US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: the public-health consequences

Friday 24 June 2022

Hello Nature readers,
Today we hear from African researchers about their long-term fight against monkeypox. Plus, we meet the largest bacterium ever discovered and learn about the public-health consequences of a US Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade.

A health worker in PPE talks to a woman and her baby who have been infected with monkeypox in Central African Republic 2018

A woman and her child await treatment for monkeypox at a facility run by Doctors Without Borders in the Central African Republic in 2018. (Charles Bouessel/AFP/Getty)

Monkeypox: insights from Africa

After monkeypox cases exploded last month in countries such as Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom — where outbreaks don't usually occur — a rapid, global response followed, including the distribution of vaccines in some countries. Some researchers in parts of Central and West Africa, where monkeypox outbreaks have been occurring for years, are disheartened that such resources have not been made available in their countries. They have long been warning of the potential for the monkeypox virus, which has been behaving in new ways, to spread more widely. "Isolated solutions that fix the problem for developed countries alone and leave out developing countries will lead us through the same cycle again," says Dimie Ogoina, an infectious-disease physician in Nigeria. "It's just a matter of time."

Nature | 7 min read

Largest bacterium ever discovered

A newly discovered bacterium, Thiomargarita magnifica, challenges the definition of a microorganism: its filament-like single cell is up to a centimetre long. T. magnifica achieves its unprecedented size by having unique cellular features: two membrane sacs. One is filled with its genetic material; the other, which is much larger, helps to keep its cellular contents pressed up against its outer cell wall so that essential molecules can diffuse in and out. Researchers have dubbed these sacs 'pepins' — inspired by the pips in fruit — and note that they blur the line between single-celled prokaryotes and the eukaryotes (the group that includes humans), which pack their DNA into a nucleus. Eagle-eyed Briefing readers will remember this spectacular organism from February, when researchers published these results in a preprint.

Nature | 4 min read
Reference: Science paper

The filaments of <i>Ca. Thiomargarita magnifica</i> are pictured next to a coin

Thiomargarita magnifica filaments next to a US 10-cent coin. (Tomas Tyml/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

Features & opinion

Supreme Court strikes down abortion rights

The US Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that granted nationwide protection for abortion rights. Studies suggest that the reversal of the 50-year-old ruling will be detrimental for many. More than 800 scientists and several scientific organizations provided evidence to the court showing that abortion access is a crucial component of health care and is important for women's equal participation in society. Last month, when the draft opinion was leaked, a Nature Editorial argued that the ruling would make the United States a grim outlier among comparable countries. "Already, the United States claims the highest rate of maternal and infant mortality among wealthy nations. Should the court overturn Roe v. Wade, these grim statistics will only get worse," said the Editorial.

Nature | 12 min read (from October) & Nature | 6 min read (from May)

If Roe is overturned: Map of the United States showing distance to nearest abortion facility and facilities likely to close.

How to lift millions out of dire poverty

Randomized trials are changing the way governments and aid organizations study — and deliver — measures to reduce inequality and poverty. Meticulously planned and carefully delivered trials are showing the benefits of early-childhood intervention and empowering women. Perhaps the biggest lesson is that the easiest and cheapest programme to administer, unconditional cash transfers, can transform lives. Researchers continue to push for improvements to their techniques to ensure that solutions can be scaled up and reach the people who need them most.

Nature | 12 min read

Image of the week

The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission captured this view of Mercury on 23 June 2022.

BepiColombo, the joint mission to Mercury by the European and Japanese space agencies, has captured tantalizing images during a fly-by of the planet. The spacecraft was getting its second of several gravity assists that will slow it down enough to enter into orbit around the Solar System's innermost planet in 2025. (Space.com | 6 min read) (ESA/BepiColombo/MTM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)

Today Leif Penguinson is taking time to recharge at the cascading waterfalls in Busiek State Forest, Missouri. Can you find the penguin? (For the full effect, listen to the soothing sound of the falls while you search.)

The answer will be in Monday's e-mail, all thanks to Briefing photo editor and penguin wrangler Tom Houghton.

Your feedback on this newsletter is always welcome at briefing@nature.com.

Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing