Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here.
During the day, the exoplanet GJ 367b (shown here in an artist’s rendering) is so hot, the iron it holds could almost begin to melt.Credit: SPP 1992 (Patricia Klein)
This tiny iron-rich world is so metal
Astronomers have spotted the tiniest, most metal-based planet yet — an iron-rich world that is 9 parsecs away from Earth and zips around its star once every 8 hours. The planet, known as GJ 367b, is three-quarters the size of Earth, but much denser. Its temperature reaches a searing 1,500 ℃ during the day — nearly hot enough for its iron to begin to melt. The discovery demonstrates scientists’ prowess at finding extreme planets. “It’s pretty wild,” says astronomer Lisa Dang.
Simulator creates quantum matter
Physicists have created a physical simulation of an exotic and elusive state of matter first predicted in the 1970s, called a spin liquid. Spin liquids contain arrangements of electron spins — the subatomic equivalent of bar magnets — in a solid material that are intrinsically unstable, like the molecules in a liquid. Evidence for their existence is still preliminary, but researchers have now been able to simulate them using atoms suspended in a vacuum — a type of quantum computer that has received less attention than other technologies. Such ‘quantum simulations’ show promise as early applications of quantum computers.
COVID-19 coronavirus update
South Africa is dealing with a large uptick in COVID cases, driven by a new, heavily mutated variant called Omicron.Credit: Guillem Sartorio/AFP/Getty
Omicron: what scientists know so far
Barely a week has elapsed since scientists in Botswana and South Africa alerted the world to the fast-spreading new variant, Omicron. Researchers worldwide are racing to understand the threat that the variant — now confirmed in more than 20 countries — poses to the world. It might take scientists weeks to paint a more complete picture of Omicron, and to gain an understanding of its transmissibility and severity, as well as its potential to evade vaccines and cause reinfections.
Omicron border bans ignore evidence
More than 50 countries have stepped up border controls to slow the spread of Omicron. But researchers say many of the restrictions — especially those targeting only travellers from a handful of countries — are unlikely to keep Omicron out, and come at significant cost to the countries concerned. Scientists in some of the affected countries say travel bans risk slowing urgent research on Omicron by limiting the arrival of imported laboratory supplies. “By next week, if nothing changes, we will run out of sequencing reagents,” says bioinformatician Tulio de Oliveira.
Booster debate supercharged by variant
The evidence is in: booster jabs against COVID-19 do provide an extra layer of protection against the illness. But questions still swirl over how much they’ll help and how often they’ll be needed — and the discovery of the Omicron variant has supercharged the debate. Hoping to stay ahead of the threat, public-health officials across North America and Europe are urging all adults to get a top-up dose of vaccine. Variant-specific boosters are also in the works. But many details about the ability of vaccines to quash Omicron remain unknown. “Unfortunately,” says immunologist Ali Ellebedy, “we’re still living in uncertainty.”
Features & opinion
An unforgivable experiment
In 1942, facing a hepatitis outbreak in the US military, biomedical researchers launched human experiments that continued for decades after the war. They infected more than 1,000 people with viruses that cause hepatitis, including prison inmates, disabled children, people with severe mental illnesses and conscientious objectors performing community service. In her new book. historical sociologist Sydney Halpern explores the social, military and scientific context that led to research with consequences that can never be fully reckoned.
Futures: science fiction from Nature
In this week’s helping of short stories for Nature’s Futures series:
• A virus-hunter battles with their own mind in ‘Mnemovirus’.
• Time-travelling preservationists rescue information from oblivion in ‘The last library’.
Podcast: Diet for a healthy planet
Researchers are trying to develop nutritious diets that help to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Some of these sustainable diets are now being tested to see whether they work in local contexts without damaging livelihoods.
Nature Podcast | 26 min listen
Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.
