Science

A Beijing think tank offered a frank review of China’s technological weaknesses. Then the report disappeared | Science

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A prominent Peking University think tank posted a surprisingly frank assessment of China’s technological strengths and weaknesses on 30 January—and took it down less than 1 week later. The report, titled China-US Strategic Competition in Technology: Analysis and Prospects in Mandarin, warns China has more to lose than the United States if technological cooperation between … Read more

European fusion reactor sets record for sustained energy | Science

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In experiments culminating the 40-year run of the Joint European Torus (JET), the world’s largest fusion reactor, researchers announced today they have smashed the record for producing controlled fusion energy. On 21 December 2021, the U.K.-based JET heated a gas of hydrogen isotopes to 150 million degrees Celsius and held it steady for 5 seconds while … Read more

These sponges survive the deep sea by feeding on remains of long-dead animals | Science

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It can be hard to find food in the central Arctic Ocean. The water is frigid and the surface is blanketed in ice, making it nearly impossible for the tiny organisms that power many marine food chains to photosynthesize. Now, researchers have unraveled how a gigantic, newly discovered sponge garden gets around the lack of … Read more

Can scientists repair their relationship with Native people as they probe the past? | Science

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How and when people first set foot in the Americas is one of the enduring mysteries of human history. Most archaeologists now agree people lived in the Americas before Clovis-style tools—once thought to be linked to the first Americans—appeared about 13,000 years ago. Last year, for example, researchers reported human footprints in White Sands National … Read more

Next-generation spinal implants help people with severe paralysis walk, cycle, and swim | Science

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Three men paralyzed in motorcycle accidents have become the first success stories for a new spinal stimulation device that could enable faster and easier recoveries than its predecessors. The men, who had no sensation or control over their legs, were able to take supported steps within 1 day of turning on the electrical stimulation, and … Read more

Gut microbe linked to depression in large health study | Science

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The trillions of bacteria in and on our bodies can bolster our health and contribute to disease, but just which microbes are the key actors has been elusive. Now, a study involving thousands of people in Finland has identified a potential microbial culprit in some cases of depression. The finding, which emerged from a study … Read more

House passes sweeping U.S. innovation bill, teeing up talks with Senate | Science

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Remember when your mother said you might choke if you crammed too much food into your mouth? In the weeks to come, Democrats in the U.S. Congress will find out whether that warning also applies to their ability to finalize sweeping legislation that promises to double the budgets of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and … Read more

New CRISPR patent hearing continues high-stakes legal battle | Science

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Another showdown in the seemingly endless patent battle over who invented CRISPR, the genome editor that has revolutionized biology, took place today at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This latest hearing saw charges that one party improperly obtained early CRISPR information, as well as a detailed scientific discussion of a crucial question: Who … Read more

White House science adviser Eric Lander under fire for bullying | Science

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President Joe Biden’s top science adviser, geneticist Eric Lander, has been reprimanded for bullying and demeaning women on his staff, according to a scathing piece this morning in Politico. A 2-month White House investigation found “credible evidence” that Lander bullied one of his attorneys and disrespected and demeaned members of his 140-person staff in the … Read more