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A drone captured smoke rising over a deforested plot of the Amazon jungle on 24 August.Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters

Deforestation is contributing to the alarming surge in fires in the Brazilian Amazon. Brazilian environment minister Ricardo Salles has blamed “dry weather, wind, and heat” for the fires, but the dry season this year has not been that severe, say scientists. They point to patterns of intense heat, pillars of smoke and locations near deforested regions that show many fires are the result of people illegally clearing forest for agriculture.

Brazil has rejected US$22 million in aid offered by the G7 nations to fight the forest fires.

Science | 6 min read

Read more: Alarming surge in Amazon fires prompts global outcry (Nature)

Amazon fires: Brazil to reject G7 offer of $22m aid (BBC)

Alternatives to bisphenol A (BPA) might not be any better for your health. BPA is used in a dizzying array of plastic items from water bottles to the linings of tin cans, but regulators are cracking down on the chemical because of its endocrine-disrupting properties. Unfortunately, many of the substitutes are being created by tweaking small parts of the molecule, leading to chemicals that seem to cause the same oestrogen-mimicking effects. “We have seen enough scientific evidence that we are starting to say ‘Ok, these are regrettable’,” says environmental health researcher Laura Vandenberg.

Chemistry World | 5 min read

FEATURES & OPINION

“Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have turned state driver’s license databases into a facial-recognition gold mine, scanning through millions of Americans’ photos without their knowledge or consent,” reported The Washington Post in July. This type of deployment demonstrates that stronger regulatory safeguards are urgently needed, argues artificial-intelligence researcher Kate Crawford. “Otherwise, this technology will make all of us less free,” says Crawford, who is a principal researcher at Microsoft Research.

Nature | 5 min read

Mansurah Abdulazeez is an award-winning molecular biologist who works to identify potent anticancer agents in African plants. She describes discovering how extracts from trees such as the drumstick (Moringa oleifera) and soursop (Annona muricata) have cytotoxic activities on cervical carcinoma and fetal lung carcinoma cell lines, and shares her advice for budding scientists in Africa.

Nature | 3 min read

A new book explores the intertwined story of lithium, which can be a life-changing treatment for bipolar disorder, and psychiatrist John Cade, who discovered the therapy. The seeds of Cade’s breakthrough were sown while he was interred for more than three years in a brutal Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, and then were cultivated through his work in a ramshackle lab in post-war Australia.

Nature | 5 min read

An infographic-packed look at global trends offers some surprising insights into suicide. Most countries are seeing suicide rates fall, but the United States is an outlier: it has seen a rise in every state since the early 2000s. As part of an ongoing series on suicide research, Science also explores the preventive strategies that have shown promise, including restrictions on access to lethal means and improved mental-health care.

Science | 5 min read