Hello Nature Readers, would you like to receive this report in your inbox for free every day? Register here.

News

The Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the country’s largest funder of fundamental research, intends to increase the number of prestigious grants for early-career scientists by 50% – good news for early-career scientists who face intense competition. “In many Chinese universities, early-career academics must obtain a grant from the NSFC Young Scientists Fund to find a job, get a promotion, or secure tenure,” says bioinformatician Tong Xinzhao.

Nature | 5 minutes of reading

Researchers have launched the first clinical trial to test treatments for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The trial will initially test two drugs: an antibody cocktail called MPB-134 and the injectable antiviral drug remdesivir, with the potential to add a third later. A second trial testing another antiviral called obeldesivir – an oral counterpart to remdesivir – could also begin in the coming weeks as researchers race to contain what is already one of the worst Ebola outbreaks in history.

Science | 5 minutes of reading

Features and opinion

The Universe is a dark place: about 70% appears to be dark energy, a mysterious force that appears to drive accelerated expansion; and dark matter, an invisible “something” that holds galaxies together. These two enigmas were thought to have little in common except their names. Now some theorists wonder if they might be linked through a “dark dimension,” one of the six or seven “extra” dimensions proposed by string theory. This idea could explain evidence from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) that the strength of dark energy has waxed and waned over time.

how many | 11 minute read

An alien visitor learns that if it works, don’t throw it away. RS-232 and other forms of dueling.

Nature | 6 minutes of reading

unionA new book by science journalist Rowan Hooper, argues that collaboration in nature has often been overlooked in favor of competition, and that organisms working together have played a vital role in making the world the way it is. “There’s a great example of the bobtail squid,” Hooper says. nature podcast. “This is a very cute little squid that grows very intimately with these specialized bacteria that it sequesters from the ocean around it. It literally wouldn’t grow the same without these bacteria.”

Nature Podcast | 31 minutes listen

Subscribe to nature podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music, or use the RSS feed.

Today, Leif Penguinson is exploring Hegyestű, an ancient basalt volcano in Balaton-Felvidéki National Park, Hungary. Can you find the penguin?

The answer will be in Monday’s email, all thanks to Briefing photo editor and penguin keeper Tom Houghton.

This newsletter is always evolving – let us know what you think! Send your comments to briefing@nature.com.

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, Editor-in-Chief, Nature Briefing

With contributions from Jacob Smith

• Nature Briefing: Careers: ideas, advice and award-winning journalism to help you optimize your working life

• Nature Briefing: Microbiology (the most abundant living entities on our planet (microorganisms) and the role they play in health, the environment and food systems

• Nature Briefing: Anthropocene: climate change, biodiversity, sustainability and geoengineering

• Nature Briefing: AI and robotics: 100% human-written, of course

• Nature Briefing: Cancer: A weekly newsletter written with cancer researchers in mind.

• Nature Briefing: Translational Research: covers biotechnology, drug discovery and pharmaceuticals.