// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
Daily briefing: ‘A triumph of scientific self-correction’
Search author on:
PubMed
Google Scholar
Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here.
Dwarf reed snakes start their speedy getaways by surging forward and throwing their bodies over their heads, similar to the movement of a human front flip. (Yosuke Kojima, Ibuki Fukuyama)
In times of trouble, dwarf reed snakes (Pseudorabdion longiceps) can use a cartwheel-like motion to quickly get away. Researchers found that the animals can control the movement by keeping their heads at roughly the same level and pointing in the same direction. This rolling enables the snakes to move around four times faster than they can by slithering. It’s unusual for a snake to move in such a conspicuous way, experts say. But “it’s nice to be surprised by weird snake behaviour occasionally”, says herpetologist Frank Burbrink.
The New York Times | 3 min read (free registration required)
The number of conference papers retracted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on 23 October — the largest bulk retraction by a scholarly publisher ever. (Nature | 3 min read)
The mechanical strain placed on the skeleton during physical activity might prompt bones to release proteins that slow ageing, a study in mice suggests. Researchers found that gently squeezing the legs of mice to simulate the movement of exercise triggered force-sensing cells called osteocytes to secrete molecules that rejuvenate immune cells and reprogram cells in other organs to a younger state. Mice that went through this faux exercise regime lived around three months longer on average than did mice that didn’t.
Since 2016, a layer of water in the Antarctic that has a major influence on Earth’s oceans has changed, with unknown consequences for the world’s climate. With less melting sea ice to feed it each year, the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) has rapidly become saltier and denser, and sits slightly deeper in the ocean — which might change the way surface water circulates into deeper layers. “The Antarctic region is the freshwater engine of oceans around the globe,” says fluid dynamicist and study co-author Bishakhdatta Gayen.
Sources: M. C. Matthew et al. Landslides 21, 2307–2326 (2024); D. Schneider et al. Earth Surf. Process. Landf. 36, 1948–1966 (2011); Y. Zhong et al. Landslides 22, 989–1001 (2025); J. A. Coe et al. Landslides 15, 393–407 (2018); A. Kääb et al. Cryosphere 15, 1751–1785 (2021); Alaska Volcano Observatory yearly reports (https://avo.alaska.edu)
The deadly avalanche and flood that swept through Nepal’s Rasuwa district in August is an urgent wake-up call, argues a group of mountain-hazard experts. “The unprecedented scale of the damage shows that current approaches of assessing and managing these risks have failed,” they say. “Moreover, with global warming accelerating, further disasters of this magnitude are expected.” (Nature | 14 min read)