Holly Smith
@hollyasmith.bsky.social
News & Views editor at Nature Magazine • Previously at the University of Cambridge • Biologist and certified nerd • All views my own
Reposted by Holly Smith
Nice piece from @hollyasmith.bsky.social on this from @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social et al. in @natecoevo.nature.com
🐦 Did learned vocal signals evolve from innate?
🐦 Authors study this in 21 avian hosts of brood parasites
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
1/2
🐦 Did learned vocal signals evolve from innate?
🐦 Authors study this in 21 avian hosts of brood parasites
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
1/2
October 15, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Nice piece from @hollyasmith.bsky.social on this from @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social et al. in @natecoevo.nature.com
🐦 Did learned vocal signals evolve from innate?
🐦 Authors study this in 21 avian hosts of brood parasites
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
1/2
🐦 Did learned vocal signals evolve from innate?
🐦 Authors study this in 21 avian hosts of brood parasites
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#prattle 💬
#bioacoustics
1/2
Amyloid plaques in the brain capture lithium from surrounding cells, contributing to cognitive decline. What is lithium's role in the brain normally, and could lithium supplements help to treat Alzheimer's disease? Plenty of questions sparked by research in Nature. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Does lithium deficiency contribute to Alzheimer’s disease?
Lithium in the brain has been found to protect against cognitive decline. Restoring lost lithium could be a new angle from which to tackle Alzheimer’s disease.
www.nature.com
August 6, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Amyloid plaques in the brain capture lithium from surrounding cells, contributing to cognitive decline. What is lithium's role in the brain normally, and could lithium supplements help to treat Alzheimer's disease? Plenty of questions sparked by research in Nature. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Holly Smith
Thanks to @nature.com for inviting Todd Rogers and I to talk about our favorite topic: writing/speaking to engage!
Below we comment on a recent article that found:
- if you want people to mindlessly agree - use jargon
- if you want people to actually understand - speak simply
Below we comment on a recent article that found:
- if you want people to mindlessly agree - use jargon
- if you want people to actually understand - speak simply
July 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Thanks to @nature.com for inviting Todd Rogers and I to talk about our favorite topic: writing/speaking to engage!
Below we comment on a recent article that found:
- if you want people to mindlessly agree - use jargon
- if you want people to actually understand - speak simply
Below we comment on a recent article that found:
- if you want people to mindlessly agree - use jargon
- if you want people to actually understand - speak simply
I loved hearing what Todd Rogers and Hillary Shulman had to say about what experts can do to communicate science effectively. Although jargon can be helpful, clarity should be the priority! @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Scientific jargon can be ‘satisfying’ — but misleading
Research shows that jargon can make weak explanations feel complete by masking their gaps. What can experts do to communicate science effectively to laypeople?
www.nature.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I loved hearing what Todd Rogers and Hillary Shulman had to say about what experts can do to communicate science effectively. Although jargon can be helpful, clarity should be the priority! @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Understanding the origin of gender gaps in #STEM subjects is a crucial step in reducing them, because it informs education-policy practitioners about when to intervene. Read the News & Views on the maths #gendergap at @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Boys surpass girls in maths in the first year of school
A gender gap in mathematical ability arises shortly after children begin school — irrespective of the type of school they attend and their socio-economic background.
www.nature.com
July 2, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Understanding the origin of gender gaps in #STEM subjects is a crucial step in reducing them, because it informs education-policy practitioners about when to intervene. Read the News & Views on the maths #gendergap at @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Holly Smith
Genus-wide plant pangenome could help blend the best aspects of productive staple crops & genetically diverse but under-studied indigenous crops
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Genus-wide plant pangenome could inform next-generation crop design
A pangenome for the genus Solanum.
www.nature.com
March 7, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Genus-wide plant pangenome could help blend the best aspects of productive staple crops & genetically diverse but under-studied indigenous crops
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Holly Smith
Current approaches to pain relief are falling short. Chemically modifying a synthetic cannabinoid could enable scientists to capitalize on the body’s natural pain-killing pathway without evoking drug tolerance or psychoactivity
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Designer cannabinoids could be the key to pain relief without adverse effects
A modified CB1-receptor agonist for analgesia without adverse effects.
www.nature.com
March 7, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Current approaches to pain relief are falling short. Chemically modifying a synthetic cannabinoid could enable scientists to capitalize on the body’s natural pain-killing pathway without evoking drug tolerance or psychoactivity
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Holly Smith
Interested in a nudge that can reduce the expression of racial bias in performance evaluations? In the March issue of @nature.com, I cover excellent new work by @tristanbotelho.bsky.social, Sora Jun, Demetrius Humes, and
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Racial bias eliminated when ratings switch from five stars to thumbs up or down | Nature
Implementing a performance-rating system with a two-point scale instead of a five-point scale could be an easy way to temper racial prejudices and tangibly improve income equality for workers from under-represented groups. Switch in performance-rating system could reduce racial pay gap.
urldefense.com
February 19, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Interested in a nudge that can reduce the expression of racial bias in performance evaluations? In the March issue of @nature.com, I cover excellent new work by @tristanbotelho.bsky.social, Sora Jun, Demetrius Humes, and
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Defining a cell’s ‘type’ by the RNA transcripts it expresses is popular in biological research. But does transcriptomics always do a good job of capturing a cell's function? Read the discussion here @nature.com ⬇️
Does a cell’s gene expression always reflect its function?
Transcriptionally similar neurons can be functionally diverse.
www.nature.com
February 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Defining a cell’s ‘type’ by the RNA transcripts it expresses is popular in biological research. But does transcriptomics always do a good job of capturing a cell's function? Read the discussion here @nature.com ⬇️
Ancient genomes from modern Ukraine and Russia reveal the origins of the Yamna people, pastoralists who migrated from the Eurasian steppe to Europe 5,000 years ago, spreading their ancestry, culture and, probably, language.
Genetic and geographical origins of Eurasia’s influential Yamna culture
Ancient genomes from Ukraine and Russia reveal Yamna origins.
www.nature.com
February 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Ancient genomes from modern Ukraine and Russia reveal the origins of the Yamna people, pastoralists who migrated from the Eurasian steppe to Europe 5,000 years ago, spreading their ancestry, culture and, probably, language.
Maps of glacier surfaces across Greenland reveal that cracks are growing rapidly where land ice meets the sea — and climate change is to blame.
The Greenland Ice Sheet is fracturing faster than expected
Cracks in Greenland's glaciers deepened by climate change.
www.nature.com
February 10, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Maps of glacier surfaces across Greenland reveal that cracks are growing rapidly where land ice meets the sea — and climate change is to blame.