Nature Briefing

Hello Nature readers, Today we thrill to a breakthrough technique for imaging molecules, explore how the COVID-19 pandemic will change science and learn that some ‘non-lethal’ crowd-control weapons can cause serious harm.

A Cryo-EM map of the protein apoferritin. (Paul Emsley/MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)

See proteins’ individual atoms for first time A game-changing technique for imaging molecules has produced its sharpest pictures yet — and, for the first time, has discerned individual atoms in a protein. The cryo-electron microscopy breakthrough, reported by two laboratories late last month, will ultimately help researchers to understand how proteins work in health and disease, and will lead to better drugs with fewer side effects. “It’s really a milestone, that’s for sure. There’s really nothing to break anymore. This was the last resolution barrier,” says biochemist and electron microscopist Holger Stark. Nature | 5 min read Reference: bioRxiv preprint 1 & bioRxiv preprint 2

Science after the COVID-19 pandemic (Illustration by The Project Twins) Outbreak could ease drug trials Some researchers and companies in the drug-development field say the system might never be the same again. Companies that are usually competitors are now collaborators, and many are strengthening their supply chains to deal with disruption. And virtual clinical trials, in which consultations are done online and as much paperwork and data as possible are collected remotely, are among the few that haven’t had to be put on hold. Nature | 6 min read Scientists’ worlds will shrink The pandemic has forced researchers to grapple with how restrictions on their movement will affect the way science is conducted. Some fear that these limitations could lead to a world that favours elite scientists and established teams with less need to network, while other groups lose collaborators and become marginalized, and that fieldwork will become a luxury. Or, the opposite could turn out to be true: travel restrictions could help to democratize science, if virtual working allows access to more connections for people who cannot easily travel. Nature | 6 min read Read more in our series on science after the pandemic: Universities will never be the same (9 min read) How scientific conferences will survive (5 min read) The pandemic will make or break research funding (5 min read) The risk to China’s race to the top of science (5 min read) Is this scientific publishing’s new normal? (6 min read)

COVID-19: Hydroxychloroquine news update India doubles down on controversial drug India’s government has extended its recommendation that frontline workers take the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to prevent coronavirus infections. Scientists have criticised the government for issuing advice on the basis of unpublished data and a published study that was not designed to test whether the drug actually prevents infection. Doctors point to cases where the government’s advice has contributed to widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, despite possible side effects. Nature | 5 min read WHO restarts hydroxychloroquine trial The World Health Organization (WHO) has resumed testing hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment. The drug was temporarily removed from the WHO’s global Solidarity trial because of safety concerns raised by a large observational study published in The Lancet. Yesterday, the journal issued an expression of concern, and noted that an independent audit of the data has been commissioned. (Time | 5 min read) No evidence for hydroxychloroquine protection A large clinical trial has found no evidence that hydroxychloroquine protects people from COVID-19. The gold-standard trial randomly assigned 821 people to take either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo within 4 days of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the number of people who developed COVID-19 within two weeks, but those taking the drug did report more side effects than did those taking the placebo. People were not tested unless they showed symptoms, so the study doesn’t take asymptomatic cases into account. NPR | 4 min read Reference: New England Journal of Medicine paper Get more of Nature’s continuously updated selection of the must-read papers and preprints on COVID-19.

Features & opinion

The CDC: what happened? A new pandemic was not unexpected to scientists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What shocked many observers was how poorly the organization coordinated its response. “Here is an agency that has been waiting its entire existence for this moment,” said public-health researcher and policymaker Peter Lurie. “And then they flub it. It is very sad. That is what they were set up to do.” The New York Times | 29 min read

Huge cohort studies pivot to COVID-19

Cohort studies set up before the coronavirus crisis are switching tracks to look at the pandemic’s long-term effects. Cohort studies collect genetic and lifestyle data on thousands of people in an effort to untangle the complex web of factors that lead to some disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. But scientists are now repurposing those massive data sets to understand the epidemiology of the COVID-19, its impact on physical and mental health and its socioeconomic consequences. “We are all different and these larger pre-existing cohorts will be very valuable in helping us understand which of our biological or lifestyle factors put us at risk,” says epidemiologist Ralf Reintjes.

Nature | 6 min read

CORONAVIRUS BRIEFING

Here’s a thought that, two weeks ago, would have been unimaginable: COVID-19 has been displaced as front-page fodder. Given the likelihood of a fall/winter resurgence and that even the most unprecedented and optimistic timeline puts a vaccine half a year away, the coronavirus crisis will likely reclaim that real estate before too long. Yet here we are. This week’s Coronavirus Briefing is 979 words and will take you five minutes to read.

The news

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Public health authorities told The Atlantic that protests over the murder of George Floyd, other acts of police brutality and systemic racism will facilitate the spread of COVID-19, with a spike in cases expected within two weeks. In a lengthy interview with STAT, Dr. Anthony Fauci characterized the possibility of having a vaccine by the end of the year as “aspirational, but… certainly doable.” He also weighed in on compressed clinical trial timelines and the size of trial cohorts. An investigation by The Guardian has revealed that the World Health Organization and governments have based some coronavirus-related decisions on flawed data from Surgisphere, a little-known analytics company. Two top medical journals, The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine, published studies informed by Surgisphere data. Now is probably not the best time to mention that weather forecasters anticipate a busier-than-usual hurricane season, is it? Consumer Reports offers advice on revising emergency plans in the age of COVID-19.

The Takeaway:

The cascading effects of COVID-19 are only beginning to be felt on the scale predicted at the beginning of quarantine. They’re likely to reverberate for years.

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The brands

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Even as they trip over themselves to appear thoughtful, decent and committed to diversity in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing protests, brands have managed their COVID-19 responses nimbly and, in most cases, sensitively.

PRWeek’s Diana Bradley examines the uncertainty surrounding back-to-school campaigns, a brand mainstay that will look very different in the fall – that is, if students are back in classrooms by then. During Tuesday’s Campaign Connect virtual conference session with Campaign Asia-Pacific group director Atifa Silk, S4 Capital leader and former WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell described COVID-19 as the “burning platform” for digital acceleration. In another Campaign Connect session, this one detailed by Campaign Asia’s Matthew Miller, Mastercard global CMO Raja Rajamannar shares how “a healthy dose of advanced crisis game-planning” helped the brand sustain itself during the pandemic. 2e CEO Ross Toohey writes in MM&M about the need for healthcare marketers to evolve their approach in the wake of the coronavirus crisis – and how it may have already forced their hands, whether they realize it or not. To accommodate young flyers in the COVID-19 era, budget airline easyJet has introduced facemask covers inspired by comic books, PRWeek UK reports.

The Takeaway:

We’ve all been in making-the-best-of-a-miserable-situation mode for some time now, but certain brands appear to be adapting better than others. As stay-at-home orders lift, it will be interesting to see if these same brands can pivot once again.

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The eldercare devastation

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Early reports about the impact of coronavirus on nursing-home populations were alarming. The most recent ones are much, much worse. There needs to be a reckoning around our treatment of vulnerable aging populations.

A USA Today analysis of state data found 40,600 COVID-19 deaths were tied to U.S. nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported that 25,923 residents have died, but that sum includes data from federally regulated nursing homes and not assisted-living facilities. The “Characteristics of U.S. Nursing Homes with COVID-19 Cases” study determined that size, location and the number of black residents, rather than star/quality ratings, most closely correlate with the incidence of coronavirus transmissions and deaths in eldercare facilities, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News reports. McKnight’s Senior Living’s Kimberly Bonvissuto examines a report by Marcus & Millichap Research Services that suggests the senior living industry’s prognosis moving forward remains positive, despite the havoc and devastation wrought by COVID-19.

The Takeaway:

Nothing about coronavirus was predictable six months ago. But lessons must be learned from the egregiously higher impact of COVID-19 on people living in eldercare facilities compared to the general population.

The science

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We’re learning a little more every day. Whether or not the pace is quick enough is a different question, but there’s no question scientific and medical communities are attacking the crisis with admirable vigor.

In Infectious Disease Advisor, Dr. Andy Kistler assesses the prevalence of atypical gastrointestinal presentations in COVID-19 patients, which in the worst instances include GI bleeding, hemorrhagic colitis and acute hepatitis. Also in IDA, Rita Aghjayan examines the dangerous coagulation abnormalities that have been observed in patients. Cardiology Advisor offers seven suggestions for practices considering a transition to telemedicine amid the coronavirus pandemic. GPonline’s Luke Haynes shares data from Cancer Research UK, which estimates approximately 2.4 million people are experiencing delays in cancer tests or treatment amid the coronavirus crisis.

The Takeaway:

We’re smarter than we were, but not as smart as we’ll be. Let’s keep heading in the right direction.

The rest

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People Management considers thorny questions around addressing employee underperformance and misbehavior and avoiding discrimination claims during lockdown. Conference & Incentive Travel shares tips from event planners on safely transitioning indoor events into outdoor facilities. The publication also reports that nearly two out of three planners believe live events will return before this year is out. Horticulture Week reports on Veg Power, a chef- and nutritionist-backed appeal to prompt U.K. residents to eat more seasonal vegetables – and thus support local food producers – during the coronavirus pandemic.

…and some songs

Bob Dylan, Everything Is Broken Curtis Mayfield, Keep On Keeping On Lucinda Williams, Dust

Going forward, the Haymarket Media Coronavirus Briefing will be published and distributed once a week every Wednesday, so we’ll see you again then. In the meantime, be safe and well, friends.

Daily Morning Briefing Top news & stories from the Startup Ecosystem from India

While You Were Asleep

Daily Tech Briefing: SoftBank’s Fund For Minorities; Facebook Signs Deal With Saregama Music & More One of the largest venture capital firms in the world, SoftBank has rolled out a $100 Mn Opportunity Fund to invest in businesses led by people of colour. The fund has been raised in response to the controversial death of George Floyd in the United States and mass protests and riots over police brutality.

Union Cabinet Sets Up Empowered Committee To Fuel Domestic, Foreign Investments In a bid to fuel investments in the pandemic-led slowdown, the central government has set up an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGOS) chaired by the union cabinet secretary to encourage both foreign and domestic investments into India.

Govt Offers $6 Bn Sops For ‘Make In India’ Push In Smartphone Manufacturing Amid globally reducing interest towards manufacturing in China, the Indian government has now brought in a new slew of benefits to attract India as a replacement unit. IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced the launch of $6 Bn plan to boost electronics manufacturing, saying it would start by offering five global smartphone makers incentives to establish or expand domestic production.

Exclusively For Inc42+ Members

Kiranas Vs Dark Stores In India’s Retail Market Post-Covid It's tough for a tech-driven dark store segment to compete with the scale of the network and familiarity of local kirana stores across the country. Where dark stores are purely technology-driven, kirana stores are more capable of doing personalised curation. "In terms of delivery cost also, dark stores need high ticket size orders while Kirana can operate at a lower end as well. In crux, where the kirana store is not able to deliver, a dark store might not be able to deliver as well," added Maxwholesale’s Agrawal.

Adult-Rated Content: Can India Level Up? "When I was working at one of India’s top IT companies in 2017, I started getting benched on more and more projects. Managers would choose younger employees who were not really proficient in the project processes but coded in modern languages like Python. I had two choices: rant about the unfairness of it all or level up. I chose the latter!"

Chart Of The Day

The Indian animation and VFX industry grew at a CAGR of 18.60% between FY17 and FY18 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.50% during 2018-2023. Around 60% of the animation work done in India constitutes backend work as well as finishing touches and colouring for global studios, according to the animators and studios that Inc42 spoke to. And while the work in India majorly revolves around kids’ animated content for OTT platforms and mainstream TV, storyboards for advertising, 2D and 3D animation for logos, portraits, banner ads, among others, the segment is growing in adoption even for mainstream non-kids’ content on digital media platforms.

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