A new study shows that so-called "liquid biopsies", blood tests that detect circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), may not only sound an early alert that a treatment's effect is diminishing, but may also help explain why -sometimes offering clues about what to do next.

How do we learn to write? A Japanese study looked at the development of writing skills in Japanese first-grade students, and revealed aspects of handwriting development that have been largely neglected in research carried out in Latin alphabet communities.

A discovery of how to control and transfer spinning electrons paves the way for novel hybrid devices that could outperform existing semiconductor electronics. Researchers have demonstrated how to combine a commonly used semiconductor with a topological insulator, a recently discovered state of matter with unique electrical properties.

Illegal fishing, logging and poaching, are impacting two-thirds of the 57 natural World Heritage sites monitored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature this year, putting some of the world's most precious and unique ecosystems and species at risk.