Are boys really in crisis? What the science says

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Entomologist Nelson Milano came across chocolate slime mould (Stemonitis splendens) on a decaying log in Pennsylvania. “I’ve always been fascinated by minute organisms, and this looked like a sci-fi creature to me,” says Milano. The shot was shortlisted for the Close-up Photographer of the Year challenge under the theme of death and decay.

See more of the month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team.

Nature | Leisurely scroll

For the first time, physicists have matched detailed quantum-computer simulations to experimental data gathered from work with solid materials. Two teams of physicists achieved the feat independently: one simulated the physical properties of a magnetic material, such as its heat capacity, and the other modelled a different material’s response to being excited into a range of energy states. Both agreed with experimental data. The work “sets the stage for a new standard in the application of quantum simulation to materials science,” says theoretical physicist Daniel González-Cuadra.

Nature | 5 min read

Reference: arXiv preprint 1 & preprint 2 (not peer reviewed)

Sunbirds (Nectariniidae) drink nectar from flowers by generating suction with their tongues — the first example of a vertebrate creating suction without changing the shape of its mouth. As they drink, the birds repeatedly press their tongue against the roof of their beak and then release it. This motion flattens and re-forms a v-shaped groove along the length of the tongue, which researchers believe creates suction that pulls nectar into the birds’ mouths.

Science | 4 min read

Reference: Current Biology paper

Features & opinion

Concerns about a crisis among boys and young men abound, but the evidence shows that worries are best understood in the wider context of all young people. Surveys and other studies find that boys and girls face huge challenges at school and with mental health. Some boys are uncertain about what masculinity means for them, and the online ‘manosphere’ might not be helping — although research on it is still limited. Investing in all adolescents is crucial, say experts — especially because, for many outcomes, things still look much worse for adolescent girls.

Nature | 18 min read

In the United Kingdom, the Cardboard to Caviar project shreds cardboard waste into horse bedding, which is then fed as compost to worms, which are then fed to sturgeon to produce caviar. Each stage makes money, and the whole thing is an example of how to rethink the way we design municipal and industrial processes, writes architect Michael Pawlyn. “If waste is considered as a future nutrient or as an underutilized resource rather than worthless material, a different economic model can emerge — one in which wealth can be created by consuming less.”

Nature | 14 min read

In computer scientist Ross King’s lab, early-stage drug design experiments are left to one ‘staff member’ — an artificial-intelligence-powered robot called Eve. Eve and other ‘self-driving’ labs like it contain all the necessary equipment to design and perform experiments with minimal human input, which could make the scientific process faster and cheaper than when done by humans, says King and other pro-automation researchers. The technology is still in its infancy, but has the potential to fundamentally change the structure of scientific teams — a prospect that has not been embraced by everyone working in labs such as King’s.

Nature | 12 min read

Tonight I’ll be going to bed early: NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch tomorrow, so it promises to be a long, exciting day. Watch live on NASA’s YouTube channel and stay tuned to nature.com for our expert commentary. Today, brush up on all of the science that the crew will do on the mission (Nature | 9 min read)

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Jacob Smith

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