Nature
Planetary science: A balmy climate on exoplanets?
Planetary science: A balmy climate on exoplanets?
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525429a
Certain planets outside our Solar System could have wind patterns that produce habitable climates.Ludmila Carone at the University of Leuven in Belgium and her team used climate models to investigate atmospheric temperatures and wind patterns on planets with Earth-like atmospheres. The chosen planets closely
Plant ecology: Orchid shapes trick male insects
Plant ecology: Orchid shapes trick male insects
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525429b
Orchids have adapted the shape of their flowers to attract pollinating wasps.These flowering plants lure male insect pollinators by producing chemicals that mimic the pheromones of their female counterparts, but the effect of flower shape on pollinators has been unclear. To look at this,
Agriculture: Ecological impact of crops drops
Agriculture: Ecological impact of crops drops
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525429c
The environmental impact of maize (corn) and cotton crops on US freshwater ecosystems has been decreasing over the past decade, mainly because of the use of genetically modified plants that require less added pesticide.Sangwon Suh and Yi Yang at the University of California, Santa
Genetics: How Inuit genomes have adapted
Genetics: How Inuit genomes have adapted
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525429d
The genomes of indigenous people in Greenland (pictured) show how they have adapted to thousands of years of frigid temperatures and a diet that is rich in fatty seafood.Rasmus Nielsen at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues analysed the genomes
The week in science: 18–24 September 2015
The week in science: 18–24 September 2015
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/525430a
Volkswagen caught up in emissions scandal; crowdfunding to sequence the beaver; and Australia gets new science minister.
Lost generation looms as refugees miss university
Lost generation looms as refugees miss university
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/525433a
Author: Declan Butler
Educational void risks hampering reconstruction in Middle East.
Brain stimulation in children spurs hope — and concern
Brain stimulation in children spurs hope — and concern
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/525436a
Author: Linda Geddes
Treatment of developing brains offers greater scope for improvement but also intensifies risks.
The hidden risks for ‘three-person’ babies
The hidden risks for ‘three-person’ babies
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/525444a
Author: Garry Hamilton
The powerhouses of the cell may have more roles than expected. Could that generate problems for mitochondrial replacement therapies?
Energy: Reimagine fuel cells
Energy: Reimagine fuel cells
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525447a
Author: John P. Lemmon
Combine energy generation and storage to ensure that networks remain robust as more renewable technologies are adopted, urge John P. Lemmon.
Military science: Inventions of war
Military science: Inventions of war
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525451a
Author: Ann Finkbeiner
Ann Finkbeiner assesses a study of DARPA, the agency that readies US technologies for coming conflicts.
Space travel: When Soviets ruled the great beyond
Space travel: When Soviets ruled the great beyond
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525452a
Author: Tim Radford
Tim Radford is thrilled by an unprecedented exhibition marking the USSR's cold war feats in space.
Theatre: Lab's labour's lost
Theatre: Lab's labour's lost
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525454a
Author: Philip Ball
Philip Ball appraises Nicole Kidman's stage turn as crystallographer Rosalind Franklin.
Middle East: Popular uprising spreads science
Middle East: Popular uprising spreads science
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525455a
Authors: Muath Alduhishy & Mouhannad Malek
Hundreds of young Arab people are establishing initiatives to promote science in Arabic and raise scientific literacy across the Middle East, free of the censorship and bureaucracy of government and religious authorities (see Nature Middle Easthttp://doi.org/7p8; 2015).They are publishing and translating
Amateur scientists: Citizen projects can minimize conflicts
Amateur scientists: Citizen projects can minimize conflicts
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525455b
Author: James W. Pearce-Higgins
Well-structured schemes for citizen scientists can minimize the potential for conflicts of interest (Nature524, 265;10.1038/524265a2015).Projects such as the UK Breeding Bird Survey (go.nature.com/keyvpu), run by the British Trust for Ornithology, use volunteer-friendly protocols and specify
Carbon: Resolve ambiguities in China's emissions
Carbon: Resolve ambiguities in China's emissions
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525455c
Author: Fei Teng
As the former chair of the Consultative Group of Experts organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to help developing countries to produce carbon-emission inventories, I question the claim that China's emissions from coal have been overestimated (see Nature524,
China: Overhaul rules for hazardous chemicals
China: Overhaul rules for hazardous chemicals
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525455d
Authors: Zhenwu Tang, Qifei Huang & Yufei Yang
The huge chemical explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin on 12 August is another in the country's long list of industrial accidents involving chemicals. In 2010–14, more than 2,000 people were killed in 326 such accidents (J. Ren and Y. Mu Chem. Enterp.
Beijing 2022: Olympics will make water scarcity worse
Beijing 2022: Olympics will make water scarcity worse
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525455e
Authors: Hong Yang, Julian R. Thompson & Roger J. Flower
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing threaten to seriously exacerbate water shortages in the area, where the available water per person is already only about 3% of the world's average (see also Nature524, 278–279;10.1038/nature.2015.181742015).The Winter Olympics
Creative writing: A world of pure imagination
Creative writing: A world of pure imagination
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/nj7570-553a
Author: Roberta Kwok
The creative process of writing science-inspired fiction can be rewarding — and the untapped niche is rich in opportunities for originality.
Trade talk: Medical liaison
Trade talk: Medical liaison
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/nj7570-555a
Author: Monya Baker
David Crosby describes how he moved from basic research to doing outreach to healthcare providers.
Coin-operated dancer
Coin-operated dancer
Nature 525, 7570 (2015). doi:10.1038/525558a
Author: James Reinebold
The show must go on.