Who is doing ‘gain of function’ research on pathogens — and why

Hello Nature readers,
Today we hear that octopuses used in research could receive the same protections as monkeys, explore ‘gain of function’ research and discover the deadly influence of war and weather on the Libyan floods.

Octopuses might get ethics oversight

The US National Institutes of Health has proposed new guidelines for work with cephalopods (such as octopuses and squid) because of growing evidence that the animals perceive pain and have advanced cognitive abilities. Cephalopod researchers have welcomed the move. “Things that are good for animal welfare are also good for the quality of research,” says octopus biologist Clifton Ragsdale. But determining best research practices is tricky, because so little is known about how to effectively anaesthetize the animals.

Who is doing ‘gain of function’ research?

Researchers have conducted the first global survey of ‘gain of function’ (GOF) studies — those in which microbes or viruses are given new abilities through genetic alteration. Some people argue that the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic could have escaped from a laboratory conducting this kind of work on coronaviruses. Only a small fraction of GOF studies between 2000 and mid-2022 involved agents dangerous enough to require the strictest biosafety precautions. The report also finds that over-regulation of the technique would threaten work that is essential for creating vaccines and life-saving therapies.

War and weather made Libya floods worse

Climate change, civil war and international sanctions all contributed to the floods in Libya that are feared to have killed around 20,000 people. Extreme rain — the equivalent of a year’s rainfall in 24 hours — caused two dams to collapse, inundating the city of Derna and surrounding areas. Political disarray meant that the dams were probably not constructed to high standards or properly maintained, says water-security researcher Mark Zeitoun. And when severe-storm warnings came, they did not translate into action on the ground.

Researchers are honing in on long COVID

Researchers are making progress on the mysterious, long-lasting symptoms that some people experience following infection with SARS-CoV-2. A recent review pinpointed a possible cause: when a ‘reservoir’ of replicating virus or viral RNA persists in a person’s tissue and triggers their immune system. But not everyone with these viral antigens in their system feels ill. “At this point, we have hints and correlative data,” says physician-scientist Catherine Blish. “But in all honesty, we are so much further ahead at this relative point than for any other major disease in my lifetime as an infectious-disease specialist.”

‘I consider retirement tantamount to death’

High-profile geneticist J. Craig Venter is best known for his role in sequencing the human genome and creating a ‘synthetic’ cell containing only genes that are necessary for life. Since 2004, his research team has been sailing the world, collecting DNA samples of marine microorganisms. “Our approach has shown that discovery science is not a thing of the past,” he says. “I’m not afraid to ask the questions. The fortunate thing is, most of my ideas and intuition have been right.”

Are you smarter than a chatbot?

Scientists are struggling to design tests that accurately benchmark the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI). Try it for yourself by finding the machine imposter in a classic Turing test, taking on eight of the most popular AI assessment quizzes and conversing with the iconic ELIZA, a psychotherapy chatbot developed in 1966.