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Rare genetic disorder treated in womb for the first time
Author Correction: Virus-induced senescence is a driver and therapeutic target in COVID-19
Trump’s siege of science: how the first 30 days unfolded and what’s next
Ensemble reactivations during brief rest drive fast learning of sequences
Revealed: NIH research grants still frozen despite lawsuits challenging Trump order
Modulated ringdown comb interferometry for sensing of highly complex gases
Newfound bat virus that uses notorious receptor poses ‘spillover’ risk
Author Correction: GZMK-expressing CD8+ T cells promote recurrent airway inflammatory diseases
Ancient DNA reveals reproductive barrier despite shared Avar-period culture
Abstract After a long-distance migration, Avars with Eastern Asian ancestry arrived in Eastern Central Europe in 567 to 568 ce and encountered groups with very different European ancestry1,2. We used ancient genome-wide data of 722 individuals and fine-grained interdisciplinary analysis of large seventh- to eighth-century ce neighbouring cemeteries south of Vienna (Austria) to address the centuries-long impact of this encounter1,2. We found that even 200 years after immigration, the ancestry at one site (Leobersdorf) remained dominantly East Asian-like, whereas the other site (Mödling) shows local, European-like ancestry. These two nearby sites show little biological relatedness, despite sharing a distinctive late-Avar culture3,4. We reconstructed six-generation pedigrees at both sites including up to 450 closely related individuals, allowing per-generation demographic profiling of the communities. Despite different ancestry, these pedigrees together with large networks of distant relatedness show absence of consanguinity, patrilineal pattern with female exogamy, multiple reproductive partnerships (for example, levirate) and direct correlation of biological connectivity with archaeological markers of social status. The generation-long genetic barrier was maintained by systematically choosing partners with similar ancestry from other sites in the Avar realm. Leobersdorf had more biological connections with the Avar heartlands than with Mödling, which is instead linked to another site from the Vienna Basin with European-like ancestry. Mobility between sites was mostly due to female exogamy pointing to different marriage networks as the main driver of the maintenance of the genetic barrier.
Perovskite heteroepitaxy for high-efficiency and stable pure-red LEDs
Biggest-ever AI biology model writes DNA on demand
Thermal Ca2+/Mg2+ exchange reactions to synthesize CO2 removal materials
A Swell Diagnosis
Nationwide, Couple-Based Genetic Carrier Screening
The Moral Injury of Inhaler Prescribing
Case 7-2025: A 65-Year-Old Woman with Weakness, Back Pain, and Pancytopenia
The Emerging Threat of H5N1 to Human Health
A tale of be(com)ing a Sport Nutritionist: Reflexive insights from a researcher-practitioner entering the field
Qualitative research can facilitate an understanding of the richness and complexity of human experience, shedding light on multifaceted relationships that exist within sporting environments. Within the field of sport nutrition, such immersive methods are not commonplace. Yet could offer a significant contribution to our understanding and help practitioners navigate their values and identity within the challenging world of high-performance sport. The first author, a neophyte sport nutrition researcher-practitioner, reflects upon her experience over a four-year period of integrating into a high-performance organisation and embarking upon a research programme and career as a sport nutritionist. Drawing on field notes, reflexive journal entries, and regular research team discussions, three moments of discovery are shared: 1) Navigating the transition into high-performance sport, 2) Understanding the performance pressures and emotional burden experienced by athletes, and 3) Negotiating collaboration in the nutritionist-athlete relationship. Through this confessional tale, we recognise the development of a sport nutritionist’s values and identity is unlikely to be smooth or linear. Instead, it may be a bumpy voyage of self-inquiry and discovery, shaped by diverse cultural experiences. To help future sport nutrition researcher-practitioners entering the field, we offer three meaningful development activities including 1) engaging in reflexive practice with critical friends to explore the dilemmas and uncertainties that may impact personal and professional development, 2) fostering intellectual candour when engaging in reflexive practice to facilitate self-discovery and growth, and 3) prioritise reading the growing literature on sport and organisational culture to inform and influence the delivery of sport nutrition practice.