Briefing Chat: How Dolly Parton left her mark on science

Image: Nature
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Coverage
Wires & papers of record
- Nature, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02732-w Nature reporters discuss the country-music icon's advocacy for vaccines and public health — plus, promising trial results for an mRNA cancer therapy.
- Dolly Parton's songs traveled far beyond Nashville. Across Africa, musicians embraced her stories of hardship, heartbreak and humble beginnings — and made them their own.
Coverage
- Influential right-wing conspiracy theorists and MAGA-aligned pundits are falsely claiming that the Covid vaccine killed Dolly Parton, the vaccination advocate and philanthropist.
- Whether ad-libbing her way through a duet or joking about her glamorous image, Parton turned sexist assumptions into a source of power.