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Glueballs are made of gluons, the force-carrying particles that bind quarks together inside protons and neutrons.
Credit: Sefa kart/Getty
Physicists have reported strong evidence for the existence of mysterious particles known as “glueballs” — bound states made entirely of gluons, the particles that carry the strong nuclear force. The research team says the particle known as X(2370) is largely composed of glueball material.
Gluons bind quarks together to form protons and neutrons, which make up atomic nuclei. Although the results do not provide conclusive proof that X(2370) is a glueball, particle physicist Bruce Yabsley describes the findings as “very convincing”. The team presented its research last week at the International Conference on High Energy Physics in Natal, Brazil.
Nature | 5-minute read
An executive order signed this week by US President Donald Trump calls for reducing the number of diseases covered by routine childhood vaccinations. It recommends separating combination vaccines into individual shots and administering them over a longer period, beginning with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Viral immunologist Paul Offit says the order is “not based in science in any way”. Although it directs the country’s senior health officials to adopt the recommendations, the order has no inherent legal authority. Implementing the changes would require vaccine manufacturers to develop separate shots for each disease — a process that could take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nature | 6-minute read
The world’s oceans are approaching record-high temperatures, raising concerns about marine ecosystems and the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Sea-surface temperatures have broken records during the past two months, driven by human-caused climate change and a strengthening El Niño event in the Pacific Ocean.
Average ocean-surface temperatures are now only a few hundredths of a degree below the current record, set in March 2024. “This will only cause problems for the planet,” says climate scientist Christina Dahl.
Nature | 5-minute read
Source: Copernicus Climate Change Service/European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
Features and insights
A temporary Ebola treatment ward operated by medical charity Arima in Rwampara, Democratic Republic of the Congo, is treating patients as infections spread across the country. The centre has cared for more than 700 people, 291 of whom have died from the disease.
Only patients and health-care workers can enter the hospital wards, but the protective equipment worn by staff does not always provide adequate protection against the virus. In July, a strike over unpaid wages involving health workers and support staff in Rwampara left many patients without care for several days. Read the New York Times report.
New York Times | 5-minute read
How should funders choose between grant proposals that receive nearly identical scores? One possible answer comes from the ancient Greeks: leave the final decision to chance.
Supporters of grant lotteries say the approach can encourage a more diverse range of applicants and reduce the pressure on funders overwhelmed by large numbers of submissions. Critics argue that a lottery may ignore important context, including how a proposal fits within the wider scientific literature. Even so, the idea is not as radical as it might seem. “It’s something that has been used in multiple cultures and is understood by most people to be inherently fair,” says statistician Adrian Barnett.
Nature | 13-minute read
More than 175 years after chocolate was first introduced, scientists are still working to improve its taste, texture and appearance. Researchers are studying the microorganisms involved in cocoa-bean fermentation to identify the combinations that create specific flavour profiles.
Other teams are using ultrasound to alter the texture of snacks and examining the crystal structure of fat bloom — the white coating that can appear on chocolate — to understand why it develops. Read more about how scientists are perfecting chocolate.
Knowable Magazine | 8-minute read
Today I’m learning about the Vippefyret of Skagen, a historic lighthouse in northern Denmark. Built in 1747, the lighthouse helped guide ships through the rough waters around Skagen Odde.
I’m studying this lighthouse because yesterday I mistook a photograph of it for a trebuchet — which, of course, is something entirely different. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
If you know of another lighthouse I should study, or if you have feedback about this newsletter, please contact me at [email protected].
Thank you for reading,
Jacob Smith, Associate Editor, Nature Briefing
Contributed by Gemma Conroy
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