How to win a Nobel prize: what past winners can tell us about our chances

Hello Nature readers,
Today we take a look into the brain of a fruit fly in unprecedented detail, investigate what might cause lightning and look to history to find out how to win a Nobel prize.

γ-ray flashes hint at what triggers lightning

Physicists have discovered a new form of γ-ray radiation that emerges from tropical thunderstorms. ‘Gamma’ radiation is usually associated with extreme cosmic environments, such as black holes, but observations show that the invisible bursts of energy are more common on Earth than previously thought. Understanding the source of the radiation could help scientists to shed light on the centuries-old question of what initiates lightning. Physicists made the discovery by flying a high-altitude ex-cold-war spy plane, converted by NASA, as close as 1.5 kilometres above storms in Central America and the Caribbean.

CRISPR turns back time in mouse brains

Reducing the activity of one particular gene in ageing mice rejuvenates brain stem cells, allowing them to proliferate and provide a supply of fresh neurons. Researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to systematically disrupt 23,000 genes and test the effects on neural stem cells. Messing with one such gene, Slc2a4, reduced stem cells’ glucose intake and increased their power to proliferate in old animals, but didn’t affect the cells in young mice. The results provide crucial information for the design of cell therapies that might one day treat neurodegenerative conditions, says neuroscientist Saul Villeda.

Soil microbes enjoy bouts of white noise

Fungal soil microbes that promote plant growth seem to get a boost from white noise. When scientists periodically played a noise similar to radio static to Trichoderma harzianum, the fungi grew bigger and produced more spores than other samples grown in a soundproof booth. The vibrations might stimulate mechanoreceptors in Trichoderma’s cell walls, which alters the expression of genes involved in growth, suggest researchers.

How to win a Nobel Prize

There’s no surefire way to win a Nobel Prize, but Nature crunched the data to work out which characteristics can be reliably linked to medals. (Spoilers: if you’re a 54-year old man who produced award-worthy work around 20 years ago, listen out for your phone ringing next week!)

Silent Spring was a double-edged sword

Biologist Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring changed how the world thought about chemicals and human health for the better. But Carson’s implication that chemicals are ‘poisons’ paved the way for ‘chemophobia’, argues journalist Katie MacBride: a fear that can snowball into an overall mistrust of conventional science. “Many believe synthetic or manufactured chemicals are inherently harmful,” says medical toxicologist Ryan Marino. “When in reality, nature is trying to kill us all the time.”