Smriti Mallapaty
Reporter for Nature news, covering the Asia-Pacific region, including infectious diseases, biological and environmental sciences, and community stories (smritidotmallapatyatnaturedotcom) Find me on Signal at sfm.100
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- Talent recruitment programmes have enticed many researchers to return to China. But how successful have they been? I spoke with several researchers who have analysed these trends and assessed their impact on China's research ecosystem 🧪
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- Switching to anonymous applications gave postdocs more access to research facilities 🧪
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyIn families with several children of the same sex, the odds of having another baby of that sex are higher than of having one of the opposite sex go.nature.com/45caBj4
- Two low-cost techniques to revive the hearts of people who wish to donate their organs after they die could increase the number of hearts available for organ donation, particularly for children.🧪
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- Researchers have mined a massive new protein database for age-related brain diseases and found some interesting things. Among them - people with a gene linked to Alzheimer's produce lots of inflammatory proteins, making them vulnerable to other brain diseases 🧪
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- Viruses and bacteria jumping from animals to people became a real problem when humans started keeping livestock, according to a massive genomic analysis of ancient pathogens 🧪
- Brain–computer interface systems similar to Neuralink’s implants are being trialled in China, giving people with paralysis the ability to play computer games, communicate in Mandarin and restore hand movement. “BCI research in China is developing very fast” says electrical engineer Zhengwu Liu. 🧪
- Japan is the only country that legally requires married couples to share the same family name, creating problems for scientists, especially women. "For the sake of the next generation, I hope that a system of selective surnames will be enacted immediately,” says marine geophysicist Kyoko Okino.🧪
- Around one in seven biomedical-research abstracts published last year was probably written with the help of AI, according to a massive analysis. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by Smriti Mallapaty11th case of H5N1 in Cambodia has now been reported. Known exposure to sick poultry. This is the 7th case in June, and the 4th in Siem Reap. Continued vigilance, active surveillance, and a strong One Health response remain critical. #BirdFlu 🦠🔬🧪🐓💉😷🥼
- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyThe decades-old limit on how long human embryos can be grown in culture is under debate go.nature.com/448yuYw
- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyCambodia has confirmed its 9th and 10th human cases of H5N1 bird flu this year. 6 of these cases occurred in June alone. Sadly, 6 people have died in 2025. 🧪🧬🦠🔬🥼😷🐓💉
- Axolotls can rebuild limbs and parts of their brains, green lizards can regrow tails, and zebrafish can fix broken spinal cords - Researchers are trying to harness these regenerative powers for human health🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Researchers have grown pig embryos with beating human heart tissue for the first time 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Researchers have created mice with sprinklings of human cells in their intestines, brains and liver. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- And it's off! Tianwen-2 is on its way to catch some asteroid dust: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- Harvard students and postgraduates have a place in Hong Kong, say universities 🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01657-0
- Rice plants inherit cold tolerance in just three generations - without changes to their DNA. This study challenges an interpretation of evolution that has been around for more than a hundred years 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- Pee and blood reveal how much ultra-processed food is in your diet 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyAt least 2,500 applications for research funding have been denied so far this year, more than double the previous two years go.nature.com/4dynTcw
- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyThe CRISPR family’s most versatile member has made its medical debut: a cutting-edge gene-editing technique known as prime editing has been used to treat a person for the first time go.nature.com/3YNta9V
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- Look what happens when LLMs talk to each other. They form their own social norms 🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01500-6
- Golf-ball sized amniotic sacs made from stem cells in the laboratory www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyAll of US virology research is threatened by this executive order go.nature.com/4k0D3ZO
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- Two of the first Parkinson's trials injecting neurons derived from stem cells into the brain report results in Nature. The results justify larger trials, which are in the works. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Consciousness science is fascinating - and now researchers are starting to study its neural underpinnings deep in the brain 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyNEW: After cancelling nearly all projects on trans health, the Trump admin has now directed the NIH to study the negative consequences of transitioning. This will create “a distorted research ecosystem where only politically favorable findings are permitted to exist”, researcher Harry Barbee says.
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyNEW: The NIH has begun terminating grants about COVID-19, leaving long COVID funding in limbo, according to a new internal guidance document I obtained. “Now that the pandemic is over, the grant funds are no longer necessary,” it says. We published the full document in my latest for @nature.com:
- Antibiotic resistance is a global threat. Researchers have discovered a new molecule that can kill even some of the most resilient pathogenic bacteria - and they found it in a laboratory technician's backyard. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- Universities are restricting graduate admissions, cutting staff and freezing hiring in cost-saving efforts to survive Trump cuts🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Did you receive a survey? If you would like to share your experience, contact me securely through Signal: sfm.100 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- An Australian man lived with a titanium heart for more than three months, even in the comfort of a home setting www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Are you a researcher in the US looking to leave? Tell us by taking our poll 🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00757-1
- Any researchers affected by the Pentagon's termination of social science research? Find me on Signal at sfm.100 www.defense.gov/News/Release...
- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyNEW: The NIH has begun terminating grants for active projects studying gender identity, DEI, environmental justice, climate change, among other topics. At least 16 termination letters have already been sent — and hundreds more are coming, people inside NIH tell me. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyThe last month has seen shock & sorrow in the US research community, with grant freezes & cuts, mass firings of government scientists, & much more. Now many are fighting back. @heidiledford.bsky.social reports for @nature.com on the rise of scientist-activists: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
- “This is the first time the supreme court has issued guidance on paper mills and on scientific fraud,” says Wang Fei, who studies research integrity policy. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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- The brief outage of PubMed over the weekend stoked fears among scientists over its future. The NIH confirmed that some public web-services experienced disruptions on Saturday and Sunday but confirmed their commitment to a resilient and open access PubMed. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- A toddler with a rare genetic disorder shows no signs of the condition after being treated while still in her mother's womb @nature 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyThis morning, the US National Science Foundation fired 168 employees, approximately 10% of its workforce, for no cause other than they were the agency's most recent hires. 🧪 Co-workers are leaving supportive messages before they have to clear out of the building at 5 p.m. Sent to me by a source ⬇️
- Some positive news: Researchers have developed a simple blood test that can detect pancreatic cancer early, and save lives. Find out how it works @nature.com 🧪https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00438-z
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyFinally online - Bat genomes illuminate adaptations to viral tolerance and disease resistance www.nature.com/articles/s41... @hillermich.bsky.social @virology.bsky.social @emmateeling.bsky.social
- Reposted by Smriti Mallapaty“It will be much easier to destroy the world’s greatest scientific ecosystem than it will be to try to rebuild it” Scientists are worried about the long-term effects of the Trump administration’s actions https://go.nature.com/3PUKeGc
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- Reposted by Smriti MallapatyRoughly 6,000 readers answered our poll, with many declaring that Bluesky was nicer, kinder and less antagonistic to science than X go.nature.com/42tH8Ai
