Nature Briefing

Hello Nature readers,
Today we learn that coffee has been linked to slower brain ageing, get a view of global hot and cold weather extremes and hear tips for commanding the conference stage.

Caffeine hits might keep the mind sharp

Regular caffeine intake from coffee and tea might slow cognitive decline and reduce a person’s risk of dementia, a huge study suggests. Researchers used data from two health studies to track the caffeine-drinking habits of more than 130,000 people over four decades. They found that drinking 2–3 cups of coffee or 1–2 cups of tea a day was associated with the greatest reductions in rate of cognitive decline, a result that held true even in people with a genetic variant called APOE4, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. “However, because it uses observational, not experimental, evidence, the findings can only be considered suggestive,” says cardiometabolic medicine specialist Naveed Sattar.

Nature | 4 min read
Reference: JAMA paper

Dozens of US researchers bound for France

France has announced that its initiative to recruit foreign researchers will award funds to 46 scientists who are relocating to the country — 41 of them from the United States. Eight of these researchers worked at Columbia University, which last year saw hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of its research grants cut and frozen by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The high proportion of US scientists among those recruited by the programme shows that “enthusiasm and morale for doing science is low” in the United States, says Sharon Milgram, who used to lead training of early-career researchers at the US National Institutes of Health.

Nature | 6 min read

Keep China’s biotech open to the world

International restrictions on China’s fast-growing biotechnology sector — such as a US law that prevents federally funded pharmaceutical companies from working with certain Chinese companies — are prompting some in China to argue that the country should go it alone. That would be a backwards step — for China and the rest of the world, say policy analysts Lizzi Lee and Jing Qian. “Through collaboration, Western biotech and pharma firms are gaining access to China’s drug-manufacturing muscle and vast clinical data sets, and Chinese companies are conducting more rigorous science and so gaining international regulatory approval, and greater visibility and credibility,” the authors write.

Nature | 13 min read

How to make your science talks sing

Immunologist and science communicator John Tregoning shares tips on how to command the conference stage, gleaned from fellow scientists and celebrity performers. Get out from behind the lectern, vary your tone of voice and check your IT set-up in advance to avoid losing the crowd’s attention before you’ve even started, he suggests. “The purpose of being on a stage, regardless of the type of performance, is communication,” advised singer–songwriter Frank Turner. “You are engaged in a dialogue, not a monologue, even if the replies of the audience are silent and implied.”

Nature | 9 min read