The Great Beyond
Gene silencing predicted to improve drug manufacturing
Biotech firm hopes to use RNA interference to boost drug yields.
Europe puts brakes on fusion project
Firing up ITER in 2018 is not feasible, warn council delegates.
Maize genome mapped
Sequence should help corn breeders meet global demands for food and fuel.
Gene-makers form security coalition
Latest salvo in the gene-synthesis 'standards war' sees firms set up a competing code.
Curbing population growth crucial to reducing carbon emissions
Access to contraception could tackle global warming, says United Nations.
Antarctic temperature spike surprises climate researchers
Polar region was unexpectedly warm between ice ages.
This week in our biodiversity special, we hear why today's paleontologists need to get predictive and not just descriptive, learn how to factor environmental goods into the economy and celebrate 150 years of Darwin's On the Origin of Species by learning about the cultural context of his theories in Britain and across the world.
Biologists rally to sequence 'neglected' microbes
For scientists, the thousandth microbial genome is just the start.
Climate model sets tough targets
International group outlines steps needed to reach 'safe' levels of carbon dioxide.
Japanese science faces deep cuts - Premium content
The government's election promises vowed more support for science, but so far budgets look set to shrink.
Darwin's finches tracked to reveal evolution in action
A new species of finch may have arisen in the Galapagos.
Fresh hope for German stem-cell patent case
Referral to European Court may help to harmonize laws on intellectual property.
How the sponge stays slim
One species' rapid cell shedding explains its huge carbon-catching capacity.
Biologists turn against worm
Researchers seek out alternative model organisms to C. elegans.
Environmental impact of cocaine strategy assessed
Studies measure effects of glyphosate-based herbicide on wildlife and human health.
Evolution of a single gene linked to language
Mutations in the FOXP2 gene could help explain why humans can speak but chimps can't.
Lithium loss may be the planet-hunter's gain
Depletion of the element in stars might be linked to the existence of extrasolar planets.
Wellcome Trust makes it personal in funding revamp
People not projects are the focus of longer-term grants.
This week we learn how a key language gene behaves differently in humans and chimps, how lithium levels in stars could reveal whether they have orbiting planets, and hear from reporter Jeff Tollefson in anticipation of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. Plus, a round-up of what's hot elsewhere in Nature.
Global warming won't affect all deltas
Rising sea levels could submerge Mississippi Delta but leave other systems intact.
China moves to help high-tech firms
But initiatives meet with mixed response.
Britain sets up defence advisory group
Government seeks academic input on security issues.
Brain disease treated by gene therapy
A treatment based on HIV finds first success in humans.
Mars rover plans its escape
Crunch time approaches for a decision on how to free Spirit from a sand trap.
Oldest American artefact unearthed
Oregon caves yield evidence of continent's first inhabitants.
Lisbon Treaty could give research a boost
European Union set to take a bigger role in climate and space policy.
Q+A: Greek research supremo promises drastic reform
Achilleas Mitsos aims to sharpen up Greek science.
Gene-makers put forward security standards
But few companies are willing to sign up yet.
Supernova mystery solved?
Sooty neutron star could lie at the heart of Cassiopeia A.
This week we learn the secrets of a star first spotted in 1680, hear how unrelated animals lend a helping hand, and discover how ecologists are bringing past ecosystems back to life in Pleistocene Parks. Plus, a round-up of what's hot elsewhere in Nature.
Dark-matter test faces obstacles
Access to crystals may hamper bid to repeat experiment.
Initiative targets malaria eradication
Focus shifts to blocking parasite transmission.
US habitat rule threatens species
Conservationists call for change to Bush-era definition of 'endangered'.
Science favoured by German coalition
Budgets set to double as new government backs previous spending commitments.
Aftermath of a tsunami
A natural-hazards expert talks about surveying the destruction in Samoa.
Nature, the international weekly journal of science, is seeking an intern reporter to work full-time in either its Washington, DC, or London offices. (Location will be determined by the nationality and work permit status of the successful candidate.) This six-month, paid position will begin in early January 2010.
Applicants should be self-starting and have a keen news sense. The intern will write news and other journalistic items for Nature’s website and print magazine. Please e-mail a cover letter, resume and three published articles to Alexandra Witze, Nature’s chief of correspondents for America (a.witze@us.nature.com), by November 15. Put “internship application” in the subject line.
Brazil mulls major climate action
If adopted, the move would put the country ahead of other developing nations on emissions curbs.
The melting snows of Kilimanjaro
Glaciers crowning Africa's tallest mountain could disappear within decades.
Native American culture sowed seeds of its own collapse
Floods brought the Nazca to their knees — but they crippled themselves by over-farming first.
California stem-cell grants awarded
First major round of research targeted at therapies takes off.
Satellite launches to track the world's water
Soil moisture and ocean salinity set to be monitored from space.
Lions' taste for human flesh dissected
Two maneaters devoured dozens in the late nineteenth century but one ate the lion's share.
New targets for old drugs
A computer program predicts thousands of previously unknown drug-target associations.
Air tides cause landslides
Pressure fluctuations can set slopes in motion.
Aerosols make methane more potent
Air pollution linked more closely to climate concerns.
Amphibians rarely give earliest warning of pollution
Long-standing 'canary in the coal mine' role questioned.
This week we discover a new type of communication between brain cells, hear some ideas about how the Earth became watery, and question the constancy of the speed of light. Plus, a round-up of what's hot elsewhere in Nature.
Most distant gamma-ray burst spotted
Observations suggest the early Universe is ripe for exploration.
An intergalactic race in space and time
A burst of γ-rays lets scientists test quantum theories of gravity.
Ozone protocol squares up to climate - Premium content
Europeans back efforts to amend the Montreal Protocol to address global warming.
Dark energy rips cosmos and agencies - Premium content
An international space mission to study an astronomical mystery is foundering.
US physicists propose astrophysics goals - Premium content
Dark energy and dark matter prove popular choices for funding.
University tightens oversight of sensitive research
Conviction prompts rethink of data rules.
African science feels the pinch
Recession dampens donors' enthusiasm.
Woo Suk Hwang convicted, but not of fraud
Cloning pioneer gets two years for embezzlement and bioethics breach.
On the show this week, the effects of sleep deprivation on memory, 250 years of London's Kew Gardens, watching evolution in the lab, climate change in the Himalayas, and much more.
HIV vaccine trial under fire
Expert scrutiny casts doubt on 'historic' results.
Probe uncovers Mercury's youthful secret
Latest fly-by reveals planet's recent volcanic activity.
Time running out for climate talks
Rift between developed and developing nations might be too great.
Fossil primate challenges Ida's place
Controversial German specimen is related to lemurs, not humans, analysis of an Egyptian find suggests.
Lazy male spiders avoid dinner date
Trespassing redbacks reap the rewards of reproduction without the costs of courting.
Moon scientist arrested on spy charges
Radar expert worked on US and Indian missions.
Darwin's geological mystery solved
Origin of odd South American boulders may have defeated the Origin's author.
Europe's Galileo project gains ground
Long-troubled satellite-navigation system receives formal backing from European Commission president.
High hopes for Russia's nanotech firms
But an ambitious government initiative has been slow to incubate a domestic high-tech industry.
Major economies meeting struggles with climate
Many hurdles remain on the road to Copenhagen summit in December.
EU research programme weighed up and found wanting
Audit criticizes lack of sustainability of EU-funded projects.
Flies get fright from false memories
Scientists use light activation to pinpoint where learning happens in fruit flies.
Researchers create portable black hole
Mini-hole made of metamaterials ensnares microwave light.
Chemical keeps male sex drive in check
A single pheromone ensures a male fruitfly's urge to mate targets the right sex.
Gene therapy could remedy Parkinson's
Introducing three genes corrects motor defects in monkeys.
Cell invasion caught on camera
Videos show T cells breaching the central nervous system's defences.
Ocean science goes deep
A global mission to wire up sea-floor observatories gets under way.
This week, we're impressed by video game-playing mice, go in search of a magnet with only one pole, meet Nobel Prize-winner Elizabeth Blackburn, and hear how Columbian guerrillas are helping scientists study reading.
EXCLUSIVE: Particle physicist 'falsely accused', claims brother
As Adlène Hicheur is investigated for terrorist links, his brother speaks out.
EXCLUSIVE: Fusion delays sow concern
Construction on ITER won't begin until 2010.
Cancer metastasis scrutinized
Researchers shift focus to catch secondary tumours.
Japan to slash huge grant scheme
Upstart government brings fresh priorities to science.
North America comet theory questioned
No evidence of an extraterrestrial impact 13,000 years ago, studies say.
Protein-design papers challenged
Reanalysis does not find same results as key 2003 study.
Climate talks stumble in Bangkok
UN negotiators clash over how to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
Physicist working at CERN arrested
Postdoc faces terrorism charges in France.
Row at US journal widens
Three papers caught up in journal probe of review process.
X-ray free-electron lasers fire up
California's project has the lead as its facility goes live, but Europe aims for its own rapid-fire device.
Huge 'ghost' ring discovered around Saturn
Spitzer Space Telescope reveals a supersized dust belt.
Global warming may worsen locust swarms
Ancient records link a hotter climate to more damaging infestations.
Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to light pioneers
Advances in fibre optics and digital imaging are rewarded.
Radical shift proposed for funding European research
Half of EU research budget should be spent on frontier science, say science advisers.
Artificial ionosphere creates bullseye in the sky
Auroral experiments make glowing plasma patch.
Q+A: A Conservative approach to British science
How would research change under a centre-right government?
Future of HIV vaccine unclear
Puzzling hints of success require explanation before trials can move forward.
BRIEFING: US Senate gears up for climate debate
Cap-and-trade bill largely mirrors legislation passed in the House of Representatives.
Oldest hominid skeleton revealed
At 4.4 million years, Ethiopian fossil clarifies human–chimp relationships.
Q+A: The new head of the NIH
Francis Collins talks about his priorities for the agency.
Q+A: Driven out of research - Premium content
A virologist describes how stringent biosecurity regulations caused her to drop one line of work.
Rutherford Building cancers a "coincidence"
Independent inquiry finds cancer connection to historic radiation experiments "unlikely".
Past quakes cause future shocks
Seismic waves from earthquakes might make distant fault lines more slippery.
Cellulosic ethanol hits roadblocks - Premium content
How the financial crisis is slowing efforts to commercialize next-generation ethanol.
Climate change will hit developing world harvests hardest
Report quantifies link between global warming and food security.
Exclusive: Iranian ministers in plagiarism row
Nature investigation reveals duplications in papers by science and transport chiefs.
Chinese dam may be a methane menace
Wetlands around Three Gorges produce tonnes of the greenhouse gas.
US agriculture research gets priority plan - Premium content
Federal restructuring aims to lessen the influence of pork-barrel politics.
Climate sizzle could come soon
UK researchers predict 4 °C rise within decades.
Experts draw up ocean-drilling wish list
Researchers seek deeper understanding of crust formation.
Instant climate model gears up
Simulation tool gives rapid feedback on implications of policy changes.
Physicists shrink X-ray source
Laser accelerator almost fits on a tabletop.
Sex chromosomes linked to evolution of new species
Questions over conflict of the sexes remain.
Battery business boost
University spin-out opens trading as a billion-dollar company.
Butterflies' migrational timekeeper found
Monarchs may navigate using clocks in their antennae.
Strawberry pesticide leaves sour taste
Methyl iodide use by Californian farmers up for review.
Vaccine protects against HIV virus
A two-shot combo reduces the risk of HIV infection.
Publisher retracts paper by Iran's science minister
Iranian scientists press for plagiarism inquiry.
BRIEFING: Climate summit fails to address key challenges
Lack of progress threatens global deal.
Plans for UK research assessment revealed
Peer review remains key for determining the distribution of university cash.
SPECIAL REPORT: German science looks to new political players
Coalition change could affect policies, reports Quirin Schiermeier.
Gold rush for algae
The second of four weekly articles on biofuels describes how oil giants and others are placing their bets on algae.
Climate summit fails to address key challenges
Are the global leaders listening?
Protein burns its evolutionary bridges
Mutations can set genetic change on an irreversible path.
Indian ancestry revealed
The mixing of two distinct lineages led to most modern-day Indians.
Buoy damage blurs El Niño forecasts
Missing data from the eastern Pacific Ocean may hinder predictions of this year's event.
Research chief steps down over fake data
Peter Chen's integrity 'undamaged' by incident, says boss.
The elephant and the neutrino
Conservationists challenge physics observatory in Indian wildlife reserve.
Genomics shifts focus to rare diseases
Disappointing genome-wide studies prompt researchers to tackle single-gene defects.
Q+A: The once-quiet scientist
A former animal researcher decides to speak out.
Nuclear test ban back on the table
United States delegation to international summit reignites hope.
Water on the Moon?
Separate lunar missions indicate evidence of ice and hydrated minerals.
Arctic sea ice levels third-lowest on record
No sign that long-term trend is reversing, scientists caution
Fungus genome boosts fight to save North American forests
DNA sequence could advance efforts to control pine beetle infestations.
High window on the past
Microbiologists find living stromatolites in the Andes.
Volcanoes stirred by climate change
Impact of global warming on geological hazards 'poorly understood', experts warn.
Wanted: a chief scientist for Europe
Commission president pledges to hire top adviser.
North American coalition pushes for refrigerant curb
Greenhouse gases closer to Montreal Protocol regulation
Colour blindness corrected by gene therapy
Treated monkeys can now see in technicolour.
Why opposites don't always attract
A lucky lab accident helps to explain the mystery of bouncing droplets.
Climate change warning from Greenland
Small rise in temperature thousands of years ago caused rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet.
Obama proposes greenhouse-gas standards for vehicles
US move is the first national regulation on carbon emissions.
Israeli immigrant scientists protest threat to jobs
Budget cuts freeze researchers out of Israel's KAMEA programme.
Q&A: Greenland project drills down to record depths
Researchers read our climate record from a mile-long core of ice.
RIKEN scientist arrested
Japanese researcher allegedly misused institutional funds.
Q+A: Choon Fong Shih
The first president of Saudia Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology talks.
Atomic agency rescues 'dirty bomb' material
Radioactive cobalt cleared from Lebanese lab.
Publication bias continues despite clinical-trial registration
Fewer than half of registered trials publish their results.
France unveils carbon tax
Nature talks to climatologist Jean Jouzel about the plans.
Italian quake analysis rumbles in
Satellite data pinpoints fault at heart of L'Aquila earthquake.
Physicists propose 'Schrödinger's virus' experiment
Laser technique could put virus in two overlapping quantum states.
Chromium isotopes track oxygen's rise
Early debut for essential gas was followed by an unexpected dip.
Potato blight's gene weaponry revealed
Jumping genes may hold key to defeating mould that caused Irish famine.
How green is your campus?
Universities are working to bring sustainability to their campuses and classrooms, and could serve as a model for other institutions looking to go carbon-neutral. But there's no single way to grade the initiatives.
Export-control laws worry academics
US researchers hope planned reforms will reduce the risk of prosecution.
Darwin Centre takes doors off museum
Scientists are on display at a new Natural History Museum facility.
Stem-cell drug fails crucial trials
Experimental treatment does not halt fatal complication of bone-marrow transplant.
Nations commit to share climate information
But proposed international service will face scientific and political hurdles.
Ethics scrutiny needed for Chinese–European projects
Panel calls for joint advisory body to monitor research.
Cells go fractal
Mathematical patterns rule the behaviour of molecules in the nucleus.
India says no to HIV drug patents
Patent office rejects applications from two US drug companies.
'Overwhelming' evidence for monopoles
Multiple experiments reveal materials with single points of north and south.
Fresh targets give hope for HIV vaccine
Two antibodies that stop the virus in its tracks could hold the key to broad immune protection.
Europe's oldest axes discovered
Sophisticated tool-making skills more widespread than previously thought.
Pandemic flu: from the front lines
Researchers describe the scientific and public-health challenges they face in battling the H1N1 virus.
Q+A: Forging a future for South African science
The country's science minister talks about her priorities in lean times.
Knockout rats made to order
Customized disease models made by deleting rat embryo genes may be on sale soon.
Climate-control plans scrutinized
The Royal Society reviews options for fighting global warming with geoengineering.
Climate change exacts a high price
Costs of adapting to a warming world could be much greater than expected.
Ozone threat is no laughing matter
Nitrous oxide poses a growing atmospheric problem.
Sunspots stir oceans
Variations in the Sun's brightness may have a big role in Pacific precipitation.
We've got a packed show this week, including gene therapy for mitochondrial mutations, a 'hot jupiter' spinning perilously close to its sun, discussion of a new report about testing toxic chemicals, a science-themed record for kids, and your chance to win a ticket to a private screening of Creation.
Renewable technologies increase energy sprawl
Biofuels will have the greatest impact on land use and habitat, study finds.
Frog serenade foiled
Amphibians raise their pitch to counter traffic noise.
Fossil protection law comes under fire
Palaeontologists aim to clamp down on illegal trade.
US plans for science outreach to Muslim world
White House to send scientists as envoys.
Nature’s video channel has put out two new short items for your delight.
The first is a film about Sci Foo, a very unusual conference held each summer at Google's headquarters in California. This gathering of geeks is informal and unstructured; there's no agenda until the first evening when the attendees collectively create one.
Nature's Charlotte Stoddart went along to Sci Foo 2009 to capture its unique spirit on film.
The second is a trailer for the Lindau film series, which details an extraordinary meeting between Nobel Laureates and young scientists takes place on Lindau Island in Germany.
The films will be released one a week from 27 August. Watch them here.
Q+A: The science of Google Wave
How an online application could change research communication.
Canada assumes weighty mantle
Instrument to help redefine the kilogram makes a transatlantic move.
FDA narrows drug label usage
Cancer treatments limited to specific gene variants.
BRIEFING: A question of sex
Nature explains the science behind the latest gender row in sport.
Scientists devise new way to modify organisms
Yeast cell surrogate may help scientists to engineer synthetic life.
The resistant rice of the future
Cross-breeding could create rice varieties that can survive flooding and fungi.
Flu shot guidelines criticized
Mathematical model suggests that US experts got their priorities wrong.
Nanoparticle safety in doubt
Lung damage in Chinese factory workers sparks health fears.
China cuts methane emissions from rice fields
But global warming could raise greenhouse gases produced by paddies elsewhere.
Environmental concerns delay seismic testing
Lawsuit puts research voyage on hold.
Irrigation reform needed in Asia
Farms must feed a growing population with a minimal impact on the environment.
India upgrades its disease surveillance network
Microbiologist Udaiveer Rana talks about the country's revamped disease institute.
World's smallest laser unveiled
The spaser promises ultrafast nanocircuits.
Ugly bats are built to bite
A face that only a mother could love conceals a skull with a surprisingly powerful jaw.
Child DNA donors should have their say
Bioethicists argue for stricter rules at genetic repositories.
A screen for cancer killers
Method identifies drugs that target the cells behind cancer growth.
Hurricane peak not unique
Historical estimates suggest that global warming could boost the number of hurricanes.
Flu database rocked by legal row
Dispute over ownership raises concerns among flu scientists.
Climate data spat intensifies
Growing demands for access to information swamp scientist.
Satellite data show Indian water stocks shrinking
Groundwater depletion raises spectre of shortages.
Ensuring safe landings on Mars
NASA to test inflatable shells for space craft.
Return of the rat
European investment could see knock-out rats catching up with mutant mice in medical research.
Science advisers mull priorities
Climate change and energy are high on the agenda for Obama's panel.
Ice-core researchers hope to chill out
Fresh freezers needed to preserve ancient gas, scientists say.
Mystery of missing carbon cracked
Earth's mantle seems to be depleted in carbon, but chemical processes might explain why.
Nanowires get biological impulses
Primitive hybrid device controls protein ion channels.
How to breathe on the Moon
Moon rock can be processed directly to produce oxygen.
Immortality improves cell reprogramming
Knocking out genes with a role in cancer prevention helps produce stem cells.
Geoengineering schemes under scrutiny
Researchers divided over the wisdom of climate manipulation.
LHC hopes for collisions by Christmas
But particle physicists will have to scale back the energies of their experiments for years.
Staving off ecological disaster in lungs
Protecting the lung's 'ecosystem' may help cystic fibrosis patients.
Cambrian's fiercest hunter defanged
Computer modelling hints that Anomalocaris didn't have the chops to chew up trilobites.
Europe prepares for drugs from GM plants
Guidelines for pharmed medicines compare favourably with US rules.
The itch without the pain
A special set of neurons may be dedicated to sensing itchiness.
New site for Berkeley energy institute
Environmental campaigners force a change of plan for Californian University.
Presidential panel narrows NASA's options
Augustine commission outlines seven key scenarios for space exploration.
Stimulus money unveiled for green cars
But a boost for established manufacturers leaves innovative companies out in the cold, critics say.
Crystals grown in a flash
A nanopulse of laser light is enough to trigger crystallization.
Who speaks for science in Europe? - Premium content
Questions remain over whether researchers have a coherent enough voice to influence European science policy. Natasha Gilbert reports.
Drowned tundra emits more carbon
Work in Alaska looks at life in a warmer, wetter world.
Greek scientists fight research shake-up
Protests greet plans to dismantle multidisciplinary institutions.
Grant scores leave applicants in limbo
Top-rated research must wait until September for NIH funding decision.
Battling scientists reach consensus on health of global fish stocks
Many depleted fisheries are making good progress to recovery.
Editor retracts sperm-creation paper
Plagiarism accusation hits stem-cell research.
Malaria becoming more drug resistant
Artemisinin-based medicines fail a growing number of patients in Cambodia.
Deforestation emissions on the rise
Amazon study suggests denser forest yields will mean more carbon release.
Israel's space industry facing staff cuts
Decline in government funding precipitates cash crisis.
In this episode, we bring you mice made from induced stem cells, the early Earth's disordered insides, jellyfish stirring up the oceans, and Saturn's spinning speed.
DNA barcodes for plants a step closer
Biologists agree on genetic sequences to uniquely identify plant species.
UK universities urged to build more industry links
Business secretary calls for wider commercial interest in British science.
African disease labs to get health check
Rating system for labs could improve diagnosis and lift standards.
Mice made from induced stem cells
Technical feat shows that the different route to stem cells can indeed make a full mammal body.
Heart, heal thyself
A mouse study finds that, surprisingly, heart muscle can be made to proliferate.
Big claims for tiny lenses
Physicists balk at Nature paper saying lenses can see beyond the theoretical limit.
This week, wild chimps show signs of an AIDS-like disease, super-tiny lenses go beyond the limits of light, and we reassess the patterns in the Northern and Southern lights. Plus, the regular news round-up.
Setback for Huntington's disease therapy
Brain-tissue transplants don't last very long in patients.
How raindrops fall
Exploding drops produce miniature showers.
Mystery of HIV vaccine failure deepens
Heightened immune response to cold virus may not be to blame.
Neanderthal census reveals diversity
Sequencing method uses mitochondrial DNA to build up a picture of the species.
Q+A: Weighing up the G8's promises to poor countries
Nature News talks to Namanga Ngongi about the billions of dollars pledged for food security.
Tsunami forecast in real time
Russian tsunami modeller seizes unexpected opportunity after New Zealand earthquake.
California academics face prospect of unpaid leave
University of California makes furlough plans as state budget cuts continue to bite.
The moonwalker
Harrison Schmitt was the first and last scientist to touch the lunar surface.
Asteroid belt's icy fringe explained
'Primordial objects' may have been captured during planetary realignment.
Sequencing unlocks secrets of blood parasites
Possible drug targets revealed in flatworms that cause schistosomiasis.
NIH nominee draws scrutiny
Francis Collins is likely to face funding challenges — and criticism of his Christian evangelism.
Medical isotope shortage reaches crisis level
Robust solutions sought urgently to shore up fragile supply chain.
How brain training makes multitasking easier
Practice speeds up the part of the brain that lets us tackle many jobs at once.
Malaria drug makers ignore WHO ban
Health agency calls for clampdown on artemisinin monotherapy.
Flu furore hits Argentina
Refusal to declare national emergency restricts pandemic measures.
Pandemic flu viruses brew for years before going global
Monitoring more viral genes could provide early warning of dangerous outbreaks.
Swine flu shares some features with 1918 pandemic
Exposure to one pandemic may protect against the other.
Approvals on trial
Researchers demand more harmonization of European rules for approving clinical studies.
Mars rover devours budgets
Ever-growing cost of the planned Mars Science Laboratory threatens other space missions.
Q&A: Taiwan's hopes for a biotech revolution
The president of the country's top research institute on growing the knowledge economy.
G8 leaders fail to agree on carbon cuts before 2050
Summit declaration says 2 °C warming must be avoided.
Q&A: Helping Europe's molecular biologists
The new EMBO director speaks to Nature News about her plans.
This week we're a step closer to an anti-ageing drug for people, we discover how and when our planet turned green, spot the most distant supernovae yet, and it's 20 years since the discovery of the cystic fibrosis gene.
India hikes science budget despite slowdown
Boosts for human space flight and atomic energy.
A pill for longer life?
A drug slows the march of time in middle-aged mice.
Special Report: Developing nations tackle climate - Premium content
Emissions targets, clean-energy projects and calls for justice are multiplying, reports Jeff Tollefson.
Czech researchers angry over government changes
Reform reshuffles budgets for science and industry.
Sperm-like cells made from human embryonic stem cells
But results are only preliminary, researchers caution.
Q&A: Beyond petroleum?
BP's chief chemist talks about balancing the company's commitment to renewable energies with profit.
This week, making stem cells for therapy, how salamanders regrow their limbs, three huge studies of genetic variation and schizophrenia, and how plants keep carbon dioxide above a certain level in the atmosphere.
Funding boost for African science
Wellcome Trust grants £30 million to help build research capacity.
Salamander cells remember their origins in limb regeneration
Cell tracking shows that axolotl cells in a regrowing leg retain distinct roles.
African science drops down G8 agenda
Researchers lament poor progress on commitments to developing nations.
Q&A: Observing the scars of the Arctic thaw
Ecologist Breck Bowdon talks about the consequences of thawing permafrost in Alaska.
Chief scientist quits California stem-cell agency
Departure raises questions over leadership at flagship centre.
Lawsuit puts flu-vaccine contract in doubt
Biotech company sued by creditors.
Vital marine habitat under threat
Destruction of seagrass on a par with loss of rainforests and coral reefs.
A helping hand for addicts
A neuropsychologist talks about the challenges of studying the addicted brain.
Climate refugee fears questioned
Few figures to back up prophecies of mass migration to rich countries.
Female promiscuity may not benefit offspring
'Higher quality' male seed beetles lose post-copulatory battle.
This week's Nature Podcast is a science journalism special. Listen in as we ask whether science journalists are cheerleaders or watchdogs for science, hear how technology is changing reporting from conferences, and get the inside scoop on how science gets turned into front page news. Plus, the produce of the Nature News team in our weekly science news chat.
Sodium traces hint at subsurface ocean on Enceladus
Measurements rule out geysers on Saturn's moon.
US human spacefaring questioned
Review panel takes a hard look at NASA's goal of returning astronauts to the Moon.
New protein structures replace the old
Dutch software to weed out errors in Protein Data Bank.
UK climate effects revealed in finest detail yet
Detailed projections met with caution by climate scientists.
BRIEFING: NASA's Moon goals under review
But work on the first of the agency's new rockets continues.
The virus spy
Yan Li talks about spotting the novel swine flu virus at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory.
Special: Apollo 40 years on
Exploring the legacy of the first manned lunar missions.
Drug quells anxiety in early trials
Angst-fighting compound lacks side effects of current treatments.
Italy cancels G8 research meeting
Scrapped ministerial summit may jeopardize pressing climate change decisions.
Dinosaur's digits show how birds got wings
A new dinosaur species looks set to solve an old evolutionary puzzle.
Beijing's clean air claims questioned
Environment ministry now plans to monitor ozone and small particles.
Patchy pig monitoring may hide flu threat
Experts call for increased surveillance of animals.
Climate talks snarled up
Two-pronged negotiations fail to bridge divide between nations.
Feather growth limits size of flying birds
Time required for moulting may be a more important factor than weight.
This week, typhoons that trigger earthquakes, worms that refuse to die, and the search for extra terrestrial life starts on Earth.
Glimpse of Earth as seen from afar
Lunar eclipse paints portrait of Earth that could aid hunt for distant habitable planets.
Typhoons trigger gentler tremors
Small quakes may act as a release valve that prevents catastrophic convulsions.
Avian influenza aided readiness for swine flu
Despite gains from threat of bird flu, pandemic preparedness is patchy.
Too few women in clinical trials?
Cancer-drug studies fail to reflect true incidence of disease in the population.
Mars missions get in line
NASA planetary competitions to no longer favour Mars.
UK science pulled back to business
Government reshuffle abolishes short-lived research and education department.
Q&A: Zipping around on the ocean floor
Ocean scientists hunt for Canadian deep-sea corals.
Historic deal for german science
Eleventh-hour deal secures billions of euros for research.
War and migration may have shaped human behaviour
Demographic factors could be behind diverse aspects of social evolution.
Human-ape links heard in laughter
Similarities between laughter of tickled apes and humans mirrors genetic ties between species.
Warning for diplomats over misuse of science
Use science to build partnerships, urge government science advisers.
Open access publishing gains another convert
University College London joins rapidly growing throng.
African ministers lay out climate-change policy
Common vision still lacks specifics.
Role reversal undermines speed-dating theories
Women become less choosy when they, rather than men, move from table to table.
Drug giants unite to develop cancer therapy
Merck and AstraZeneca collaboration could launch a new trend — if their work yields results.
Earliest evidence for pottery making found
Fragments from a Chinese cave push back the dawn of the craft by more than 1,000 years.
Crunch time for German science programmes
Billions of euros in university funding could be delayed or lost.
Boost for conservation of plant gene assets
Financial worries accompany award of first grants under international treaty.
Dark energy particle spotted?
Reported 'chameleon' particle would change its mass to match its environs.
Electrodes spark neuron growth
Deep brain stimulation could help make memories.
Sweden snares neutron facility
Lund will play host to European Spallation Source.
Failure is certainly an option
Conservation scientists plead for better reporting of negative results.
Getting science into policy
New Zealand's first ever chief science adviser talks about how he will make an impact on government decision-making.
Taking a fossil primate on the road
Ida's promoter defends science and showmanship.
Hot times ahead for the Wild West
American west threatened by more heatwaves than past models have predicted.
The nail in the coffin for group selection?
Benefits to an individual and its family may be enough to account for altruistic behaviour.
This week, transgenic monkeys that glow green, quantum states that change as soon as you look at them, and a new approach to the war on cancer.
Former shuttle pilot nominated as NASA head
Charles Bolden lined up to take over space agency.
Draft stem-cell guidelines criticized
Researchers complain that previously approved cell lines would not be covered.
Russia makes major shift in climate policy
Putin emphasizes the need for action on global warming.
Old seasonal flu antibodies target swine flu virus
Lab results could explain why young patients are hardest hit by current H1N1 strain.
GPS signal under threat
A few years of reduced precision might affect scientists worldwide.
Flagship drug-development initiative picks projects
European project awards pharmaceutical research funding.
This week, we investigate the link between cancer and Down's syndrome, find out how life on Earth survived multiple meteorite impacts 3.9 billion years ago, and discover why it's so hard to lose weight by dieting.
Reunion of fossil halves splits scientists
Well-preserved primate suffers identity crisis.
Q&A: Reaping the rewards of health research
The director of the University of Oxford's institute in Vietnam on studying disease in poor countries.
Exploration divides geographers
Campaigners pledge to fight on after Royal Geographical Society rejects resolution to bring back big expeditions.
Public donations to lift research
Website paves way for people power.
Sunny outlook for Australian science
Research programmes win big in budget, but critics say environment is 'overlooked'.
NASA chief nearly named?
President Obama to meet with former astronaut Charles Bolden.
Q+A: Mapping the world's oldest submerged town
Underwater archaeologist Jon Henderson is hoping to reveal the secrets of the ancient Greek town of Pavlopetri.
Q&A: Defending basic research in Israel
The country's science minister speaks out on proposed budget cuts.
Thoughts of money soothe social rejection
Handling cash also eases physical pain.
This week we discover a 35,000 year-old figurine with exaggerated breasts, look back to the origins of RNA, look forward to a new light source that could replace ugly fluorescent strip lights, and we ask: is free will an illusion?
Q&A: Marie-Paule Kieny
The vaccine research director of the World Health Organization, on swine flu.
RNA world easier to make
Ingenious chemistry shows how nucleotides may have formed in the primordial soup.
Ancient Venus rewrites history books
Female figure was carved from a mammoth tusk 35,000 years ago.
Asteroid impact may have gassed Earth
Did dinosaur-killing space rock create enough carbon monoxide to trigger extreme global warming?
Erupting gas may cause lunar flashes
Eyewitness reports of flickering Moon lights stand up to scrutiny.
Q+A: The way forwards for Britain's environment policy
Bob Watson, the UK environment department's chief scientist, discusses research priorities.
Synthetic biology gets ethical
UK centre hopes to blend science, policy and outreach in burgeoning field.
Swine flu spread matches previous flu pandemics
New analysis supports pandemic designation.
How thalidomide makes its mark
Drug's effects on embryonic blood-vessel growth may be the source of malformed limbs.
Making war not love
Fiercest warriors in Amazon tribe left fewer descendants.
Q&A: Bill Chadwick
A volcanologist reveals how undersea eruptions can be a boon for some species.
Austria to quit CERN
Move will end 50-year participation in physics laboratory.
Obama requests US science funding
After a massive stimulus injection in February, requests for research monies level out.
'Hobbit' was a dwarf with large feet
Studies suggest Flores man was a distinct species.
DNA twisted into boxes
Molecular keys can open tiny containers.
China joins world-class synchrotron club
Nation's costliest science facility is unveiled.
This week on the Nature Podcast, we’ve got miniature hippos and even smaller hominids, birds with culture written into their genes, a lockable box made of DNA, and a tale of Two Cultures. Plus we announce the winner of our science haiku competition.
Universities warned about swine flu threat
Government agencies in the US and UK issue advisories over flu on campus.
Age-defying dinosaur collagen
Hadrosaur, dead 80 million years, yields oldest protein yet sequenced.
Q+A: German virologist's race for swine flu test
Christian Drosten talks to Nature about tackling the threat of a pandemic.
This week’s issue of Nature looks in detail at “the coming climate crunch”.
As my colleague Quirin Schiermeier explains on the Climate Feedback blog, “What’s it all about then? Well, Gavin Schmidt and David Archer, in their news and views piece, get to the heart of it: “Dangerous climate change, even loosely defined, is going to be hard to avoid.’”
The Real Climate blog focuses on two papers which look at the chances of staying below 2°C warming. “Both find that the most directly relevant quantity is the total amount of CO2 ultimately released, rather than a target atmospheric CO2 concentration or emission rate,” the blogging team writes. “This is an extremely useful result, giving us a clear statement of how our policy goals should be framed.”
Much of the coverage focuses on the suggestion in one of these papers that once humanity has added a trillion tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere 2°C is inevitable (eg: Wired).
In the Guardian, Myles Allen, author of one of the papers, writes:
Like all scientists, most of what I do is arcane and technical and of very little interest to outsiders. For once, however, I'm involved in a couple of studies (published today in Nature), that my fellow parents might just find interesting. The headline result of both papers is that the risk of dangerous climate change is primarily determined by the total amount of carbon dioxide that we, the human race, release into the atmosphere over all time, not by emissions in any particular year.
Joseph Romm, of the Climate Progress blog, is unimpressed though. He writes that our issue “fails utterly to provide its readers with the two must-haves in any comprehensive coverage of the issue:
-A clear and specific understanding of the plausible worst-case scenario impacts facing the world post-2050 on our current emissions path.
-A clear and specific understanding of the core climate solutions, policies for their rapid deployment, and an understanding of why the total cost of action is so darn low — one tenth of a penny on the dollar.”
Make up your own mind: all the content is here.
Swine flu goes global
New influenza virus tests pandemic emergency preparedness.
California in clean-fuel drive - Premium content
State rule says biofuels aren't so green.
Japan goes for the sun - Premium content
Government pushes to regain national lead in solar-energy research.
This week we've a climate special: Nicholas Stern tells us how the recession could help curb global warming, Nature's climate science editor is in the studio to talk us through the latest research, and we imagine what the world would look like in the worst-case scenario of 1000ppm of CO2. Also on the show, autism genes and how to fix a broken heart.
Research for development
The UK Department for International Development's research chief discusses priorities.
Obama promises spending boost for science
Ambitious target for economically tough times.
Swine flu outbreak sweeps the globe
Genetic code of new influenza strain could contribute to its rapid spread.
Briefing: Swine flu jumps continents
Influenza virus spreads around the world.
Nature.com has been nominated for a Webby Award. You can find us in the Society section under Science.
On this show, a newly discovered fossil reveals clues to the origin of flippered mammals, we get stuck into the glue that holds species together, and mobile phone tracking: is it science or stalking?
Cancer drug hits setback
Results from early-stage colon cancer trial turn spotlight on recent acquisition.
Green technologies win £1.4 billion in UK budget
Carbon reduction sees a stimulus — but blue-skies research may be at risk.
China's plants absorb a third of its carbon emissions
But another study shows vegetation will absorb less carbon dioxide as nations cut pollution.
Exoplanets lighten up
More Earth-like planets spotted outside our solar system.
Why big eruptions don't always fuel mass extinctions
Rocks near the site of a volcano could determine whether an eruption causes catastrophic climate change.
Genetic profiling used to tailor cancer therapy
Tumour screening leads to more effective treatment for some patients.
Q&A: Prepare to be digitized
The World Digital Library's director explains his vision.
Platinum pollution issue gets measured
Demand for catalytic converters has spread osmium around the globe.
Designer immune cells fight prostate cancer
'Living drug' shows promise in early clinical trials.
Dying trees may exacerbate climate change
Forests could emit more carbon than they store if temperatures rise.
Writing about values shrinks racial grades gap
Short essays raise school scores of low-achieving African-American students for two years.
Life thrives beneath Antarctic glacier
Unique chemistry enables microbes to survive harsh conditions.
This week, we unzip nanotubes to make some graphene nanoribbons, challenge the idea that closely related species have similar cognitive abilities and hear about the world's largest network of cosmic ray detectors in Argentina. All that, plus our weekly NewsChat in which we celebrate the life of John Maddox, former editor of Nature.
Q+A: Hong Kong university chooses new president
Nature talks to Tony Chan about his vision for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Germany bans GM maize
State defies European Union directive on genetically modified crops.
Time to sequence the 'red and the dead'
New projects could tackle the genomics of species both critically endangered and already extinct.
Making new eggs in old mice
A textbook-challenging finding revives debates about extending female fertility.
Bendy laser beams fired through the air - Premium content
Curved tracks could help direct lightning or steer particle beams around colliders.
Disease in a warming climate - Premium content
Fears of a global rise in infectious conditions may be unfounded.
UPDATE – Current Nature editor Philip Campbell’s tribute, John Maddox 1925–2009, is now on our website:
It was with great sadness that I and my colleagues at Nature learned of the death on Sunday of Sir John Maddox — or 'JM', as his colleagues always referred to him.There was puzzlement, too. Yes, John had been looking frail recently, but, well, this was JM — the perpetually restless, irresistible, unstoppable force. The editor who conducted some gatherings with 'shock and awe' as some recall. The 'man with a whim of iron' as others used to call him. And the man who survived countless cigarettes and glasses of red wine, many consumed late into the night as he wrote the week's Editorials at the last possible moment.
As Walter Gratzer, of King’s College, London, wrote recently, “John Maddox brought an old-fashioned Nature into the modern age from the mid-1960s.” (History of Nature feature.)
A full appreciation from Nature will follow shortly. Meanwhile, here is what the world is saying.
Without too much trouble I could probably fill blogs for a month with tales of John: of waiting at the typesetter while he finished an editorial way beyond deadline; of a plan to visit Mexico together when we wined and dined the very attractive press attache at the Mexican Consulate; of how he regularly set fire to his waste-paper basket. Of being sent to the wine bar with a fiver for a bottle of Chateau Thames. Of him disappearing on a Friday night and saying, as the door closed, that he wanted a thousand words from me by Monday for the following week’s issue – on anything I pleased. Of many cases of exasperation and irritation, and many more acts of kindness.- Henry Gee, Nature editor
He was one of those fellows who shaped the direction of science for quite a long period of time with the power of one of the most influential science journals in the world. I suspect every scientist of my generation read his editorials in our weekly perusal of the journal.
- PZ Myers, Pharyngula
One of the toughest adversaries I’ve ever wrangled with is Sir John Maddox. He was hard-headed, scarily knowledgeable, hyper-articulate, unfailingly gracious even as he ripped you a new one.- John Horgan, Director of the Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology
As Editor of Nature, he restored the journal to an unchallenged position as the place to publish interesting research quickly, and did so at a time when Britain’s influence in world science was otherwise declining. His judgments, sometimes quirky but never dull, were always backed by persuasive argument and a sense of humour.
It was a mark of his skilled editorship that Nature could publish a paper on, say, the Loch Ness monster without sacrificing its authority.“He took command of Nature in a big way,” the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins said. “He had a tremendous grasp of science in the full range, from physics to biology to public affairs as they affected the world of science.”
Martin Rees, the president of the Royal Society and Britain’s astronomer royal, called Mr. Maddox “a dominant figure,” adding that “he helped establish Nature’s status internationally and built it up by developing supplements to increase its coverage.” After retiring as editor in 1995, he assumed an influential elder statesman role, acting, Mr. Rees said, “as a general guru of science and scientific policy.”
- NY Times
"He adored science and talked about it all the time," she [his daughter, Bronwen Maddox] says. "He was enormously enthused by it. He was a physicist, and took to the biological sciences with enthusiasm, but I think his heart stayed in physics."
Q&A: John Holdren
President Obama's science adviser talks about his new job.
Analysts spar over launch image
North Korean rocket trajectory may be too shallow for satellite launch.
One drug, two targets
Antimalarial compound fights disease and fends off drug-resistant parasites in mice.
This week we uncover a new twist in our understanding of the Great Oxidation Event, find out why some people are better than others at repairing radiation damage in their cells, and delve into the 'cancer genome' to discover more about how cells turn cancerous.
Amazonian reserves have fewer fires
Satellite data reveal less deforestation in Brazil's protected parks.
Open-access policy flourishes at NIH - Premium content
Researchers, institutions and publishers have complied with the mandate, but it still has its opponents.
Volcanoes ignite monitoring efforts
Efforts intensify after eruptions in Alaska and Chile.
Testosterone boost doesn't fuel risky behaviour in women
Hormones could matter less on the trading floor than suspected.
Korean satellite misses orbit
Third time unlucky as payload plunges into the Pacific.
A tiny litmus test for cells
Nanomachine senses cellular pH in real time.
World leaders fail to kick-start green economy
G20 summit a missed opportunity, say climate campaigners. (See also: Nature's Climate Feedback blog.)
Muslim students weigh in on evolution
In Indonesia and Pakistan, questions about how science and faith can be reconciled.
Carbon dating shows humans make new heart cells
The cold war helps settle a hot debate about how hearts grow.
Bendy displays close to market
Second-generation e-paper can be rolled up, use almost no power and even display video.
Tracing carbon dioxide's fate underground
Greenhouse gas dissolves in water rather than becoming locked into minerals.
China to spearhead anti-tuberculosis drive
Gates Foundation partners health initiative.
News Feature - The textbook of the future
Undergraduate textbooks are going digital. Declan Butler asks how this will shake up student reading habits and the multi-billion-dollar print textbook market.
This week on the Nature Podcast, a history lesson for Obama and his science advisers. Plus, we look at the world through the eyes of an autistic toddler, and find out if it's safe to store CO2 underground.
Ocean mercury on the increase
Rise may affect neurotoxin levels in fish
Migrating nanotubes add to asbestos concern
Initial tests suggest the tiny tubes can pass through the lung lining.
China denies US ship access to Taiwan Strait
Research vessel's seismology studies compromised by politics.
Experimental design could reduce need for animal tests
Accounting for environmental changes may be better than trying to control them.
Anti-HIV protein made in plants
One greenhouse could produce a million doses of virus-blocking chemical.
Stern message for G20 summit
Stimulus packages must focus more resources on clean energy and averting climate change, report says.
Fungus farmers show way to new drugs
Ant colonies could be key to advances in biofuels and antibiotics.
Methane-producing mineral discovered on Mars
But it may not explain the presence of the gas on the Red Planet today.
Geometer wins maths 'Nobel'
Abel prize awarded to Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov.
Settling of dust warms tropical Atlantic
A decline in aerosols could account for most of the rise in regional ocean temperatures.
Q&A: Steve Squyres on planetary priorities
Chief of Mars rover missions talks about short-listing missions for US planetary science.
Could nanomachines give friction the slip?
The quantum stickiness between very close surfaces produces no drag when they move, researchers claim.
Geometer wins maths 'Nobel'
Abel prize awarded to Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov.
This week, we become stellar detectives to solve a supernova whodunit, find out how volcanos spawn tornado-like dust devils and investigate a curious chemical imbalance in our oceans. All that plus our weekly News Chat.
Networking out of natural disasters
Open-source software could transform response to disease outbreaks and natural disasters.
Porton Down veterans not at greater health risk
Military personnel exposed to chemical warfare agents should be "reassured".
Graphene gets ready for the big time - Premium content
Physicists are talking about how to make practical use of a former laboratory curiosity.
Classic behavioural studies flawed
Nobel prizewinner took short cuts to show that the way gulls feed is instinctive.
Q&A: Save or study?
Modelling can help conservationists decide when they have collected enough data.
NOAA chief ready to tackle climate
Jane Lubchenco takes the helm at oceanic and atmospheric agency.
Q&A: Jane Lubchenco
The new head of NOAA talks priorities.
Scuttled ship endangers marine science
Weak pound forces UK to postpone building of research ship.
Pancake ice takes over the Arctic
Researchers work to put changing ice types into climate models.
Trapped under ice
Nature talks to the team behind a risky submarine mission to map the underside of an Antarctic glacier.
VIDEO: Carbon nanotubes make artificial muscle
Electricity flexes strong, bendy aerogel.
UK researchers lament grant ban
A string of unsuccessful proposals means being barred from making further applications.
Promiscuous antibody targets cancer
Single molecule can bind firmly to two different antigens.
This week the Nature Podcast is making tiny components for molecular machines, investigating heat flow in the Earth's crust, modelling the collapse of an Antarctic ice sheet, and looking into the current state of science communication.
New Zealand to consolidate agricultural research
Proposed merger aims to create world-class research institute.
Society sues journal over right to reply
Row between Max Planck Society and Wiley escalates.
Cognitive enhancement drug may also cause addiction
Modafinil's effect on the brain suggests it could be addictive for some.
Big interest in heavy drugs
The drug industry is seeking profits by modifying hydrogen in existing medications.
Incoming chief to tackle woes of US food and drug agency
Obama nominates Margaret 'Peggy' Hamburg as FDA chief.
US agencies brace for flood of grant applications
Online system has high risk of failure, officials say.
European clinical trial rules under fire
European medical research strangled by red tape, scientists warn.
A lighter Higgs makes particle hunt harder
Longer search promised after physicists exclude heavy masses for the 'God particle'.
Copenhagen summit urges immediate action on climate change
Scientists report intensifying impact of global warming.
Rising air pollution clouds climate debate
Darker skies have uncertain effect on global warming.
There's more to life than sequences
The shape of DNA can play a crucial role in genetics, says Philip Ball.
Peking Man older than thought
Classic Homo erectus fossils in Zhoukoudian caves are more than 700,000 years old.
Lithium batteries charge ahead
Researchers demonstrate cells that can power up in seconds.
The lowdown on animal testing for cosmetics
European Union continues phasing out animal experiments.
Turkish scientists claim Darwin censorship
Science-funding agency accused of removing evolution article — and its editor — from mainstream magazine.
Cosmic strings could solve positron mystery
Collapsing defects in the Universe's structure may generate antimatter excess.
Web usage data outline map of knowledge
Analysis offers fresh perspective on role of humanities and social sciences.
Atomic nucleus takes two shapes
The squashed heart of a sulphur isotope fluctuates between different states.
Phytoplankton survival clouded by dust particles
Aerosols can kill as well as nourish ocean organism.
Genetic test predicts eye colour
Forensic tool could help catch criminals.
Obama overturns stem-cell ban
President's executive order will allow US human embryonic stem-cell research to thrive at last.
Red tape blights European Union research programme
Independent review calls for "radical overhaul" to cut complexity.
The resurrection of a disease-linked gene
An unusual tale of a gene lost, then found, during human evolution.
Evidence for ancient horse ranch uncovered
Traces of earliest known milking of horses in Kazakhstan.
Briefing: Climate change crisis for rainforests
Drought could turn carbon sinks into sources.
Test tube disease models one step closer
Skin cells from Parkinson's patients transformed into tailor-made neurons.
Warmer caves may save bats from deadly fungus
Shivering bats need help to fight off white-nose syndrome.
FDA-approved warning labels won't protect companies
US court says people harmed by drugs can still sue.
Peering at proteins inside cells
Nuclear magnetic resonance spies the atomic details of proteins in action.
On this week's Nature Podcast - This week, we find out about a microbicide gel that works magic on the monkey form of HIV, track down two black holes for the price of one, and watch proteins 'at work' inside living cells. Plus, a sociologist of science calls a ceasefire.
Genome scan may save Tasmanian devils from cancer
Scientists say identifying resistant animals could be key to combating a contagious tumour.
Budget numbers for US science looking up - Premium content
Big boosts for climate and basic research in President Barack Obama's proposed spending for next year.
Looking for worlds like this one
NASA's Kepler mission is the best shot yet at detecting an Earth-sized planet elsewhere in the Galaxy.
Engineered viruses fight bacteria
Viruses that target bacteria could help give antibiotics a boost.
Falsified data gets India's largest generic drug-maker into trouble
US Federal Drug Administration withdraws approval for a score of drugs from Ranbaxy.
Virus-free pluripotency for human cells
Stem-cell advance could bring tailored treatments closer.
Brown pledges to protect science during downturn
Focus of UK economy should shift from finance to science, says Prime Minister.
Origin of 'T. rex' protein questioned
Dinosaur samples may have contained traces of ostrich.
Science grants rise with stimulus spending
Extra money has researchers scrambling to join the queue.
African grant comes with no strings attached
Carte blanche for Malawi and Kenya to spend health research funds from international donors.
On this week's Nature Podcast - This week the Nature Podcast plunges into the ocean to find see-sawing temperatures and a fish fossil that sheds light on the origins of sex. We also explore the ethics of brain-machine interfaces and trace the ‘footsteps’ of migrating planets.
Nations pull together to cut mercury emissions
Nairobi meeting kicks off negotiations.
Stem-cell inaction prompts concern
Legal complexities may underlie the delay in fulfilling election pledge.
Satellite to monitor carbon sinks sinks
Orbiting Carbon Observatory crashes into sea.
New antibodies block a range of influenzas
Discovery hints at the possibility of broad-spectrum vaccines.
Briefing: Iran's nuclear plans
Do a satellite launch and a tonne of enriched uranium add up to an arsenal?
Child abuse leaves lasting 'scars' on DNA
Lingering marks on DNA could amplify stress responses.
India protects traditional medicines from piracy
Access to national database eases search for existing treatments.
European disarray on transgenic crops
Forthcoming decisions set to bring disagreements to a head.
Tumours spark stem-cell review
Russian treatment linked to cancerous growths.
Rethinking silk's origins
Did the Indian subcontinent start spinning without Chinese know-how?
Nitrogen fertilizer warning for China
Farmers could cut use by two-thirds without lowering crop yield.
Hollywood star could restart damaged particle accelerator
Tinseltown goes to CERN as Tom Hanks promotes latest thriller.
Swedish authorities embroiled in furore over academic freedom
Journal removes paper from website after company threatens legal action.
Nature reporters are still at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago. Here are some recent dispatches from the science news front line. Full coverage is over on our In the Field blog.
Bowser blazes the trail
Whenever I see Elaine Ostrander talk about dogs, I feel sorry for human geneticists. Ostrander, a researcher at the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute on Bethesda, Maryland, studies the hundreds of dog breeds that exist in the world. And because human breeders have simplified dog genetics enormously, it’s a lot easier to answer questions about the genetic basis of all kinds of traits in dogs than it is in humans.
Darwin the Buddhist
Ordinarily, Paul Ekman is to be found doing rigorous, detailed studies of facial expression, body movement, emotion and deception...
Climate issue getting "more complicated"
A leader of the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told the meeting today that the world's climate is likely to change much faster than predicted, leaving the world with two choices: start cutting carbon emissions earlier, or make the cuts deeper.
BRIEFING: Obama may be tough on Canada's tar sands
How will future US emissions regulations affect North America's biggest oil owner?
Strike stalls reform of French universities
Sarkozy on the ropes as scientists take to the streets.
Drug banishes bad memories
Take pill, remember fear, remove fear.
For this special edition of the Nature Podcast we're at Down House, the Darwin family home for over 40 years. Join us on the hunt for Darwin's pigeons, for poetry from a Darwin descendant, and to find out how Darwin dabbled in psychology. Plus, we talk to actor Paul Bettany about playing Darwin in the new movie 'Creation'. You can hear an extended version of that interview in our Podcast Extra.
Obama puts focus on FDA after peanut poisonings - Premium content
Salmonella outbreak prompts review of US food safety.
Neglected disease boost
Fresh funding aims to raise awareness and improve control measures.
Prostate cancer marker found in urine
A simple urine test for sarcosine could be used to detect cancer.
Microbicide gel may help against HIV
Early results suggest possible role against infection.
LHC faces further delay
Collisions won't come before November.
Briefing: Australian bushfires rage
Heatwaves and fires will become more frequent in a warming world.
Hidden memories guide choices
Images slip unnoticed into the brain.
Test balloon breaks endurance record
NASA's pumpkin-shaped balloon stays aloft for more than 42 days.
Genome sequencing: the third generation
Companies unveil data from their latest technologies.
The world's top ten telescopes revealed
The best observatories ranked by their scientific impact.
Make methane while the sun shines
Nanotubes help turn carbon dioxide and water into natural gas.
What causes schizophrenia?
Findings from a 'brain training' study challenge theory.
Pygmies share a recent common ancestor
The rise of farming may have caused formation of diverse groups.
Scientists find world's biggest snake
'Titanic' boa fossils provide clues to past tropical climate.
India's drug problem
Chemists show how waste-water contamination affects ecosystem.
French scientists revolt against government reforms - Premium content
Strike threatens to undermine Sarkozy's overhaul of universities.
On this week's Nature Podcast - Three record-breakers on this week's show: we uncover fossil evidence of the world's longest snake, discover chemical signs of the earliest animal life, and take a look at light from the oldest quasar known to mankind.
Inheriting memory
Mothers that have led rich lives may have offspring with longer memories.
Fossil of pregnant whale found
Position of fetus suggests that early whales gave birth on land.
Former MIT biologist penalized for falsifying data
Faked figures found in seven published papers and five grant applications.
Hybrid embryos fail to live up to stem-cell hopes
Strategy for creating pluripotent cells called into question.
Tiniest exoplanet found
Satellite spots a planet less than twice the width of Earth.
Paper sparks fossil fury
Palaeontologists criticize publication of specimen with questionable origin.
Briefing: Halting the African armyworm
Liberia prepares for second plague of caterpillar pests.
Briefing: Clean-energy agency recruits its founding members
Nations have begun to hammer out the mandate for the International Renewable Energy Agency.
MS stem-cell trial shows promise
Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.
Fake finger reveals the secrets of touch
Fingerprints help amplify vibrations detected by nerves deep under the skin.
Feather colour indicates survival strategy in birds
Colourful plumage linked to immune response in tawny owls.
Short RNAs protect chemical memory of genes
Epigenetic changes to plant DNA preserved through successive generations.
You lucky people, there are two Nature podcasts for you this week.
Nature Podcast - This week on the Nature Podcast, how iron in the oceans could clean up carbon, the genome of the hardy plant sorghum is revealed, chemists make a nausea-inducing molecule and we talk to news editor Mark Peplow about stem cell trials, abandoned plutonium and mimicking the sun’s fusion.
NeuroPod, the neuroscience podcast from Nature – This month, we celebrate fifty years of pheromones, discover how brain cells know who to network with, why imaging might be giving us a misleading picture of brain activity, and how sleeping lightly at night could be making you forgetful the next day.
Science minister wants focus on fewer disciplines
Plan would concentrate UK funds on research of benefit to the economy.
Stem cells ready for prime time
US regulatory agency gives the go-ahead for first clinical trials of a human embryonic stem-cell treatment.
Pfizer to buy Wyeth in $68-billion deal
Drug giant chases stake in biologics.
Goodbye Galapagos goats
Conservationists complete the largest-ever eradication of an island-invasive mammal.
First IVF pregnancy after rapid egg screening
Colourful procedure finds missing or extra DNA.
Farmer defies GM 'ban'
Environmentalists see red over maize harvest in formerly GM-free Wales.
Cutting calories may improve memory
Elderly people benefit from caloric restriction.
Humans and sponges may share a slimy ancestor
Placulan origin re-roots the tree of life.
Old plutonium found in dump
Weapons-grade material discovered at Hanford nuclear site.
Europe failing to meet research targets
Europe could struggle to keep up with emerging economies.
North American tree deaths accelerate
Mortality increase correlates with climate change.
Atom takes a quantum leap
Ytterbium ion is the first element to be teleported over a distance.
Reversing helps bacterial swarms to spread
Social microbes march forwards by taking a few steps back.
A fly by any other name
Drosophila experts argue over reclassification proposal
$630-million for push to eradicate polio
Gates Foundation leads group of donors promising cash for vaccination, monitoring and research
Cheating bacteria could treat infections
Freeloading microbes could help their hosts by undermining cooperation between pathogens
Brain imaging measures more than we think
Anticipatory brain mechanism may be complicating MRI studies.
Green light for UK stem-cell trial
Stroke patients to be treated with tailor-made brain cells.
Secondary forests are worth saving
Biodiversity there isn't as rich as untouched rainforest, but should still be conserved, some argue
Dinosaur fossils suggest speedy extinction
Arctic find challenges the idea that the massive reptiles declined slowly.
Tiny springboards detect viruses in fluids
Wobbily cantilevers 'feel' pathogens lock onto their targets.
ESA seeks to join US dark energy mission
Deal would boost JDEM budget but scupper Europe's Euclid.
Hong Kong inaugurates Institute for Advanced Study
Nature talks to university president Paul Chu about his vision of a 'mecca for great scholars'.
Europe set to crack down on pesticides
Controversial rules that could ban many agents are a step closer to approval.
FDA ready to regulate transgenic animals
Agency unveils path to approval after decade-long delay.
Science wins big in US economic plan
Congressional stimulus package includes billions in extra research funding.
Fish are crucial in oceanic carbon cycle
Chemistry models need to incorporate new discovery.
Crops that cool
Could shinier farmland help combat global warming?
Scientists weave invisibility cloak
Metamaterial sheet shields objects from prying microwaves.
Nuke code cracks stellar mystery
A nuclear weapons lab program simulates the birth of massive stars.
Nature Podcast - This week we uncover a fishy fossil head, build a synthetic cellular clock, discover that natural killer cells have a memory, and ponder how science has fared under the Bush administration and it's future in the hands of Obama.
Science tipped to score in Obama cash stimulus - Premium content
Researchers jockey for a piece of the US economic package.
Genetic 'clock' made in lab
Synthetic metronome keeps time inside mammalian cells.
Ocean fertilization experiment suspended
German science ministry demands environmental assessment before nutrient dumping can begin.
Study fails to catch plants making methane
Greenhouse gas emitted from plants might just be passing through.
What is the link between autism and testosterone?
Controversial theory of autism makes headlines, but leaves scientific community unconvinced.
Venus may have had continents and oceans
Granite highlands point to past water — and perhaps life.
Brain imaging studies under fire
Social neuroscientists criticized for exaggerating links between brain activity and emotions.
Steven Chu prepares for power
Energy agency may be in for a shake-up.
How to spot moons far, far away
The search for life on another planet is about to be extended – to moons.
Mars rover needs a date
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory needs more money to reach the launch pad, and has less time.
Ocean fertilization experiment draws fire
Indo-German research cruise sets sail despite criticism.
Grooming your way to the top
Nice chimps can be leader of the pack.
VIDEO: A waterway for one-way waves
There's no way back in a row of water-powered see-saws.
A never-ending dance of RNA
The recreation of life's origins comes a self-catalysing step closer.
Temperature rises threaten global food security
Climate changes predicted to trigger food shortages across the world.
Earliest Americans took two paths
Genetic analysis suggests there were at least two migrations into the Americas.
Skin cancer on the rise
Increase in melanoma cases not due to better diagnosis.
Did black holes form before galaxies?
Astronomers work on universe's chicken-and-egg problem.
Quantum force gets repulsive
Casimir–Lifshitz effect could help nanoengineers out of a sticky situation.
SPECIAL REPORT: Biotechs feel the pain - Premium content
The biotechnology industry is weathering the financial crisis better than some. That doesn't mean it's in great shape, reports Heidi Ledford.
European boost for particle therapy - Premium content
Treatment centres poised to use carbon-ion beams to tackle cancer.
Nature Podcast - As the International Year of Astronomy kicks off, we look into the role of self-gravity in star formation, and discover a pair of unusual meteorites in Antarctica. Plus: what happens when you ‘over-squeeze’ photons, and our predictions for science in 2009.
China builds inland Antarctic base
Kunlun station to open later this month atop the frozen continent's oldest ice.
Companies racing into India's nuclear market
Deal between India and United States spurs investment rush.
Science arts centre opens in a blaze of colour
Gallery launches Linz as European City of Culture.
'Mini-hibernation' essential for winter survival
A daily dose of torpor helps desert-dwelling marsupials make it through chilly nights.
Galaxies' collision history revealed
Massive mergers sparked bursts of star formation when the Universe was half its age.
Rat embryonic stem cells created
Genetically engineered rats should follow soon, providing new models of human disease.
Synthetic opals show their colours
Tunable material could be used to make electronic books or advertising displays.
Downturn hits Chicago's natural history museum
Staff and science cut as museum's endowments crash.
VIDEO: Optical fibres feel light's recoil
Experiment claims to resolve an old debate about how light behaves.
'Proto-spiders' made silk, but not webs
An arachnid with no talent for weaving may have excreted the first known spider silk 386 million years ago.
Obama's picks underline climate focus
Strong roles for biologists as the president-elect chooses his science and technology team.
Blind man walking
Man navigates obstacles he can't consciously see.
Reprogrammed skin cells provide testing ground for new drugs
Induced pluripotent stem cells pass key milestone.
Carbonate deposits found on Mars
Long-lost mineral could help explain planet's thin atmosphere.
US Environmental Protection Agency faces eleventh-hour shake-up
Scientists voice concerns as small-scale projects fall from favour.
Spanish solar firms accused of fraud
Hundreds of companies falsely registered to receive higher subsidies.
Cell biologists share their snaps
Journal of Cell Biology launches an image bank for microscopy images.
US science adviser pick rumoured near
Harvard climate scientist John Holdren is the leading candidate.
Canada's scientists face an uncertain future
Political turmoil leaves key positions in doubt.
Similar genes shape diverse leaves
Distantly related plants use the same set of genes to establish the outline of their leaves.
Neurons on border patrol
The limits imposed by walls and trenches are recognized by special brain cells.
Nature Podcast - In this special holiday show, we bring you sleepy songbirds, sun damage, mega-masers, Nature's Newsmaker of the Year, and our seasonal gift suggestions: what to get the scientist who has everything.
Briefing: Sucking carbon out of the air
Are plans to take carbon dioxide out of the air just a pipe dream, or a cure for global warming?
More prizewinners of 2008
Some other recipients of major science prizes this year tell Nature how they did it — and what they will do next.
How genes are silenced
Molecular snapshot reveals the mechanics of RNA interference.
Imaging advances provide immune-cell breakthroughs
Microscopy tracks living cells as they move through the body.
Climate talks defer major challenges
Minor progress in Poland on adaptation and deforestation sets the stage for Copenhagen in 2009.
Europe agrees emissions deal
Heavy industry wins key concessions in last-minute negotiations.
Vaccine failure explained
Immunologists show how deaths in 1966 could have been avoided.
Nobel physicist to run energy agency
Obama appointments likely to focus on renewable energy and implementing cap and trade.
Vatican toughens stance on embryo research
Proclamation on biomedical science and reproductive medicine revised.
Surveys of flora and fauna may be flawed
Bat study raises doubts over our understanding of Earth's ecosystems.
Elias Zerhouni looks back
Former chief of the National Institutes of Health reflects on his years there.
Kickstarting puberty
Genes discovered for brain pathway that triggers onset of adulthood.
Nature Podcast - This week we bring you the weather from an extrasolar planet, discover ocean cleaning bacteria off the coast of Namibia, worry that the food crisis isn't over yet and consider how society should respond to the growing demand for cognitive enhancing drugs like Ritalin.
Forecasting the future of hurricanes
A meteorologist's new model zooms in on how climate change affects Atlantic storms.
Exoplanet may harbour stormy skies
Signs of water and, perhaps, weather on a distant 'hot Jupiter'.
Antibody fights AIDS-like disease in monkeys
Approach being considered for HIV prevention in humans.
OPINION: Fearing the fear of nanotechnology
Hard data could help dispel scientists' preconceptions about the public, argues Richard Jones.
UN suspends leading carbon-offset firm
Emissions trading rocked as Norwegian company is left in limbo.
Rule change for human grants sparks spat at NIH
Bid to extend length of certain applications draws fire.
Q&A: UK DNA database needs overhaul
Inventor of DNA fingerprinting welcomes a ruling that will keep the innocent out of genetic databases.
Clock-gene variants linked to diabetes
Receptor for body-clock hormone connected to disease risk.
LHC further delayed
Giant accelerator won't smash protons before July 2009.
Setback for key UK animal lab
Rising costs will delay the planned facility at Pirbright unless the government intervenes.
UK to train 2,000 new PhDs
Multidisciplinary centres with business ties to produce physicists and engineers.
Mars rover's debut delayed
NASA will team with Europe for future big missions.
Companies spurn low-tech HIV tests
Cheap, effective tests for patients in Africa too unprofitable.
Nature Podcast - This week, we discover what proportion of cancer cells actually form tumours, try to predict the size of future tsunamis, find out what's in store for farming, and talk to stargazers who have spied a blast from the past.
Indonesia to reject tagging of HIV carriers
A controversial bill to track patients with HIV using implanted microchips is unlikely to pass.
Methane bursts from frozen tundra
Ice build-up may squeeze greenhouse gas from cold soil.
Astronomers revisit a blast from the past
Light 'echoes' from 436-year-old supernova explosion first seen by Tycho Brahe.
Spain in the dock over research visas
Failure to cut red tape for foreign scientists prompts legal action by the European Union.
Europe to pay royalties for cancer gene
BRCA1 patent decision may be ignored in clinics.
Can triniobium tin shrink accelerators?
Exotic superconductors promise savings.
North Atlantic cold-water sink returns to life
Convective mixing resumes after a decade due to massive loss of Arctic ice.
Space agency funding defies downturn
European ministers commit €10 billion to space missions, Earth monitoring and new facilities.
Terrestrial origin mooted for more microbes
More than two-thirds of bacteria may have descended from a land-dwelling ancestor.
Saving the Majorcan midwife toad
Researchers start gearing up to mitigate the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus in the wild.
Genetics of cancer relapse revealed
Biologists have tracked the origins and evolution of a type of childhood leukaemia that is deadliest when it recurs.
Enceladus shoots supersonic jets of water
Saturn's icy moon spouts water vapour from its cracks.
How the turtle got its shell
Chinese fossil forces palaeontologists to rethink turtle origins.
Nature Podcast – This week we bring you news from the year’s biggest neuro jamboree, stick our heads into the oldest turtle fossil ever found, talk to the author of a new book on photosynthesis, and discover the source of water vapour jets on Saturn’s sixth moon.
Minerals yield signs of early plate tectonics
Evidence of 4-billion-year-old subduction points to an early start for modern-Earth geology.
Cosmic-ray hot spots puzzle researchers
Proton discovery may cast doubt on dark-matter theories.
Greenland gambles on warmer, richer climate
As melting ice uncovers natural resources, Greenlanders vote to step closer to independence.
Astronomers unveil wish list
Roadmap sets out Europe's space priorities.
South Africa suspends water scientist
Anthony Turton may be dismissed after speaking to journalists about a canned presentation.
A new twist for horse racing
The hair on a horse's head could predict whether it is left- or right-hoofed.
Climate researchers 'should cut their carbon footprint'
Jet-setting scientists responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
Brain implant allows mute man to speak
Patient with paralysis controls speech synthesizer with his mind.
Australia's big hop into genomics
Map milestone for kangaroo genome project.
Carbon dioxide discovered on distant planet
Gassy signature of habitability spied in the atmosphere of a 'hot Jupiter'.
Briny mix could stop carbon dioxide leaks
Engineers hope salt-water technique could make coal-fired power plants a cleaner energy option.
Nuclear masses calculated from scratch
An exhaustive calculation of proton and neutron masses vindicates the Standard Model.
Human genomes in minutes?
Not yet, but biotechnology company is on track for 2013.
Seabed tracks suggest new origin of animal life
First evidence that earliest fossils could be attributed to protozoans.
Nature Podcast - This week's show is evolution-tastic; we've got group selection, a 'proto-eye' of the kind predicted by Darwin and we delve into the genome of the now extinct woolly mammoth. Plus, a tantalizing trace of dark matter detected by a balloon experiment above Antarctica.
Obesity linked to grandparental diet
Mice eating high-fat foods confer changes on at least two subsequent generations.
Rhesus protein stops blood becoming acidic
Blood-group-factor family has a role in pH control.
Nuclear renaissance plans hit by financial crisis - Premium content
Role of fission in fighting climate change looks likely to wane.
Forestry carbon dioxide projects to close down
Move releases funds for new experiments.
Nanotube 'shortcut ' boosts brain signals
But a second study finds that solutions of the tiny tubes may block neuronal activity.
Beat the itch
Scratch it by knowing first which type you have.
Sniffing out a rumbling volcano
A radio-controlled helicopter could help predict when a volcano will blow its top.
The search for genome 'dark matter' moves closer
The multi-million dollar 1000 Genomes project is set to be finished in a year.
Scientists self-censor after political attack
Researchers avoid contentious language and issues in grants and papers.
Why fruit are groovy
Pumpkins, melons and gourds are ribbed and ridged by the buckling of their skin.
Astronomers claim first snaps of planets beyond the Solar System
Images of potential planets orbiting distant stars after decade-long search.
The pitfalls of tracing your ancestry
Charmaine Royal of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy explains the limitations of genetic testing.
How does bleach bleach?
The ubiquitous disinfectant may kill bacteria by unfolding their proteins.
Illegal drug shows promise in treating trauma symptoms
MDMA may boost the benefits of psychotherapy, trial suggests.
Nature Podcast: Learning who to trust, how cooling bird brains slows down song, controlling quantum dots for computing, how entrepreneurs think, and a round-up of science news.
Top US court allows Navy sonar use
Environmentalists concerned over potential effects on whales.
Modified genes spread to local maize
Findings reignite debate over genetically modified crops.
Counting the human costs of conflict
Calculating the death toll from the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lonesome George may miss out on fatherhood
Eggs laid by two females in the giant tortoise's enclosure are unlikely to hatch.
Gene-testing company fights to retain listing
Frozen assets compound deCODE's financial woes.
Company sues researcher over unfavourable review
Biopure says meta-analysis harmed its product.
Climate first for Obama transition team
Appointments to key energy positions should reveal the new president's priorities.
Should healthy people take statins too?
Rosuvastatin appears to lower the risk of heart disease in healthy people.
Time to test time
The essential fuzziness of time may be the limiting factor for a gravitational-wave detector in Germany.
Food research 'lost in translation'
Funders call for public and private partners to collaborate in getting new crops to farmers.
Marine census discovers more than 200 new species
Octopus origins, shark migrations and giant bacteria to be unveiled
Foreign scientists face security-check delays in Britain
After its first year, UK vetting scheme claims anti-terrorist success despite backlog.
Nature Podcast: Individual genomes and personal genomics, lemmings threatened by climate change, how to find dark matter, and a news round-up with news editor Mark Peplow.
HIV vaccine failure explained?
Failed vaccine makes immune cells easier to infect in culture.
Growing up under the guidance of bacteria
Scientists discover how microbes help the mouse gut to mature.
Blink and you'll miss it
The invention of an ultrafast oscilloscope could yield advances in fields from telecoms to nuclear fusion.
What Obama's win means for science
Nature takes a look at some of the races — from Congressional competitions to state-wide ballot initiatives — that will affect the nation's research.
Bush may introduce environmental regulations
Policy watchdogs expect industry-friendly changes in coming months.
Industry shifts focus to immunology and cancer
Cardiology and anaemia lose out in the hunt for the next pharmaceutical blockbusters.
Q&A: Innovating out of the financial crisis
General Electric research chief optimistic that industrial R&D will thrive.
Court tackles whether drug labels shield manufacturers
Case pits amputee against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Spectral particles spook physicsts
Ghostly visitors appear inside Tevatron accelerator.
Getting tough on makers of tiny tubes
Carbon-nanotube manufacturers need to notify the EPA before they start production.