Testicular-tissue transplant restores man’s ability to make sperm

Hello Nature readers,
Today we learn that a man’s ability to make sperm has been restored by a testicular-tissue transplant, hear tips for nailing an industry role and consider the deadly toll of a ‘disease of the built environment’: Legionnaires’.

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

Transplant restores sperm-making

A man’s ability to make sperm has been restored after a transplant of tissue samples that were removed from one of his testicles and frozen 16 years earlier, when he was ten years old. The samples were taken shortly before he received chemotherapy treatments that put his fertility at risk. Whether the sperm collected from the transplanted tissue can successfully fertilize an egg, and produce a healthy baby, remains to be seen. But the achievement could mark the beginning of a new wave of fertility treatments, scientists say.

Space mirrors sound alarm for astronomers

Earlier this month, the US government approved a plan to launch a giant mirror into orbit to reflect sunlight onto shadowed parts of Earth — the first of a planned 50,000 mirror-bearing satellites. Reflect Orbital, the start-up behind the plan, say that this ‘manufactured daylight’ could increase agricultural productivity, aid natural-disaster relief efforts and allow solar panels to make electricity at night. But many astronomers are worried that the mirror beams will interfere with sensitive telescopes and increase light pollution.

UK aid funding cuts laid bare

The UK government has finally revealed how it will slash overseas development funding by 40% in 2027 to increase spending on national defence. Programmes in some of the poorest countries, including Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania, will be worst hit. “Some of the UK’s most enduring development partnerships are receiving cuts of up to 92%,” noted legislator Sarah Champion in her role as chair of the cross-party committee that oversees international development. “It is chilling to consider the consequences of these decisions.”

How to nail the industry interview

A postdoc hunting a job in industry tells Nature that they are lost amid the opaque, multi-stage interview processes of big science companies. Career coaches and hiring managers offer a dose of clarity. The key is understanding who you’ll be speaking with at each stage — information you can get from an initial chat with a recruiter — and to tailor your answers to suit their expectations, they say. And above all, make sure you’re thoroughly prepared: research the company you’re interviewing with and compile anecdotes that demonstrate your skills in advance.

50 years on, Legionnaires’ still harms

At a 1976 American Legion convention in Philadelphia, a mysterious disease struck down 182 people, of whom 29 died. The culprit was eventually described as Legionella pneumophila, a bacterium that can cause a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease — of which there is a current deadly outbreak in New York City. “Legionnaires’ is a disease of the built environment,” writes environmental journalist Brett Walton. “Any mist will do — a rooftop cooling tower, a shower, a hot tub, a decorative fountain,” he says, making it devilishly hard to prevent.