Meet the parents: the last universal common ancestor lived around 4.2 billion years ago

Hello Nature readers,
Today we explore the science of Twisters, learn more about the last universal common ancestor and hear from scientists who are bringing extreme outdoor skills to fieldwork.

The science of Twisters

Tornado science has come a long way since the original Twister film came out in 1996 — and the makers of the sequel are keen to showcase it, says meteorologist and scientific advisor Kevin Kelleher. For the 2024 version, “if they could change things and make it a bit more scientifically correct, they did”, he says — not least because the director, Lee Isaac Chung, is from Arkansas tornado country himself.

CAR-T could shrink kids’ brain tumours

CAR-T therapy, which genetically engineers a person’s own immune cells to destroy tumour cells, could treat deadly brain and spinal cancers in children. In small clinical trials, the therapy shrank tumours by more than half in some cases and only one participant experienced severe side effects. One young man even remained in remission more than 30 months after his first treatment.

Meet the parents

The shared forebearer of all life — known as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) — lived around 4.2 billion years ago, ate carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and produced acetate that might have fed other life. Researchers inferred information about our great-great-grandblob’s genetics and biology by tracing duplicated, lost and mutated genes back up the family tree. LUCA probably possessed an early immune system, too — hinting that it lived in an established ecosystem full of microbes and pathogens.

Extreme outdoor skills enhance fieldwork

From ice climbing to horseback riding, extreme outdoor skills can facilitate fieldwork that might appear otherwise impossible to achieve. Key to the success of such expeditions is a culture of safety, plenty of preparation and, of course, snacks.

How to reconnect with old friends

Strategies that make it easier to talk to strangers could help us reconnect to people we used to know, write psychologists Lara Aknin and Gillian Sandstrom. In their experiments with almost 200 people, those who ‘warmed up’ by sending messages to current friends were more likely to then pluck up the courage to message someone they had lost touch with. Don’t worry about imposing, the duo points out — old friends appreciate hearing from us more than we think. And it’s worth the effort: participants who sent the message reported greater feelings of happiness afterward than those who didn’t.