SCIENCE science.orgPHOTOS: (TOP TO BOTTOM CONNIE ZHOU FOR IBM; IBM
Arctic warming understated
CLIMATE SCIENCE |It’s a common statistic,
found even in this year’s U.N. climate assess-
ment: The Arctic is warming about twice as
fast as the rest of the world. But that figure
is misleading, scientists reported at a meet-
ing of the American Geophysical Union this
week. Since 1990, the Arctic has actually
warmed four times faster, an amplification
caused by melting sea ice and other factors.
One reason for the discrepancy: Climate
scientists often use 60°N to define “Arctic”
rather than the more technically correct
66.6°N, lumping in lower latitudes where
there’s less amplification. Another reason:
Many analyses use data from earlier time
periods when light-reflecting pollution
blocked Arctic warming. As a result, the
researchers say, the true toll of global warm-
ing on the Arctic has been underestimated.Researcher gets COVID-19 in lab
LAB SAFETY |A Taiwanese researcher
contracted SARS-CoV-2 while working
with infected mice in a biosafety level
3 laboratory at the Genomics Research
Center of Academia Sinica in Taipei, in the
first known case of laboratory transmis-
sion of the virus. Authorities suspect the
vaccinated researcher was infected via a
mouse bite. The genomic sequence of the
variant infecting the researcher matched
that of the lab’s mice and not strains in the
surrounding community, Taiwan’s Central
Epidemic Command Center reported on
11 December. More than 800 potential con-
tacts have tested negative, and Academia
Sinica has promised an investigation and
a review of the lab’s safety procedures. The
incident is likely to bolster claims that a
lab leak could have sparked the pandemic.ELECTRICAL ENGINEERINGVertical leap for chips
M
icroscopic transistors at the heart of computers and phones
may soon pack a bigger punch. Researchers have stood
these thin transistors vertically on their ends, making it pos-
sible to pack them in tighter on silicon chips to enable faster
or more energy-efficient devices, IBM and Samsung reported
last week at the International Electron Devices Meeting. Traditional
transistors lie flat with electrical current moving through them later-
ally. But as they’ve shrunk to the nanometer scale, engineers have
struggled to get sufficient current through their tiny electrical chan-
nels. The vertical transistors offer room for larger electrical channels
and other components, which will enable future devices to run either
twice as fast, or with 85% less energy use, researchers reported.Prominent male scientists faced new
allegations this week, while another’s
accuser fought his defamation lawsuit.Paleontologist Leonardo dos Santos
Avilla was placed on administrative
leave from the Federal University of the
State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) this
week following an exposé on the Bra-
zilian TV channel Fantástico in which
former students accused him of bullying
and sexual misconduct including un-
wanted kissing, touching, and coercive
sex. At least 30 women have raised al-
legations dating back as far as 2007, the
segment revealed. UNIRIO says Avilla
will remain on leave until an investiga-
tion, begun on 7 December, is finalized.
Avilla “vehemently denies the allega-
tions,” his lawyer said in the exposé.More than a dozen women who worked
or studied at the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute in Panama are
alleging harassment and exploitation
by multiple STRI scientists, a B u z z Fe e d
News investigation revealed last week.
Allegations against soil biochemist
Benjamin Turner include rape, un-
wanted touching, off-color remarks, and
abuse of power. Turner, who BuzzFeed
reports was removed in 2020 following
an STRI investigation, has denied the
allegations. Although STRI has imple-
mented new policies to guard against
abuse by its staff, lawyers representing
14 women scientists have written Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s Gender Policy Council
urging it to address these issues at
STRI and other science institutions.A woman last week lodged a counter-
claim in a defamation suit filed in Oc-
tober by former Whitehead Institute
biologist David Sabatini. He resigned
in August after a probe concluded that
he had violated the institute’s sexual
harassment policies. Sabatini’s suit
names Whitehead, its director Ruth
Lehmann, and one of his accusers.
That accuser’s counterclaim, entered in
Massachusetts Superior Court, says
Sabatini’s “frivolous” suit retaliates
against her for speaking frankly with
Whitehead investigators. It also alleges
that he coerced her into sex when she
was a graduate student and fostered
a “toxic” and “sexualized” lab environ-
ment. Sabatini is on administrative
leave at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, where he is a professor. It is
considering revoking his tenure.A new semiconductor chip #METOO UPDATES
contains rows of vertically
stacked transistors
(micrograph below).17 DECEMBER 2021 • VOL 374 ISSUE 6574 1419