Science

Laureate recalls his serendipitous route to chemistry and California, and how he would turn the UK’s ‘lean and mean’ science system into a world leader

In biennial assessment, NSF analysts admit US still losing ground on many metrics but remaining most likely common partner for breakthroughs

Experts warn of dangerous abandonment of long-standing ethical limits in pursuits of human vaccines and wildlife management

The pandemic has demonstrated that there are broad deficiencies in quantitative reasoning skills even within the academy, says David Sanders

Privileging one set of subjects with a catchy acronym may once have served a purpose, but that has long since been outlived, says Andy Miah 

Jury takes three hours to agree nanoscience expert lied about Wuhan ties to sidestep pressure campaign against binational research partnerships

Vice-chancellor commits to ‘challenging and confronting debate’ on hot-button issue

MPs investigate role of journal publication in the early stages of the pandemic

Deep cuts may be reversed, but the Brazilian president’s anti-science rhetoric will do lasting damage, says John Aubrey Douglass

Royal Society asked to expel decorated members who criticised plans to incorporate mātauranga Māori into curricula

Nanotechnologist and laser expert shines the way for others, by endowment as well as by example

Trust in scientists rose in the UK at a faster rate than the global average during the pandemic, Wellcome Trust finds

The UK’s whole-genome sequencing project could spark a global step change in the treatment of rare diseases, says Damian Smedley

The abolition of publishers and the bypassing of Big Tech is a prerequisite for maximising the power of science, says Andy Farnell

From little things big things grow: small specialists focus on big picture

Equity challenges loom, but solidifying evidence of value brings academic stature to science of partnering with the public

A physicist and two philosophers reflect on the value of their respective disciplines

Geoffrey Cantor has mixed feelings about a bold attempt to put a 14th-century friar at the heart of our understanding of science

Geneticist warns of the dangers of ‘fetishising’ DNA and turning a blind eye to racism

New Zealand’s embrace of Māori vocabulary goes hand-in-hand with the incorporation of Māori understandings into curricula. But is a debate about the unintended consequences of this move being stifled by fear of speaking out? John Ross reports

Physics’ royal society aims to be more relevant than ever with focus on skills, education and business

Analysis says lack of insights from outside the sciences could hamper uptake of clean technology

Governments and the public exhibited newfound appreciation for universities during the pandemic, but will institutions be able to keep building on their prestige? Ellie Bothwell reports

University of East Anglia researcher impressed by on-screen portrayal in climate science drama

As White House and National Academies plan studies, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acts to boost minority researchers

Jason Watkins stars in show exploring human costs and political ramifications of hacking of emails from University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit in 2009

Environment-linked discoveries dominating Nobel Prize list demonstrate enduring need to support fundamental science, say experts

Comedian and radio presenter embarks on a 100-bookshop tour to make ‘scientific curiosity’ accessible to everyone

Both Princeton University and Max Planck win two Nobels in two days after David MacMillan and Benjamin List scoop chemistry prize

Extra ‘star’ scientists flock to prize-winning topics in five to 10 years after award, study suggests

Climate change pioneers Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann take share of prize with Sapienza scientist Georgio Parisi

Californian duo David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian win prize for discoveries on how heat and touch are experienced

Google Translate’s limitations spell out why we must revisit old questions about artificial intelligence, says Lionel Tarassenko

One-time science superstar explains why he is happier not being famous and why the ‘hobbyist’ approach to research tools no longer works

Ministerial response offers ‘no comfort that there is not a plan afoot to abandon that very specific promise’ on science spending, says ex-minister Greg Clark

Former life sciences minister founded series of Cambridge biomedical start-ups before entering politics

Derby North MP had held role since February 2020

Holden Thorp says Abet course rules hinder well-rounded strategies to fight major social burdens

Institute in Liverpool will involve universities, hospital and local authorities in ‘holistic’ research on pandemics

Melbourne team focuses on ‘unsexy’ end of the next big thing in biomedicine

Uncritical and misinformed imitation of physics or biology is a misconception of collaboration, says Harvey J. Graff

People will always ‘come up with the same bullshit’ to support anti-science agendas, says Nasa scientist

International action needed to eliminate ‘cloned journals’ that prey on early career researchers, says Indian research integrity adviser

We cannot engage people in discussion about drought, wildfires or climate change if we fail to acknowledge the emotions they generate, claims book

Faculty quit and various sides sue as administrators and conservative politicians forbid health precautions

Long-standing challenge on research disclosures grows more urgent with rising China tensions and anti-Asian discrimination

Managing climate change and pandemics alike requires immediate engagement with policy, not science-first rhetoric, argues Mike Hulme

Australian epidemiologists pressed to defend unscientific aspects of lockdowns, as politicians exaggerate the evidence base

University-run hospital will be part of a larger push to legitimise local expertise

Resistance to the knowledge generated by science will only be overcome with the help of the humanities. But what can universities do to bridge C. P. Snow’s famous divide between these fields, which endures to this day?

While humanity’s coexistence with nature is not always harmonious, Cosmos Prize winner says it can be hard to pick the aggressor

Kristian Helin, incoming head of the Institute of Cancer Research, reflects on lessons learned from pandemic

Veterinary schools lead campaign protesting regulatory obstacles applied to an array of food-related genomic research

Uncertainty should be insisted on as a mark of seriousness and honesty, say Michael Blastland and George Davey Smith

In first federal court test, Indiana University can keep mandate with exemptions for its on-campus students

Pandemic-related budget constraints and anti-science governments are taking their toll on researchers in their region. Ellie Bothwell reports

Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green tell the inside story of how they fought back against conspiracy theories, bureaucracy and hostile press coverage

Women leave STEM at transition stage from university to work, Australian study finds

Now concerned about impact of runaway artificial intelligence, diplomat worries scientific advances have overtaken capacity for reflection on their impact

Boris Johnson’s new ministerial council has revived discussion over who controls science spending and whether industrial strategy requires government to start ‘picking winners’