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Reviewing Peer Review at the NIH
Interview with Dr. Michael Lauer on peer review of NIH grant applications and how it can be improved.
Humans 2.0
Michael Specter on CRISPR, a new technology that enables us to manipulate our genetic code with unprecedented ease, and which may lead to new cancer treatments.
Science and sexism
Social media is shaking up how scientists talk about gender issues.
Finally ending its war on science
Over the past nine years, Canada has been a pretty dreary place for scientists.
Why universities should support the EU
Why universities should support the EU
The Eurosceptics say universities would be unaffected, or even improved, by a Brexit. They are wrong, says this vice-chancellor.
Impact is not importance
The use of journal impacts in evaluating individuals has its inherent dangers. In an ideal world, evaluators would read each article and make personal judgments.
Investment firms nurture university start-ups
Unique companies invest early and often to develop technology from the ivory tower.
How to tell good studies from bad? Bet on them
Nosek et al. found that compared to simply asking experts to predict the likelihood that studies will be reproduced, asking them to bet money on the outcomes improved the accuracy of the guesses.
Britain’s R&D funding needs no innovation
Turning research grants into loans risks stymieing successful industry
Are global rankings losing their credibility?
The international university ranking scene has become increasingly complex, confusing and controversial.
The economic impact of open data: what do we already know?
Open data fuels economic growth. Many believe in the theory and ask for the proof. A new report by Nesta and the ODI adds to the evidence of the impact of open data.
Elsevier mutiny: cracks are starting to widen in the fortress of academic publishing
Elsevier mutiny: cracks are starting to widen in the fortress of academic publishing
The editorial staff of a research journal have resigned to protest the company’s failure to embrace open access.
Academic publishing can't remain such a great business
RELX share price is up 100 percent during the past five years and is now near its all-time high.
Are we finally getting serious about fixing science?
Biomedical research has faced criticism for being unreliable, but a report from the Academy of Medical Sciences might change all that.
Why is academic writing so needlessly complex?
Some research funders have mandated in recent years that studies they finance be published in open-access journals, but they've given little attention to ensuring those studies include accessible writing.
Why scientists should study art and literature
What benefit does a future scientist derive from knowing something about art and literature?
What really keeps women out of tech
Technology companies know they have a gender and diversity problem in their work force, and they are finally taking steps to try to fix it.
Why colleges need more professors of color
While colleges often focus on increasing the diversity of their student body, educators say that same emphasis is necessary for hiring professors.
When things go wrong
Publishers should apply consistent policies to correcting the published literature and adopt versioning. The scientific community ought to encourage corrections.
Let's make sure it's fair as well as transparent
Scientific publishing has undergone a revolution in recent years - largely due to the internet. And it shows no sign of letting up as a growing number of countries attempt to ensure that research papers are made freely available. Publishers are struggling to adapt their business models to the new challenges.
Do academy members publish better papers?
As an institution, science is not fond of privilege. Success in science is supposed to be the result of merit - hard work, tenacity and, to some degree, sheer luck - not nepotism, favoritism, or entitlement.
Virtual rat brain fails to impress its critics
Some scientists the long-awaited paper of the Blue Brain Project, a 10-year program spearheaded by neuroscientist Henry Markram, as proof that the idea of modeling a brain and all of its components is misguided and a waste of money.
Scientists can draw very different meanings from the same data, study shows
Giving the same information to multiple scientific teams can lead to very different conclusions, a report published today in Nature shows.
The (very precise) future of medicine
The Welcome trust has collaborated with the government on several big capital projects, including Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire and the new Francis Crick Institute laboratories.
Why do more U.S. women study abroad than men?
Huge disparities in parts of the developing world offer important clues about how American men and women perceive the world in higher education today.
Why it's time to get real about interdisciplinary research
A new book argues for less focus on structures and funding for interdisciplinarity, and more on the everyday highs and lows of collaboration.
Empowering citizen scientists
Scientists should consider engaging more with the DIYbio community.
Why the Human Brain Project went wrong
Two years in, a $1-billion-plus effort to simulate the human brain is in disarray. Was it poor management, or is something fundamentally wrong with Big Science?
Most research spending is wasted on bad studies. These billionaires want to change that.
Most research spending is wasted on bad studies. These billionaires want to change that.
Laura and John Arnold, a Houston couple, have become the Medicis for "research integrity". They finance the Center of Open Science (COS) and the METRICS Institute led by J.P. Ioannidis at Stanford.