Today, life on Earth depends on the availability of free oxygen, whether in the atmosphere, oceans, or aquatic systems. However, oxygen concentrations were low and variable for most of the first four billion years of Earth’s history. In this web focus we bring together a collection of research and review articles and opinion pieces tracing the origins of oxygenic photosynthesis and the factors that allowed oxygen to accumulate in the oceans and atmosphere.

From the industrial revolution onwards, greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuel and changes in land use have caused the planet to warm. However, since 1998 – a year of record warmth – the rate of warming has been lower than in the late twentieth century. In this joint web focus, Nature Climate ChangeandNature Geosciencepresent original research and opinion pieces that discuss the causes of the slowdown in surface warming and examine how the science has been communicated by researchers and the media.

From the industrial revolution onwards, greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuel and changes in land use have caused the planet to warm. However, since 1998 — a year of record warmth — the rate of warming has been lower than in the late twentieth century. In this joint web focus, Nature Climate ChangeandNature Geosciencepresent original research and opinion pieces that discuss the causes of the slowdown in surface warming and examine how the science has been communicated by researchers and the media.

Recent research has highlighted problems with our present explanation for how the Moon formed in the giant impact of a large solar system body with the early Earth. In September 2013, London saw the latest in a series of landmark meetings debating theories of the Moon's origin, following others in 1984 (Kona, Hawaii) and 1998 (Monterey, California). These issues are now explored in a NatureCommentary,NatureNews & Views forum andNature GeoscienceNews & Views article. We also present a selection of recentNatureandNature Geosciencecontent related to the age, composition and origin of the Moon.

The demand for metals and other natural resources is surging and, in some instances, demand has already outstripped supply. Discovery of new deposits or the exploitation of known lower-grade ore deposits could offer solutions, but their implementation is not always straightforward, given political constraints and the complexities of international trade. This focus issue brings together a collection of review articles and opinion pieces that highlight the emerging science of the processes responsible for the formation of economic-grade ore deposits, and discuss the societal conditions and implications of their exploitation.

Earthquakes have long been known to trigger more earthquakes, as well as volcanic eruptions and landslides. In this web focus, we present opinion pieces and primary research articles that document and discuss a range of additional, less obvious links between earthquakes and other geological spectacles — such as volcaNo. sinking, seafloor gas-hydrate escape and a mud eruption — that have only now come into focus.

Long after the planets of the Solar System formed, catastrophic collisions continued, with a climax about 4 billion years ago during an interval called the Late Heavy Bombardment. The scars of this geologic violence are evident today in the ancient cratered terrains of planetary surfaces. The interval of bombardment is thought to have shaped the terrestrial planets and moons, their atmospheres and possibly even the onset of life. In this web focus, we present research papers, overview articles and opinion pieces that discuss how large impacts influenced the evolution of the early Solar System.

The Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in southwest China on 12 May 2008 killed more than 80,000 people and displaced millions. Five years on, many of the affected communities have made a good recovery – at least until the most recent quake in April 2013 wreaked further havoc in the region. The devastating 2008 event has helped invigorate research into earthquake hazards. A collection of opinion pieces, published in Nature Geoscienceto mark the fifth anniversary of the 2008 event, discusses the mechanisms for the Wenchuan quake itself and the implications for our understanding of the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the ongoing risk from quake-induced landslides, and the societal impacts of the earthquake.

Nature Geoscienceis now five years old. To celebrate, we look back on some numbers regarding the publication process in our editorial. We have asked nine scientists to look back on events and insights of the past five years. Finally, we present a selection of ten of our favourite articles in the journal, across disciplines and across our opinion, review and primary research sections.

Water is the basis for life as we know it, in a biological as well as a societal sense. Under the combined influences of human development and a warming climate, supply and demand of water for consumption and irrigation, mineral exploration and energy production will change. In this joint web focus, Nature GeoscienceandNature Climate Changepresent overview articles, original research and opinion pieces that analyse the availability and governance of fresh water in a changing world.

Water is the basis for life as we know it, in a biological as well as a societal sense. Under the combined influences of human development and a warming climate, supply and demand of water for consumption and irrigation, mineral exploration and energy production will change. In this joint web focus, Nature GeoscienceandNature Climate Changepresent overview articles, original research and opinion pieces that analyse the availability and governance of fresh water in a changing world.

Rivers connect the highest mountains with the ocean's depth, carving up the land as they flow. En route, they transport and transform large quantities of terrestrial material, and exchange elements with the atmosphere, land and sea. In this web focus we present opinion pieces and research articles that examine the topographic, biogeochemical and cultural significance of rivers.