Nature Briefing

Hello Nature readers, Today we check out the view of neighbouring star Proxima Centauri from the outer reaches of the Solar System, discover GitHub’s plans to ditch coding terms that reference slavery and find out how a preference for male trees might be making hay fever worse.

These composite images each show a star (Wolf 359 on the left; Proxima Centauri on the right) as seen from two points of view, one on Earth and the other on the New Horizons probe. (JHUAPL/MSFC/NASA)

Pluto probe offers view of neighbouring star NASA’s New Horizons probe has photographed Proxima Centauri — the closest star to the Sun — from the outer reaches of the Solar System. The 2015 mission to Pluto used a technique to measure the distance of stars by how they shift in the sky between two vantage points. Such changes are normally imperceptible to the human eye, but in Proxima’s case, the star is seen clearly wobbling between New Horizon’s viewpoint and the Earth’s. In another example of astronomy from deep space, the Mars rover Curiosity will monitor the erratic star Betelgeuse while it is not visible from Earth. Nature | 6 min read

Dozens lose jobs amid NIH foreign ties probe An ongoing investigation into US researchers’ undisclosed financial ties to overseas governments has so far resulted in 54 scientists being fired or resigning, according to new data from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The investigation began in 2018, and has led to criminal charges being brought against some prominent researchers. “It’s not what we had hoped, and it’s not a fun task,” said NIH director Francis Collins. He added that, of the violations NIH uncovered, about 70% of the researchers had failed to disclose the receipt of a foreign grant, and more than half had failed to disclose participation in a foreign talent programme. Science | 4 min read

GitHub to revise ‘master’ and ‘slave’ terms The software-development site GitHub has said it plans to replace coding terms that reference slavery. In current developer jargon, a system where a main or ‘master’ version of the code controls other copies is often described as a master-slave relationship. But GitHub chief executive Nat Friedman said the firm wants to replace these terms with neutral language. Google Chrome developer Una Kravets tweeted that she would be happy to rename the ‘master’ branch of a project ‘main’, adding: "If it prevents even a single Black person from feeling more isolated in the tech community, feels like a no-brainer to me.” BBC News | 3 min read

COVID-19 coronavirus update Brazil currently has the second highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world. (Andre Coelho/Getty) Latin American scientists join vaccine race As Latin America becomes the new epicentre of COVID-19, researchers in the region fear that vaccine breakthroughs from abroad will be too slow or inequitably shared to benefit the global south. They are forging ahead with their own vaccine-research programmes to fight COVID-19. “The only ones who are going to solve the problems in Latin America are going to be us, Latin Americans,” says Honduran microbiologist María Elena Bottazzi. “No one’s coming to rescue us.” Nature | 4 min Correcting coronavirus disparities Black Americans are dying of COVID-19 at more than twice the rate of white, Asian or Latino Americans. Nature spoke to Noha Aboelata, a doctor whose non-profit organization serves people affected by systemic inequity and poverty, about what it takes to correct disparities in this pandemic. “There’s a concern about outsiders coming in and taking biological material,” says Aboelata. “That’s especially true when we’re in an emergency situation where regulations are being relaxed— for good reason. But we do worry about what openings that will create.” Nature | 4 min Antarctic field research put on ice The coronavirus pandemic has forced the United States and United Kingdom to cancel or postpone Antarctic field research projects planned for the upcoming summer season, including a joint effort to study Thwaites Glacier — a part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that is at risk of melting. During Antarctic summer, which runs from October to March, UK and US research stations on the continent will continue to operate, but field work at distant sites will be put on hold. “Let’s hope the data on our deployed instruments stay safe until the following year,” tweeted glaciologist Alison Banwell. Science | 3 min

Notable quotable “Given the global spread, I think we have to consider it endemic now.” Epidemiologist Azra Ghani says that, despite successes controlling the disease in some countries, it looks as though COVID-19 will continue to circulate among people. (New Scientist | 4 min)

Features & opinion

Bad hay fever? Blame ‘botanical sexism’ Horticulturalists say cities might be exacerbating people’s pollen allergies by preferentially planting male trees. Trees that produce female flowers — or both male and female ones — are often seen as a nuisance because they drop fruits and seeds. But planting more female trees instead of pollen producers could help to reduce the incidence of hay fever. Young male trees produce relatively little pollen, so their impact worsens as they mature. “If a lot of allergenic trees are planted in a neighbourhood, then the pollen load will increase over the years,” says pollen forecaster Beverley Adams-Groom. Wired | 8 min read

Quote of the day "I was so nervous when we launched. I guess the more you know about a project, the more you know about the things that can go wrong.” The Solar Orbiter spacecraft is due to make its first close pass of the Sun today — known as a perihelion — that will put it between the orbits of Venus and Mercury. Physicist Tim Horbury, who helped to build the onboard magnetometer, shares his excitement for upcoming experiments. (BBC News | 5 min read)

Last week, our playful penguin Leif Penguinson hid among the limestone ‘tufa towers’ that rise above the surface of Mono Lake in California. Did you spot the penguin? When you’re ready — here’s the answer. Flora is on holiday today, but she’ll be back tomorrow. Thanks for reading! Emma Stoye, news editor, Nature With contributions by Smriti Mallapaty and Davide Castelvecchi