Sperm whales in the Med have different dialects

Hello Nature readers,
Today we discover a technique to make protein samples one billion times bigger, explore a heat wave stifling Europe and consider the science of grief.

If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider recommending it to a friend or colleague. Click here to forward it by e-mail. Thank you!

How to embiggenate proteins 1,000-fold

Researchers have mapped the position of individual amino acids in proteins using a conventional light microscope. The team used an improved version of a technique called expansion microscopy, which enlarges biological samples by carefully pulling them in every direction. The upgrade expands protein samples up to one billion times their original size — 1,000-fold larger in each dimension. The stretch pulls protein molecules apart to a point that they can be visualized without costly and complicated techniques such as cryogenic electron microscopy. “This is the democratization of structural biology,” says neuroscientist and study co-author Silvio Rizzoli.

Europe swelters under extreme heat

Extreme heat is disrupting lives across Europe, with yesterday the hottest day ever recorded in France. “We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that heat wave events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change,” said Peter Thorne, the director of the ICARUS Climate Research Centre in Ireland. “But nevertheless many of the records being set, particularly in the UK and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy.”

There has been progress on adaptation, from cooling centres to early warning systems, some inspired by a heat wave 23 years ago that caused 70,000 deaths across the continent. But more is needed, says the World Health Organization: two weeks ago, it noted that more than 200,000 people across Europe died from heat-related causes over the past four years.

And a 1976 heat wave and drought that is burned into the national memory of the United Kingdom, because of its severity, would be even worse today because of climate change, models suggest.

Sperm whales in the Med have accents

Isolated groups of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Mediterranean Sea seem to have developed their own dialects of their species’ primary social vocalization, a pattern of clicks and pauses. Researchers analysed 20 years of audio recordings and found that whales in the Hellenic Trench, near Greece, use a faster version of the pattern than do whales around the Balearic Islands, between Gibraltar and Italy.

Humanities are not just a nice-to-have

“As science and technology race ahead, the world needs humanities research to understand the reasons and implications,” writes historian Xin Fan. At undergraduate level, humanities education fosters skills such as creativity and ethical awareness in science students, and teaches them the social context of their work. Universities and governments must ensure that investment in science and technology doesn’t come at the expense of the humanities. Fan’s institution, ShangaiTech, is leading by example. “The aim is not to oppose science, but to enrich it,” he writes.

‘How to learn to accept the unthinkable’

When journalist Amanda Petrusich’s baby was only 13 months old, her husband had a fatal seizure, sparking a conflagration of grief. But can grief be so ceaseless that it becomes pathological? And how should this most-universal of injuries be healed? Petrusich delves into the research surrounding debilitating long-term grief and takes stock of emerging treatments, including one that helped her, called eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).