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"People begin to move in vortices in densely-packed crowds."

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 06 February 2025, 2040 UTC.

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

 

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Hello Nature readers, Today we learn that people begin to move in vortices in densely-packed crowds, trace the Indo-European language family back to its origin and meet the scientists who kept research alive in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Previous studies have found crowds to move in chaotic, irregular ways. (Bartolo lab, ENS de Lyon)

Dense crowds start moving in swirls In densely-packed crowds, people form swirling ‘vortex’ patterns, with individuals moving in circles. Researchers studied crowds gathered for the famed Feast of San Fermín celebrations in Pamplona, Spain. They found that, as a central plaza filled up in the morning, the crowd reached a critical density of around four people per square metre, beyond which it started — initially very slowly — to form rotating vortices, each involving hundreds of people, that pushed against one another. The vortices completed a rotation in 18 seconds once the plaza reached its maximum density, of around 9 people packed in each square metre. Nature | 4 min read Reference: Nature paper

The origin of Indo-European languages Ancient-genomics researchers have pinpointed the homelands of a nomadic tribe that transformed the culture and genetics of Europe and Asia, revealing a potential source for the Indo–European language family, spoken by nearly half of the world’s population. Genomes from more than 400 individuals suggest that the Yamnaya — Bronze Age herders from the grassy plains of present-day Russia and Ukraine — emerged along the northern shores of the Black Sea. “This Indo–European story has been a mystery for 200 years, and now step by step, we are coming closer to the solution,” says archaeologist Volker Heyd. Nature | 5 min read Reference: Nature paper 1 & paper 2

Where do young turtles go? New research has shed some light on what sea turtles do during a period known as ‘the lost years’ — a span of one to ten years between leaving the beach as hatchlings and returning fully grown. The answer: they’re swimming. Scientists had previously theorized that the babies float passively along ocean currents. Tracking data from 114 individuals of different turtle species revealed that the hatchlings instead go where they please, moving between the continental shelf and the open ocean. “This tiny little hatchling is actually making its own decisions about where it wants to go in the ocean and what it wants to avoid,” said ecologist Bryan Wallace. Associated Press | 3 min read Reference: Proceedings of the Royal Society B paper

The Taung child: celebrating 100 years The skull and braincast of the first Australopithecus africanus fossil, known as the Taung Child. (Patrick Landmann/Science Photo Library) The discovery of the cradle of humankind In 1925, Nature published a paper by anthropologist Raymond Dart describing a fossil he called Australopithecus africanus — today known as the Taung Child.  The fossil, named after the South African town near where it was found, led to the understanding that humans and their ancestors evolved in Africa. “There was an element of disbelief, mixed in with a hefty dose of racism because they couldn’t imagine that humans arose from Africa. That made many scientists dismissive,” biological anthropologist Rebecca Rogers Ackermann writes in Nature Africa. A hundred years on, Nature Africa has produced a collection of articles about the discovery that revolutionized our understanding of evolution and launched African palaeoanthropology. A further collection of 100 papers take us on a journey from Dart’s first manuscript to the latest discoveries from Africa, the cradle of humankind. Start here: Nature editorial | 6 min read Nature Africa | Full collection & Collection of 100 papers from Nature, Nature Communications and Nature Ecology and Evolution

Features & opinion

The researchers keeping Gazan science alive Amid the uncertainty and destruction caused by the 15-month conflict between Hamas and Israel, researchers in Gaza have been trying to continue their work. Ten scientists from the territory, some of whom even published during the war, spoke to Nature about continuing their research despite facing homelessness, recurrent displacement and a dearth of food and basic necessities. “The Palestinian academic community’s efforts to continue their work under such difficult circumstances are a testament to their unwavering commitment to education and knowledge,” says online-learning researcher Aya ElMashharawi. Nature | 6 min read

How to sell your science without selling out “The temptation to ‘sell out’ is present across the science-communications industry, in which the pressure to stand out might overshadow the responsibility to communicate with integrity,” says communications specialist Kisha Greer. She offers five tips on how to sell research without overhyping it: Set realistic expectations Tailor your message to your audience Be transparent with your data Make your science relatable Don’t take shortcuts, tell the full story Nature | 7 min read

Quote of the day “I feel for my old colleagues. And I feel for the American public, who are being put in danger.” Attorney Gary Jonesi resigned from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after the re-election of President Donald Trump. He is one of more than 300 employees who have since left the EPA in the wake of the Trump administration’s attempts to make radical changes to the agency. (ProPublica | 11 min read)

Today I want to learn to ‘speak’ cow, and I’ve found myself a tutor. Sociolinguist Leonie Cornips studies how cows communicate by applying the framework of human languages to the noises they make and their body movements. Watch this space, Nature Briefing: Cow Edition coming soon. First, help me better communicate with you, our human readers, by sending your feedback to briefing@nature.com. Thanks for reading, Jacob Smith, associate editor, Nature Briefing With contributions by Flora Graham

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