A Nature special issue last week examined the plight of young scientists. David Payne runs over the details.

Interviewees described the pressure to publish, secure funding and earn permanent positions, leaving little time for actual research.

The cluster of articles, along with a podcast and infographic, do propose some ways forward to improve the situation. For example, four researchers suggest ways of enabling scientists to pursue promising ideas, and three “agents of change” who have left the bench explain how they’re trying to improve junior researchers’ experiences.

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