Hello Nature readers,
Today we enjoy the first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, learn that the ‘Matthew effect’ is rampant in research and ponder what to do when PhDs vastly outnumber jobs in academia.

The universe as we’ve never seen it

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has unveiled the first images taken using its 3,200 megapixel digital camera — the largest in the world. The images were put together mainly for aesthetic impact and to showcase the camera’s prowess, so they’re quite different to the ‘data products’ astronomers use for research, says the observatory’s Sandrine Thomas. Instead, they’re a reminder of what drives astronomers in the first place. “We go into astronomy because we like to look at the sky — and at the beauty of it,” she says.

Why grant success begets future funding

A study including data from more than 100,000 grant applications has revealed some of the underlying causes of the ‘Matthew effect’ — a phenomenon describing how scientists that secure funding grants early in their career are more likely to do so again later. Mathematical modelling of data from funding programmes in four countries suggested that those who had early grant success applied more often for future grants than those who didn’t, which explained the difference between the two groups. A new model of funding that rewards “promising but previously unsuccessful applicants” could level the playing field, says social scientist and study co-author Vincent Traag.

Learning from animal ‘super healers’

Axolotls can rebuild entire limbs and brain parts, zebrafish can mend broken spinal cords and green anole lizards can fabricate new tails. Scientists are taking what they have learnt about the regenerative powers of these and other animals and applying that knowledge to human cells, thanks to advances in genomics, proteomics and imaging at the level of the single cell. “I would love to see this go all the way to therapy,” says Mayssa Mokalled, who studies tissue regeneration and stem-cell biology.

Too many PhDs? Glut spurs calls for reform

“The numbers are massive, and they keep growing,” says higher-education researcher Hugo Horta, speaking of the surge in doctoral students in China. Students enrolled in PhD programmes there have doubled in recent years, from around 300,000 in 2013 to more than 600,000 in 2023 — but the number of jobs in academia has not kept pace. For PhD holders in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, non-academic jobs are also increasingly becoming the norm. But that’s not necessarily bad news: a 2023 study of PhD graduates in the UK found that more than 90% were happy with their career.

How medical AI can tarnish patient data

Machine-learning systems that predict patient outcomes are only as good as the data the systems are trained on. If they are deployed carelessly, their very successes can contaminate the data, argues health-AI researcher Akhil Vaid. For example, if a machine catches early signs of sepsis and doctors treat it, “this creates a ‘contaminated association’ in the data, in which warning signs of sepsis seem to lead to good outcomes”, writes Vaid. One solution is to preserve ‘clean data’ at institutions where predictive models are not used. But this raises serious ethical questions, because it involves withholding potentially beneficial AI tools from some patients.

The long road to lenacapavir

A new kind of drug to prevent HIV has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: lenacapavir, which disrupts the proteins that form the virus’s capsid shell. Unlike existing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimens, which involve taking a daily pill, lenacapavir need only be injected every six months. Last July, attendees at the 2024 AIDS Conference in Munich broke out in tears and applause as they welcomed the blockbuster news that, in a trial in women in Africa, lenacapavir provided 100% protection against HIV. But “the project almost died multiple times”, says virologist Stephen Yant, who helped develop the drug at pharma company Gilead Sciences.

What quantum tech really looks like

It’s International Women In Engineering Day and the International Year of Quantum — the ideal moment to hear from female engineers about the impact of quantum technologies on their fields. From renewable energy to the quantum internet, eight researchers explore possible paths towards a quantum future.