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Figure 1 | Ancient pottery vessels. Vessels with a spout for pouring liquid and of a size suitable for feeding babies have been found at archaeological sites. The earliest examples of such vessels5 have been dated to around 5500–4800 bc, but whether these were used to feed infants is unknown. Two vessels are shown of this size and shape from the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age (vessels dated between 1200 and 800 bc). The vessel on the left, from Vösendorf, Austria, is approximately 90 millimetres high. The vessel on the right, from Statzendorf, Austria, is about 85 mm high. Dunne and colleagues’ analysis1 of organic residues found in ancient spouted vessels (not those pictured) sheds light on how early populations might have fed young infants. Credit: Katharina Rebay-Salisbury

Traces of animal milk inside three prehistoric cups with unusual narrow spouts hint that early Europeans bottle-fed their infants. The carbon isotopes inside two of the vessels suggested they held milk from a ruminant, such as a cow, sheep or goat, and the third showed traces of milk from another type of mammal, possibly a pig or human. Supplementing infant diets with animal milk might have supported a boom among Neolithic humans as they transitioned away from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle (although such supplemented diets are not as healthy for babies).

Science | 3 min read

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Reference: Nature paper

Plastic tea bags shed billions of tiny pieces of plastic into your hot drink. Researchers tested four brands of tea for sale in Canada and found that steeping one plastic tea bag in boiling water releases 14.7 billion micro- and nano-sized plastic bits into a single cup. That’s much more than in table salt, for example, which has a relatively high microplastic content. The plasticky water also seemed to “cause significant behavioural effects and developmental malformations” in water fleas. The researchers recommend switching to paper tea bags or loose-leaf tea.

New Scientist | 2 min read

Reference: Environmental Science & Technology paper

FEATURES & OPINION

The 2009 swine-flu pandemic, which killed as many as half a million people worldwide, gave new urgency to the search for a universal influenza vaccine. Current jabs provide protection only against specific strains, and drug-makers weren’t able to make enough of the swine-flu vaccine quickly enough. Since then, a better understanding of the immune response to influenza is driving development of vaccines that can be deployed against both seasonal and emerging strains of flu.

Nature | 12 min read

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Influenza, an editorially independent supplement produced with financial support from Sanofi Pasteur.

Studies of the microorganisms that live on and inside animals’ bodies have long relied on DNA sequencing, which can reveal the species that abound and how these microbial communities respond to their environment. Now, the analytical methods of chemical biology, combined with genomics and computing techniques, are giving researchers insights into what these microbes are actually doing, biochemically speaking.

Nature | 6 min read

Systematic reviews synthesize results from many studies on a particular topic, and are often considered the strongest form of scientific evidence because they offer increased statistical power and more precise results than individual studies. But some researchers are concerned the reviews are being overproduced and that many are poor quality. In this Q&A, research fellow Matthew Page offers tips on how to improve them.

Nature Index | 6 min read

At 37, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor had a massive stroke that took away her ability to speak or think above the level of an infant. She shares what it was like to have “an absolutely silent mind”, how she recovered and why she’s grateful it happened. “It took away all my stress circuitry. Who doesn’t want that?” says Bolte Taylor. “It took away all my emotional baggage from the first 30 years of my life.”

The Cut | 10 min read

INFOGRAPHIC OF THE WEEK

In many places, fish are not usually just another healthy complement to an already rich assortment of foodstuffs — they are an irreplaceable source of micronutrients and protein. But with more fish being caught by foreign boats or sold abroad, those who have traditionally depended on the local catch for affordable, nutritious food are going without.

Researchers have analysed the micronutrients in fish to show exactly how global fisheries can be harnessed to tackle malnutrition.

Nature News & Views | 6 min read

Reference: Nature paper