Researchers have made an unusual observation that appears at odds with biology: an ant, known as the Iberian Harvester Ant can produce offspring of two completely different species. Many ants need to mate with other species to produce workers that are a genetic mix of the two, known as hybrids. But in Sicily, a team found hybrid worker ants but no trace of the father. They suggest that the one species present, Messor ibericus, is able to lay its own eggs, but also eggs of another species, Messor structor. These offspring can then mate to produce the hybrid workers. This strategy conflicts with several conventional definitions of what a species is, which may prompt a rethink of these already blurry concepts.

Research Article: Juvé et al.

News and Views: Ant queens produce sons of two distinct species

News: ‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother

Humans are living longer but a life expectancy of a hundred appears out of reach — plus, how light pollution is making birds sing for longer.

Research Highlight: When will life expectancy reach 100? No time soon

Research Highlight: Bright city lights make birds around the world sing longer

Researchers have discovered that steel truss bridges possess a number of mechanisms that make them resilient to collapse, even after damage. Steel truss bridges are a common kind of bridge, but many are ageing and under increased pressure due to climate change and increased vehicle loads. To understand how damage affects these bridges a team of engineers built a scale replica of a bridge section and monitored how it coped when different sections were cut. They found six distinct resistance mechanisms that allowed the bridge to continue carrying heavy loads even with the damaged sections. They hope these data will help fortify existing bridges and inform the design of future bridges to help prevent catastrophic collapse.

Research Article: Reyes-Suárez et al.

The chemistry underlying why beer drinkers fall into two taste camps, and how a deep-sea worm uses arsenic to survive its toxic environment..

Nature: Beer lovers fall into two flavour camps — which one are you in?

Science: Deep-sea worms fight poison with poison to survive in hydrothermal vents

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The search for signs of consciousness has expanded, thanks to advanced neuroimaging techniques. These tools allow researchers to detect consciousness in unresponsive humans, and now researchers are looking to develop tests that work in animals and perhaps even artificial intelligence systems of the future.

This is an audio version of our Feature: How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI

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In the late 1700s, rural France was beset with rapidly spreading rumours of aristocratic plots to suppress revolutionary ideas. But how, and why, these rumours were able to spread so quickly has puzzled historians. Now, using modern epidemiological modelling, a team suggests that a combination of high wheat prices, income and literacy level drove this period of French history known as the Great Fear.

Research Article: Zapperi et al.

News: An abiding mystery of the French Revolution is solved — by epidemiology

An unorthodox explanation for dark energy — plus, and how a tiny marsupial predator overcame near extinction.

Research Highlight: Does dark energy spawn from black holes? Could be a bright idea

Research Highlight: Tiny Australian predator defies drought to recover from near-extinction

Physicists differ widely in their interpretations of quantum mechanics, and so do Nature readers, according to our Cosmo-inspired quiz. The quantum world is notoriously difficult to explain, with interpretations of the mathematical foundations ranging from the epistemic, which only describes information, to the realist, where equations map onto the real world. The quiz suggests that many readers prefer the realist, even if that is difficult to mesh with the physics itself.

Feature: Physicists disagree wildly on what quantum mechanics says about reality, Nature survey show

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