings alarm bells A teenager in Canada is in critical condition after being infected with a version of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that has researchers on high alert. Viral genome sequences suggest that this is a mutated form of H5N1 — which is related to the one infecting US dairy cattle but might be better at infecting the human airway. If true, it could mean that the virus can rapidly evolve to make the jump from birds to humans. “There is reason to be concerned,” says immunologist Scott Hensley. “But not reason to totally freak out.” Nature | 6 min read

Academics lack computing power for AI Many university scientists are frustrated by the limited amount of computing power available to them for research into artificial intelligence (AI). Graphics processing units (GPUs) — computer chips often used to train AI models — can be prohibitively expensive for academics, which hinders their ability to develop large language models and conduct AI research. “The gap between academic and industry models is huge,” says Stella Biderman, executive director at non-profit AI research institute EleutherAI. Nature | 5 min read Reference: arXiv preprint (not peer reviewed)

‘A place of joy’: scientists decamp to Bluesky A wave of academics and researchers have defected from the social media platform Twitter/X, with many heading to upstart Twitter-lookalike Bluesky. Part of the attraction is the ease of gathering worthy connections through moderated lists such as the Science feed and ‘starter packs’ of scientists to follow. “I’d really like it to continue to be a place of joy for me,” says bioacoustics researcher Daryll Carlson. Others say that, despite a rise in pornography, spam, bots and abusive content on Twitter, the platform remains a valuable tool for science communication. “If good experts quit X, who will offer evidence-based input on X?” asks tuberculosis researcher Madhukar Pai. Nature | 6 min read

QUESTION OF THE WEEK What do you think about the next steps for scientists on social media — should #ScienceTwitter become #ScienceSky?  A  It’s worth scientists staying on Twitter/X to try to hang on to its benefits  B  Scientists should reconvene on Bluesky  C  Scientists should make the effort to rebuild the community on another social network (let us know where!)  D  Not bothered with science Twitter before and couldn’t care less now  E  Something else — tell us at briefing@nature.com

COP29: deadline looms

Draft deal sparks anger in final hours As COP29 approaches its Friday deadline — although it is usual for the UN climate conference to run over by many hours — the latest draft agreement offers US$250 billion per year in cash and loans from richer countries from 2035 to help poorer nations reduce emissions and respond to the impact of climate change. This is an increase on the previous climate finance target, set in 2009 at COP15, of $100 billion per year. But, given inflation, not by much. The draft also ‘calls on’ countries to work together to balloon this number to $1.3 trillion with additional private funding. The African Group of 54 nations calls the draft figure “totally unacceptable and inadequate”. Representatives from vulnerable island and coastal states note that it’s equally important for the conference to affirm global commitments to abandon fossil fuels. “What is the point of finance if we have no people to use it?” a Samoan delegate told the BBC. BBC | Live blog NOTABLE QUOTABLE “Paying LMICs hundreds of billions of dollars each year saves trillions at home.” The benefits of paying low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to decarbonize outweigh the costs for rich nations, when avoided future climate damages and adaptation costs are considered, writes climate-finance researcher Alissa Kleinnijenhuis. (Nature | 13 min read) Reference: Bruegel (European economics think-tank) policy brief Keep abreast of climate news in our free weekly newsletter, Nature Briefing: Anthropocene.

Features & opinion

Futures: Science fiction from Nature A physicist endures the anxiety of testing a time machine for a little longer than they’d hoped in I’ll burn this bridge when you get here, while seeing into the multiverse proves a burden in Epiphanies. Nature | 6 min read & Nature | 6 min read

Five best science books this week Andrew Robinson’s pick of the top five science books to read this week includes an exploration of how climate change threatens geopolitics and an examination of the ‘snake oil’ tactics behind the public’s distorted understanding of AI. Nature | 3 min read

Podcast: Squids inspire new drug device Modelled after squids’ ability to shoot ink, swallowable devices can deliver tiny jets of drugs directly into the gut lining, circumventing the need for needles. The devices protect drugs from degradation as they pass through the digestive system, an issue that currently prohibits drugs such as insulin from being given orally. In dogs and pigs, “the amount of insulin that we could deliver was comparable to the administration subcutaneously”, says biomedical engineer Giovanni Traverso. “I would say it's more than pretty good from a success perspective.” Nature Podcast | 29 min listen Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Music, or use the RSS feed.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “I think it’s almost inevitable that, at least in my lifetime, there will be some version of an AI Fukushima.” Cancer researcher and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee fears that the increasing use of AI in science might lead to disaster. (The Guardian | 5 min read)

Today Leif Penguinson is basking in the lush green moss of Satasarvinen (“Hundred Horns Hill”) on Muuratsalo Island, Finland. Can you find the penguin? The answer will be in Monday’s e-mail, all thanks to Briefing photo editor and penguin wrangler Tom Houghton. This newsletter is always evolving — tell us what you think! Please send your feedback to briefing@nature.com. Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing With contributions by Jacob Smith

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