Hello Nature readers,
Today we discover a nasal-spray vaccine that protects mice from multiple pathogens, meet the Trump administration’s nominee for the new leader of the US National Science Foundation and consider how bigger military budgets could change the course of science worldwide.

Blood test could predict Alzheimer’s onset

A simple blood test that measures the levels of an abnormal form of the protein tau’ might one day serve as a molecular ‘clock’ that predicts not only whether someone will develop Alzheimer’s disease — but when. If validated in larger studies, the test could provide a way to intervene in the neurodegenerative disease at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be effective. It could also provide a measurable biological marker, or ‘biomarker’, to make clinical trials of potential Alzheimer’s disease treatments easier and cheaper.

Nature | 5 min read
Reference: Nature Medicine paper

Nasal vaccine fends off multiple pathogens

A nasal-spray vaccine can provide mice with protection from a variety of bacterial and viral pathogens — including SARS-CoV-2 — and respiratory allergens for at least three months. The vaccine works by revving up the innate immune system, which has a much broader reactivity than does the adaptive immune system — the one conventional vaccines utilize. If the spray proves safe and effective in humans, such a ‘universal vaccine’ could be offered to everyone at the start of each winter — and perhaps provide a first line of defence against future pandemics.

Nature | 5 min read
Reference: Science paper

Biotech investor set to lead NSF

US President Donald Trump plans to nominate biotechnology investor Jim O’Neill to be the next leader of the National Science Foundation (NSF), a White House spokesperson confirmed to Nature. If confirmed by the Senate, O’Neill would become the first non-scientist or engineer to lead the NSF, which has been without a director since April 2025. “His background is very different from that of his predecessors,” says former NSF director Neal Lane. “That will be a major concern of the [science and technology] community.”

Nature | 5 min read

How militarization could change science

Around the world, many countries — notably China, the United States and other members of NATO — are increasing their defence and security budgets. But nations have considerable leeway to decide what to fund with these pots, which can include research and development funding. Backed by bigger military budgets, science is likely to become more constrained by ideas of national self-interest, say experts, with collaborations decreasing or realigning to within regional blocs. Shifting funding priorities will also disproportionately benefit certain fields, such as artificial intelligence, while others, such as climate science, might be left behind, they say.

Nature | 10 min read

Futures: Mid-cycle update

An unexpected notification reminds our narrator that they’ve been through this before in the latest short story for Nature’s Futures series.

Nature | 6 min read

Podcast: big data; little glass tile

A team of scientists at Microsoft have created a data-storage system that uses lasers to etch information into glass. These glass tiles, roughly the size of a DVD, could keep terabytes of data safe for around 10,000 years or more. With this method, “there’s no or very little ongoing cost as a result of keeping the data”, says computer scientist Richard Black, who led the project. “It means that once you decide to keep something, there’s almost no reason to ever delete it.”

Nature Podcast | 21 min listen
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