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Curation is under-resourced

Curation is under-resourced

Science funders and researchers need to recognize the time, resources and effort required to curate open data.

Brexit 'not good news for British science' warn new Nobel laureates

Brexit 'not good news for British science' warn new Nobel laureates

Duncan Haldane and Sir Fraser Stoddart call for scientists to be given protected status for visas, and highlight the role of EU funding in attracting elite scientists.

The Importance — and the Complexities — of Data Sharing

The Importance — and the Complexities — of Data Sharing

The Importance — and the Complexities — of Data Sharing

Corporate culture has no place in academia

Corporate culture has no place in academia

‘Academic capitalism’ contributed to the mishandling of the Macchiarini case by officials at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, argues Olof Hallonsten.

Science advisers need to explain the evidence

Science advisers need to explain the evidence

People no longer take science advice on trust, and science advisers need to provide evidence for their recommendations, according to Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Science, Research and Innovation.

The boldness of philanthropists

The boldness of philanthropists

Last week, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg announced their new philanthropic initiative with the goal of “curing, preventing, and managing all diseases by the end of the century.” This may raise some eyebrows, but this effort—part of the $45 billion Chan Zuckerberg Initiative—joins forces with other philanthropists to push the envelope and support audacious ideas, with long-term commitments, to solve some of our greatest challenges.

The FDA's drug reviewers keep leaving to work for big pharma, and it's a big problem

The FDA's drug reviewers keep leaving to work for big pharma, and it's a big problem

This revolving door problem isn’t unique to the FDA; it’s an issue for all government-regulated industries.

The Rise of the Trump Academic

The Rise of the Trump Academic

We can all recognise the ambitious researcher at the conference who is anxious to advertise their own work. It resonates with my current work on academic self-promotion via university profile pages. And I start to wonder, is a new academic habitus beginning to emerge?

Mass production of review articles is cause for concern

Mass production of review articles is cause for concern

A torrent of low-quality meta-analyses and systematic reviews in biomedicine might be hiding valuable research and misleading scientists.

Which are the best universities in the world?

Which are the best universities in the world?

Last week saw the publication of the latest world university rankings. But until the purveyors of these league tables address the uncertainties in their data, no-one knows where they really stand. Opinion piece by Stephen Curry.

Nobel-Prize Winner Harold Varmus Talks Politics and Science

Nobel-Prize Winner Harold Varmus Talks Politics and Science

The cancer researcher reflects on the 2016 election, his experience as a political adviser, and the difficulties of communicating how science works.

Impact of referendum on immigration still uncertain

Impact of referendum on immigration still uncertain

Two and a half years ago now, a narrow majority of the Swiss electorate approved the so-called popular 'Stop Mass Immigration' initiative or MEI proposed by the Swiss People’s Party or SVP...

Advice for early-career peer reviewers

Advice for early-career peer reviewers

The peer-review system, despite its flaws, is a central component of the publication process. However, relatively little guidance is provided for early-career scientists on 2 important aspects of peer review: