Daily Lab Safety Instructions: Bunsen Burners Do Not Spread Germs From Your Worktop

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Bunsen burners may not effectively sterilize laboratory workspaces—and could even increase bacterial contamination. Although these burners have long been used to clean laboratory surfaces and reduce bacteria-laden particles, a new experiment suggests that the practice may be unreliable. Researchers released the bacterium Gordonia rubripertincta into the air above a laboratory bench before placing two Petri dishes nearby: one beside a lit Bunsen burner and another beside an unlit burner. After testing burners of different sizes, the researchers found that bacterial levels near the lit burners were similar to, or higher than, those near the unlit burners.

Nature | 5-minute read

Reference: Microbiology Spectrum paper

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has signed an agreement with the US Department of Defense to oversee hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for military biodefense programs. According to an NIH spokesperson, the 10-year agreement creates a process for transferring funding from the NIH on a “project-by-project basis.” Some researchers, however, are concerned that moving biomedical research into military programs could reduce the transparency and clinical focus associated with NIH-funded science.

Nature | 6-minute read

Iberian killer whales may be ramming boats as a form of play rather than aggression. Researchers studying orca encounters off the coasts of Spain and Portugal found that the whales involved were usually juveniles and that contact with boats was often gentle. Some whales even brought “gifts,” including pieces of fish, to vessels. The findings could challenge the theory that the animals are seeking revenge for injuries caused by boats. “If you want revenge, why don’t you bring food?” said killer-whale researcher Janek Andre.

Science | 5-minute read

Reference: Marine Mammal Science paper

Science features and expert insights

In their new book, Newton’s Winding Road to Principia Mathematica, science historians Jed Buchwald and Mordechai Feingold examine how Isaac Newton challenged the so-called “10-year rule” of creativity and genius. The idea suggests that artists and scientists typically need a decade of study and practice before achieving a breakthrough. Newton’s landmark work, which introduced the laws of motion and universal gravitation, required relatively little prior research in mathematics or science and was developed largely through his own efforts.

Nature | 7-minute read

Cells that appear identical can have dramatically different fates depending on the proteins they contain. Yet most single-cell analyses focus on the transcriptome—the collection of genes expressed inside a cell. Now, single-cell proteomics is making it possible to measure thousands of proteins in individual cells, a technique once considered the stuff of science fiction. In cancer research, the approach could help explain why patient outcomes differ as tumors evolve and interact with the immune system. “Single-cell proteomics can help us understand how tumor evolution, immune response and cell differentiation drive cellular heterogeneity,” says mass-spectrometry researcher Yu-Ju Chen.

Nature | 15-minute read

One community’s effort to tackle air pollution demonstrates how scientific research can fail to meet the needs of the people it is intended to serve. When people are listened to but not actually helped, environmental-justice researcher Gwen Ottinger argues that “reparative science” must do more than establish facts. In an essay based on her book, The Science of Repair: How People Who Believe in the Facts Build a Better Future, she describes it as a process that recognizes harm, holds those responsible accountable and offers hope that affected communities will not be abandoned.

Issues in Science and Technology | 17-minute read