Fertility rates have been low for decades, especially in wealthier countries, preventing generational replacement, which requires a ratio of 2.1 children per woman. However, this decline is not entirely negative, as it necessitates a focus on healthy aging, increased productivity, and sustainability. A recent study published in The Lancet indicates that six countries—Chad, Niger, Samoa, Somalia, Tajikistan, and Tonga—will maintain fertility rates above the 2.1 children per woman threshold by 2100.

Measles, once thought to be a disease of the past, has resurged in Europe and Portugal, drawing attention and concern. The disease was eliminated in Portugal in 2016 but has made a comeback in 2024. The resurgence is attributed to a decline in vaccination rates and a lack of investment in poor countries, leading to new outbreaks.

Portuguese geneticist António Lima de Faria passed away at 102 on December 27th in Sweden, where he lived and worked for over 70 years. Born in Cantanhede, his experimental work on the fusion of human and plant cells in 1977 and his controversial book 'Evolution without Selection' (1988) are part of his scientific legacy. Faria, who moved to Sweden in 1950, became an emeritus professor at the University of Lund. He was honored by his hometown Cantanhede, which named a school group after him and where he funded the Lima de Faria Prize for academic merit since 1991. The Municipality of Cantanhede declared three days of mourning following his death.

Porto's Centro Hospitalar de São João has introduced canine visits to its pediatric oncology ward, a first for Portuguese hospitals. The program, which began just before Christmas, has been bringing evident joy to the children undergoing treatment, as well as to their parents and the healthcare professionals. Diana, a nearly four-year-old patient, has already formed a friendship with Zazu, a two-year-old golden retriever, who is part of this initiative.

In 2022, measles cases and estimated mortality worldwide increased, with nine million cases (up 18% from 2021) and 136,000 deaths (up 43%). The disease remains a significant threat, particularly to children in poorer countries. The rise follows years of declining measles vaccination rates. Nearly 22 million children missed their first vaccine dose, and another 11 million missed the second. Outbreaks have returned to global health concerns, with 37 countries experiencing outbreaks in 2022, 28 of which were in Africa. Health organizations prioritize vaccination reinforcement in poorer countries and preventing declines in higher-immunization countries due to vaccine denialism. Global vaccination coverage is below the 95% target, with 83% for the first dose and 74% for the second in children. In Portugal, coverage reached 99% in children up to one year old, according to 2021 data from the Direcção-Geral da Saúde.

Five thousand years ago, over 300 people were killed during a large-scale conflict in the northern region of Spain, in the Basque Country. The injuries on the skeletons had not yet healed and showed signs of arrow tips, indicating the use of weapons. This event, which may have lasted several months, is the oldest known plausible war in Europe, occurring a thousand years earlier than previously thought.

Scientists have observed two giant rock formations deep within the Earth's mantle beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean, whose origins were unknown. A new proposal suggests these are remnants from a collision 4.5 billion years ago between young Earth and another planet, possibly contributing to the Moon's formation. Led by geologist Qian Yuan from Arizona State University, the team used computational simulations to support this hypothesis. The findings, published in Nature, indicate that about 10% of the colliding planet, Theia, might have merged with Earth's mantle. While the theory adds to the narrative of Earth's violent formation, it also raises questions about the similarities between Earth and the Moon, which further lunar samples could help answer.

The sailing vessel Tara, measuring 36 meters in length and known for its expeditions in the Arctic and Pacific Ocean over the past two decades, has made a stop in Porto. This stop is part of its current mission to create an atlas of the entire European coastline, from the land to the open sea. The project aims to capture a detailed snapshot of the current situation, including pollution and antibiotic resistance, and to compare different European regions.

A consortium including Portuguese scientist Lourenço Beirão da Veiga, based in Italy, has been awarded 7.8 million euros by the European Research Council to develop more effective numerical methods for mathematical calculations with applications in geosciences. The team, which also includes Daniele di Pietro, Jerome Droniou, and Paola Francesca Antonietti, aims to create a new generation of numerical methods to improve precision, efficiency, and speed in complex geometries and heterogeneous spaces. These methods have potential uses in seismic risk assessment and CO2 storage evaluation, among other applications. The project will span four years, culminating in the application of these methods to specific conditions in geosciences.

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to scientists Alexei Ekimov, Louis Brus, and Moungi Bawendi for their contributions to the creation of quantum dots, tiny semiconductor particles with applications in transistors, lasers, and quantum computers. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences highlighted their role in the discovery and development of quantum dots, which are so small that their size determines their properties. The discovery dates back to the late 1970s, with significant advancements made by each of the laureates over the years. The announcement was prematurely leaked by the Swedish Academy, but the nationality of the laureates, including Russian scientist Alexei Ekimov, was stated as not being a factor in the selection process. The prize includes a monetary award of 11 million Swedish kronor.

Scientists are raising concerns about the increasing brightness of satellites, such as the BlueWalker 3, which now outshine many stars in the night sky. This proliferation of bright satellites poses a threat to astronomical observations and the ability to view the stars from Earth. The scientific community is calling for impact assessments before launching more satellites into Earth's orbit.

The mysterious 'fairy circles,' which are circular patches of land surrounded by vegetation in the desert, have intrigued scientists for decades. These formations, not limited to Western Australia or the Namib Desert between Namibia and Angola, are a widespread phenomenon with at least 263 locations around the world. A world atlas for this phenomenon has now been created.

The formation of pink diamonds, a rare gemstone, is now understood to require not only pure carbon subjected to the immense heat and pressure of tectonic plate collisions at great depths but also the fragmentation of a supercontinent 1.3 billion years ago. This process is linked to one of the world's largest sources of natural diamonds and the largest source of colored diamonds: the Argyle mine in Western Australia.

Scientists from the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health in China have partially developed a humanized kidney, with half of the cells being human, inside a pig embryo. This advancement builds upon previous work from 2017 and utilizes chimeric organisms, which are a mix of cells from different species. The researchers created a 'niche' by removing pig genes designated for kidney formation, allowing human cells to develop the organ without competition. Despite the low efficiency of the technique and the need for specific manipulations to prevent pigs from developing their own organs, this research marks a significant step towards the ultimate goal of producing organs for human transplants, potentially reducing the need for immunosuppressants.