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'Elegant' Catalysts That Tell Left from Right Scoop Chemistry Nobel

'Elegant' Catalysts That Tell Left from Right Scoop Chemistry Nobel

Benjamin List and David MacMillan share the award for developing cheap, environmentally friendly organic catalysts.

How the World's Biggest Brain Maps Could Transform Neuroscience

How the World's Biggest Brain Maps Could Transform Neuroscience

Scientists around the world are working together to catalogue and map cells in the brain. What have these huge projects revealed about how it works?

The Experience of Good Metadata: Linking Metadata to Research Impacts - The Scholarly Kitchen

The Experience of Good Metadata: Linking Metadata to Research Impacts - The Scholarly Kitchen

What do we really know about the linkages between good metadata and positive, productive user experiences with scholarly journals?

Research Lobbies Renew Push for Say in ERA Governance

Research Lobbies Renew Push for Say in ERA Governance

Sixteen research and higher education organisations have written an open letter calling on the European Commission to allow them to appoint representatives to the European Research Area (ERA) forum, the body that will establish the governance and policy agenda of the EU's revamped single market for research.

Medicine Nobel Goes to Scientists Who Discovered Biology of Senses

Medicine Nobel Goes to Scientists Who Discovered Biology of Senses

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian share the award for identifying receptors that allow the body's cells to sense temperature and touch.

Climate Modellers and Theorist of Complex Systems Share Physics Nobel

Climate Modellers and Theorist of Complex Systems Share Physics Nobel

Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi split the award for their work on complex systems - including modelling Earth's climate and global warming.

Why Science Can't Settle Political Disputes

Why Science Can't Settle Political Disputes

Attempts to scientifically "rationalize" policy, based on the belief that science is purified of politics, may be damaging democracy.

"Antithetical to Science": When Deep-Sea Research Meets Mining Interests

"Antithetical to Science": When Deep-Sea Research Meets Mining Interests

The high cost of studying deep-sea ecosystems means that many scientists have to rely on funding by mining companies - which poses an ethical hazard.

Climate Scientist Stands Down As Adviser to London's Science Museum over Fossil Fuel Sponsorship

Climate Scientist Stands Down As Adviser to London's Science Museum over Fossil Fuel Sponsorship

Chris Rapley, a professor of climate science at University College London, disagrees with the museum's "ongoing willingness to accept oil and gas company sponsorship"

Imaginary Carrot or Effective Fertiliser? A Rejoinder on Funding and Productivity

Imaginary Carrot or Effective Fertiliser? A Rejoinder on Funding and Productivity

The question of whether and to what extent research funding enables researchers to be more productive is a crucial one. In their recent work, Mariethoz et al. (Scientometrics, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03.855-1 ) claim that there is no significant relationship between project-based research funding and bibliometric productivity measures and conclude that this is the result of inappropriate allocation mechanisms. In this rejoinder, we argue that such claims are not supported by the data and analyses reported in the article.

Do People Actually Quit Over Vaccine Mandates? Here's What Research Shows

Do People Actually Quit Over Vaccine Mandates? Here's What Research Shows

Data from across the country suggests that coronavirus vaccine mandates are unlikely to result in a wave of resignations but are likely to lead to a boost in vaccination rates.

Springer Nature Slaps More Than 400 Papers with Expressions of Concern All at Once

Springer Nature Slaps More Than 400 Papers with Expressions of Concern All at Once

Cartoon by Hilda Bastian (license) A total of 436 papers in two Springer Nature journals are being subjected to expressions of concern, in the latest case of special issues - in this case, "t…

NASA To Stick With Controversial Name For New Space Telescope

NASA To Stick With Controversial Name For New Space Telescope

NASA's next flagship space telescope, scheduled to launch in December after many years of delays, will retain its current name, the James Webb Space Telescope, despite the controversy surrounding its honoree.

How to Shrink the Gap That Holds Black Scientists Back

How to Shrink the Gap That Holds Black Scientists Back

As UK universities prepare to welcome new undergraduates, a study suggests ways to level the playing field between white and minority-ethnic science students.

What a Personal Saga Reveals About Scientists' Lives - and About Science Itself

What a Personal Saga Reveals About Scientists' Lives - and About Science Itself

Two scientists allowed Nature to chronicle their lives for three years. Their story speaks to the epic professional and personal struggles involved in establishing a career in research.