This whale has been spotted alive in the wild for the first time ever

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here.

Researchers tracked a mysterious whale call off the coast of Mexico to spot, for the first time, living ginkgo-toothed beaked whales (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) at sea. Researchers used a modified crossbow to grab a tiny skin sample from one of the whales and confirm its nature. The 24 species of beaked whales are rarely seen because they live offshore in deep water and rarely surface, so most of what’s known about them comes from their underwater echolocations and the remains of dead animals. “I can’t even describe the feeling because it was something that we had worked towards for so long,” says bioacoustic scientist and study co-author Elizabeth Henderson. “Everybody on the boat was cheering because we had it, we finally had it.”

The Guardian | 6 min read

Reference: Marine Mammal Science paper

Researchers have found the oldest RNA molecules to date in mummified woolly mammoth tissue. RNA is a fragile molecule, which makes intact ancient samples few and far between. But such samples are sought after because analysing ancient RNA could shed light on the gene activity of extinct animals. Scientists used enzymes to convert RNA in the mammoth tissue to DNA, and then reverse-engineered the original RNA sequences. This technique recovered fragments of RNA from three samples, dated to between 39,000 and 52,000 years old.

Science | 5 min read

Reference: Cell paper

The obesity drug tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro or Zepbound, can suppress patterns of brain activity associated with food cravings, a study suggests. Researchers measured the changing electrical signals in the brain of a severely obese person who had suffered from persistent ‘food noise’ — intrusive, compulsive thoughts about eating — as they began taking the medication. The study is one of the first to directly measure how blockbuster obesity drugs that mimic the hormone GLP-1, affect brain activity in people, and to hint at how they can curb the urge to eat.

Nature | 4 min read

Reference: Nature Medicine paper

Features & opinion

Six people at the forefront of artificial intelligence development — including leaders from Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Microsoft AI — share their view on the big questions in the field, such as how the technology will affect the human experience, the landscape of work and the practice of science. Although mostly excited about the pace of change and the potential benefits — for example in weather prediction and the dissemination of knowledge — each expert also pinpoints areas of extreme risk. Some warnings are darkly prosaic, such as job losses and autonomous weapons. And some are profound: Amandeep Gill, the United Nations special envoy for digital and emerging technologies, warns against a “slow death” in which “we slip, step by step, into a space where we lose our human agency, we lose human creativity, and the joy we derive from some of our human interactions”.

Nature | Series of short videos

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Robotics and artificial intelligence, an editorially independent supplement produced with financial support from FII Institute.

To get the latest news on artificial intelligence direct to your inbox every fortnight, sign up to Nature Briefing: AI & Robotics — 100% written by humans, of course.

Universities are in thrall to rankings systems that disincentivize fresh ways of working, argues research-evaluation specialist Elizabeth Gadd. She recommends three changes to give institutions the freedom to respond to the needs of the societies they serve. One suggestion: “remove flagship rankings that claim to identify the world’s ‘top’ universities”, which favour research-intensive institutions. “This would debunk the myth that the research-intensive model is the only way to win at being a university.”

Nature | 8 min read

Some of China’s millions of food delivery drivers are taking on the responsibility of being paid or volunteer community health workers, delivering medical supplies, checking on people’s wellbeing and helping older people to navigate the country’s increasingly digital health service.

The BMJ | 9 min read

On Friday, Leif Penguinson was enjoying the tamarind forest in the Plaine des Tamarins, Réunion Island. Did you find the penguin? When you’re ready, here’s the answer.

Thanks for reading,

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

With contributions by Jacob Smith

• Nature Briefing: Careers — insights, advice and award-winning journalism to help you optimize your working life

• Nature Briefing: Microbiology — the most abundant living entities on our planet — microorganisms — and the role they play in health, the environment and food systems

• Nature Briefing: Anthropocene — climate change, biodiversity, sustainability and geoengineering

• Nature Briefing: AI & Robotics — 100% written by humans, of course

• Nature Briefing: Cancer — a weekly newsletter written with cancer researchers in mind

• Nature Briefing: Translational Research — covers biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma