Big dog, little dog: one mutation explains range of canine sizes

Nature, Published online: 27 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00209-0The genetic variant probably comes from ancient wolves.

8m

Why water skitters off sizzling surfaces — and how to stop it

Nature, Published online: 27 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00204-5A new kind of surface prevents water droplets from bouncing around at high temperatures.

1h

Vesuvius is off the hook for ancient Arctic ashfall

Nature, Published online: 27 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00174-8Volcanic debris in a Greenland ice-core layer probably came from an Alaskan volcano instead.

3h

Daily briefing: Vaccination could reduce long COVID risk

Nature, Published online: 26 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00201-8Data from Israel suggest that vaccination can help to reduce the risk of long COVID. Plus: how a mega drought may have toppled ancient civilizations.

7h

Stop describing academic teaching as a ‘load’

Nature, Published online: 27 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00145-zUniversities should reward more than research outputs, says Peter Copeland.

8h

China’s zero-COVID strategy: what happens next?

Nature, Published online: 27 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00191-7With Omicron or Delta outbreaks already in multiple provinces, scientists say next week’s Winter Olympics will present a major test of China’s zero-tolerance approach.

12h

Sensory representation and detection mechanisms of gut osmolality change

Nature, Published online: 26 January 2022; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04359-5Vagal afferents innervating the hepatic portal area respond to changes in gut osmolality and regulate thirst and drinking behaviour in mice.

22h

Evolution of inner ear neuroanatomy of bats and implications for echolocation

Nature, Published online: 26 January 2022; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04335-zThe presence of a variety of highly derived spiral ganglion structures of the inner ear is associated with diverse echolocation strategies in yangochiropteran bats and distinguishes them from Yinpterochiroptera.

23h

Unconventional spectral signature of <i>T</i>_c in a pure <i>d</i>-wave superconductor

Nature, Published online: 26 January 2022; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-04251-2A high-precision angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study on the superconductor Bi2212 resolves the spectroscopic singularity associated with the superconducting transition temperature, and indicates that the transition is driven by phase fluctuations.

1d

As lifespans grow, work time while healthy lags

Nature, Published online: 26 January 2022; doi:10.1038/d41586-022-00136-0The gap between average life expectancy and the number of years people are healthy and on the job is widening, with potentially grave consequences for pensioners.

1d