Daily briefing: Your final Nature Briefing of 2018 — and the science to look out for next year

Abstract

The science to look for in 2019 Two ambitious Antarctic missions, the rise of China as the world’s biggest spender on research and development, and a boom in cannabis research are among the trends to look out for next year. Nature | 6 min read The toughest plants survived ‘the Great Dying’ Unusually detailed plant fossils unearthed in Jordan suggest that several major lineages of fern and conifer species survived the world’s greatest extinction event. Some studies suggest that up to 90% of all land animals went extinct during a cataclysm of climate change and environmental upheaval that took place around 250 million years ago. The plants might have fared better because they were already adapted to harsh environments and seasonal droughts. Nature | 4 min read Scientists under siege in Nicaragua Ongoing protests and a security crackdown in Nicaragua have engulfed the country’s scientists, causing some to flee their homes in fear for their lives. Universities have fired faculty members who have criticized the administration, and scientific conferences have been moved or postponed. The government has shut down and seized the property of nine non-governmental organizations, including the Fundación del Río, which focuses on environmental protections for the southeastern region of Nicaragua. Nature | 5 min read Animal-cruelty case against neuroscientist dismissed A court in Germany has dismissed a high-profile case of alleged animal cruelty brought against neuroscientist Nikos Logothetis and two colleagues. The case has roots in 2014, when an undercover animal-welfare activist secretly filmed in Logothetis’s lab at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics (MPI-Biocyb). The case provoked outcry among scientists, after the Max Planck Society revoked some of Logothetis’s duties and rights. Nature | 3 min read How Hawaii gets its ice Unlikely patches of permanent ice form on two of Hawaii’s volcanoes, thanks in part to pools of exceptionally cold air that sometimes form in the craters during still nights. But ice ponds in volcanic caves are showing signs of thawing and will probably vanish as the climate warms. Nature Research Highlights | 1 min read Reference: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society paper Get more of Nature’s Research Highlights: short picks from the latest papers. FEATURES & OPINION How I embraced my first academic rejection “Rejection itself isn’t a problem; the issue is that we never talk about it,” says neuroscientist Katherine Bassil. She shares her experience of being rejected for a PhD position — and how ‘failure’ can open a door to success. Nature | 4 min read The call centre for DNA discoveries At consumer-DNA companies, staffing the phones means answering calls from people who have just found out their child is not related to them by blood, or they have siblings they didn’t know about. “Somebody has known something their whole life and then this company is telling them something different,” says Kent Hillyer, head of customer care for the genetic-testing firm 23andMe. “And then it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m heading to a Thanksgiving dinner. Can you help me out with this before I go have this conversation with my mother?’” Bloomberg | 11 min read Hark! It’s Hayabusa2 In this week’s Nature Podcast we feature delightful renditions of three classic carols with new science-themed lyrics: Unto Us a [half-Denisovan/half-Neanderthal] Child is Born, I Have a Little Rover [Exploring Martian Clay] and Hark! It's Hayabusa2. Should you want to gather ‘round the yule and sing along, download the PDF of the lyrics here. Nature Podcast | 33 min listen BOOKS & ARTS   This dulcimer-playing automaton from the 1770s, attributed to clockmaker Joseph Möllinger, mimics human movements to play eight compositions.Credit: M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans