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Hello _Nature_ readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here. THE SCIENCE OF _TWISTERS_ Tornado science has come a long way since the original
_Twister_ film came out in 1996 — and the makers of the sequel are keen to showcase it, says meteorologist and scientific advisor Kevin Kelleher. For the 2024 version, “if they could change
things and make it a bit more scientifically correct, they did”, he says — not least because the director, Lee Isaac Chung, is from Arkansas tornado country himself. Nature | 6 min read
CAR-T COULD SHRINK KIDS’ BRAIN TUMOURS CAR-T therapy, which genetically engineers a person’s own immune cells to destroy tumour cells, could treat deadly brain and spinal cancers in
children. In small clinical trials, the therapy shrank tumours by more than half in some cases and only one participant experienced severe side effects. One young man even remained in
remission more than 30 months after his first treatment. Nature | 5 min read 4.8 GRAMS PER DAY The amount of sugar cut from children’s diets by the introduction of a sugar tax in the United
Kingdom — of which 3 grams was from soft drinks alone. (The Guardian | 5 min read) Reference: _Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health_ paper MEET THE PARENTS The shared forebearer of
all life — known as the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) — lived around 4.2 billion years ago, ate carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and produced acetate that might have fed other life.
Researchers inferred information about our great-great-grandblob’s genetics and biology by tracing duplicated, lost and mutated genes back up the family tree. LUCA probably possessed an
early immune system, too — hinting that it lived in an established ecosystem full of microbes and pathogens. Science | 6 min read Reference: _Nature Ecology & Evolution_ paper FEATURES
& OPINION EXTREME OUTDOOR SKILLS ENHANCE FIELDWORK From ice climbing to horseback riding, extreme outdoor skills can facilitate fieldwork that might appear otherwise impossible to
achieve. Key to the success of such expeditions is a culture of safety, plenty of preparation and, of course, snacks. Nature | 10 min read HOW TO RECONNECT WITH OLD FRIENDS Strategies that
make it easier to talk to strangers could help us reconnect to people we used to know, write psychologists Lara Aknin and Gillian Sandstrom. In their experiments with almost 200 people,
those who ‘warmed up’ by sending messages to current friends were more likely to then pluck up the courage to message someone they had lost touch with. Don’t worry about imposing, the duo
points out — old friends appreciate hearing from us more than we think. And it’s worth the effort: participants who sent the message reported greater feelings of happiness afterward than
those who didn’t. Scientific American | 6 min read Reference: _Communications Psychology_ paper WHERE I WORK Biologist Ernesto Filippi tracks the health of cervone snakes (_Elaphe
quatuorlineata_) alongside the practitioners of a 2,000-year-old snake-catching ritual in Cocullo, Italy. As well as taking a starring role in the procession of St Dominic of Sora, where
they adorn the saint’s statue, the snakes are microchipped and examined by scientists. Then they’re released at the exact spot where they were captured. The data contributes to
snake-conservation strategies — and, from this year, a study of animals’ responses to natural disasters. (Nature | 3 min read) QUOTE OF THE DAY “WORKERS ARE COMPELLED TO BE IN THE HEAT. THEY
HAVE TO WORK OR THEY LOSE THEIR LIVELIHOOD. THIS SPEAKS TO A WIDER DYNAMIC: POWER AND MONEY DETERMINE YOUR VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE.” The heartbreaking story of construction worker
David Azevedo, who died during France’s 2022 heatwave, highlights how the harms of extreme heat are unequal and unjust. (The Guardian | 18 min read)