News archive

Pressure on ARIA to juggle risk in the pursuit of breakthroughs

14 September 2021

Elisabeth Jeffries

To elicit the most impact from science spending, the new UK funder will need to experiment judiciously

The must-have multimillion-dollar microscopy machine

31 August 2021

James Mitchell Crow

Cryo-EM facilities are exponentially improving protein resolution for structural biologists. Access to this vastly expensive equipment is subject to the availability of highly skilled operators.

Google Scholar reveals its most influential papers for 2021

24 August 2021

Bec Crew

Early clinical observations of COVID-19 and its mortality risk factors among the most cited output, while a five-year-old AI paper continues to command attention.

AI writing tools promise faster manuscripts for researchers

17 August 2021

Andy Tay

Automation brings plagiarism risks, and software still needs human input for analysis and narrative.

Machines learn to unearth new materials

5 July 2021

Neil Savage

Materials genome initiatives sift big data.

Ferroelectric materials prompt a rethink of matter

5 July 2021

Chris Woolston

Surprising qualities point to next-generation electronics.

Makers and shakers

5 July 2021

Catherine Armitage, Sandy Ong & Sian Powell

Three researchers making a material difference.

How nanotechnology can flick the immunity switch

5 July 2021

Bianca Nogrady

Nano immuno-engineering shows promise against autoimmune conditions, cancer and allergies.

Birds of paradise reveal a dark secret

5 July 2021

Katharine Sanderson

Super-black feathers at the interface of biology, photonics and materials science.

High-entropy alloys expand their range

5 July 2021

Neil Savage

New metal mixes create more efficient catalysts and better jet engines.

High-performing places in the materials world

5 July 2021

Tanner Maxwell et al.

Four heavyweights and a rising star, in highlights.

Materials science shows strength

5 July 2021

Catherine Armitage

Stuff of hope in the search for solutions to intractable problems.

China’s leading researchers set their sights on new frontiers

27 May 2021

Hepeng Jia , Sian Powell & Kevin Schoenmakers

China sets lofty goals as it vies for global dominance in the highly competitive fields of quantum science, space exploration and nanocatalysis.

What I learned writing a science paper for a 10-year-old

27 April 2021

Andy Tay

"It’s amazing how much you can learn from the children reviewers."

Call for human rights protections on emerging brain-computer interface technologies

16 March 2021

Leigh Dayton

Industry self-regulation is not enough, say AI researchers.

Support for new tech, young researchers is key to global COVID-19 exit strategy

24 February 2021

Leigh Dayton

A new report urges policy-makers to heed the "wake-up call" of the pandemic and shore up research and innovation systems.

AI tools measure rigour of COVID-19 preprints

12 January 2021

Dalmeet Singh Chawla

Automated reviews are picking up gaps in papers prior to peer review.

Why universities must seize the chance to help "reset" society

16 December 2020

Mark Dodgson and David Gann

Higher education institutions are the cradle of innovation and entrepreneurship. Their expertise is needed more than ever.

Samsung’s head researcher wants human–AI interactions to be a multisensory experience

10 December 2020

Leigh Dayton

Sebastian Seung outlines his quest for convenient and natural interaction with machines.

The race to the top among the world’s leaders in artificial intelligence

10 December 2020

Neil Savage

As revenues and research output soar in the field of AI, global competition between the United States, China and Europe heats up.

Artificial-intelligence research escalates amid calls for caution

10 December 2020

Bec Crew

A look at one of the most rapidly advancing and controversial topics in scientific research.

German science is thriving, but diversity remains an issue

27 November 2020

Bec Crew

The research giant lags in its support of female leadership.

Germany's start-up scene is booming

26 November 2020

Gemma Conroy, Natalie Parletta & Chris Woolston

With record levels of funding, German start-ups are building the nation’s strength in innovation.

Four reasons why young researchers should consider entrepreneurship training

27 August 2020

Andy Tay

“It doesn’t matter how good and innovative your idea is if no one needs it.”

How young researchers can create lasting industry partnerships

24 July 2020

Bec Crew

Don’t wait for universities to facilitate connections. Here’s how to find the right people on your own timeline.

Women and minority researchers have more original ideas, but white men are rewarded faster

16 July 2020

Bec Crew

How many trailblazers have been sidelined?

Governments detail gaps in their scientific readiness for a pandemic

9 June 2020

Elisabeth Jeffries

“Our ability to recognize troubles looming on the horizon was, at best, inadequate.”

How South Korea made itself a global innovation leader

28 May 2020

Leigh Dayton

Systemic reform backed by strong investment has brought rapid and long-lasting results.

Energy harvesters pick up power

13 December 2019

Mark Zastrow

New technologies are channelling incidental energy into practical uses.

Tomorrow’s industries: from OLEDs to nanomaterials

12 December 2019

Neil Savage

Scientific discoveries can be big business, but the road is long.

This graphic reveals the most innovative countries for 2019

3 September 2019

Gemma Conroy

A strong showing from Asia.

Ban the lecture

2 July 2019

David Payne

How young universities aiming for high rankings are preparing for “Generation Alpha”.

Why we left academia: Corporate scientists reveal their motives

28 December 2017

Elie Dolgin

Five scientists discuss the reasons they moved to an industry lab.

In Japan, corporates make reluctant partners

20 December 2017

Ichiko Fuyuno

The Japanese government wants to lure more industry funding into universities, but companies need to be convinced they’ll get value.

Here’s what’s wrong with companies backing out of science

12 December 2017

Ashish Arora, Sharon Belenzon & Andrea Patacconi

COMMENT: The withdrawal of large US corporations from research is narrowing the scope of innovation.

The shifting corporate–academic relationship in pictures

11 December 2017

Nature Index

Research partnerships between industry and academia have more than doubled in five years.

The top academic and corporate partners in the Nature Index

8 December 2017

Mark Zastrow

Exploring complementary strengths is the key to success in industry–academia science partnerships.

Help wanted: Industry seeks science alliances

7 December 2017

Katharine Gammon

Companies publishing high-quality research are looking to academia for assistance.

Measure for measure

26 September 2017

Aidan Byrne

COMMENT: Numbers on science and innovation do not always reflect performance.

Game changers

25 August 2017

Branwen Morgan & Annabel McGilvray

Some papers have a profound and obvious influence on future research and industry applications. Patents citing these life science papers indicate their bearing on developments which have widespread health implications.