News Explainer |
Featured
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News |
Abortion-pill ruling threatens FDA’s authority, say drug firms
A US judge’s decision to overturn the approval of mifepristone could put other drugs at risk, pharmaceutical-industry executives warn.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News |
Researchers in Germany protest proposed postdoc rule change
A potential legal reform is reigniting debate about a time limit on fixed-term postdoc contracts.
- Layal Liverpool
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Correspondence |
When legislation to protect wildlife becomes a problem
- Richard Shine
- , Martin J. Whiting
- & Chris Jolly
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Correspondence |
Brazil: plan for zero vegetation loss in the Cerrado
- Ricardo B. Machado
- , Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar
- & José Maria C. Silva
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News |
China Initiative’s shadow looms large for US scientists
Anti-Asian scrutiny has only intensified since the controversial programme ended one year ago, researchers say.
- Natasha Gilbert
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News Explainer |
US lawsuit threatens access to abortion drug: the science behind the case
Judge’s decision could ban mifepristone across the country, and weaken the Food and Drug Administration’s authority.
- Mariana Lenharo
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Correspondence |
Legally protect marine food web’s lower echelons
- Johanna Sophie Buerkert
- , Federica Catonini
- & Gregor Luetzenburg
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News |
US chemical engineer avoids prison after conviction for hiding ties to China
Federal judge hands down light sentence in latest rebuke of the US government’s China Initiative.
- Neil Savage
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Legal win for US scientist bolsters others caught in China crackdown
Accused of hiding ties to China, Sherry Chen wins nearly $2 million from US government.
- Natasha Gilbert
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News |
When will India approve its first GM food crop?
India’s highest court is considering whether to allow genetically modified mustard – a vital source of cooking oil – to be grown in open fields.
- T.V. Padma
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News Feature |
She was convicted of killing her four children. Could a gene mutation set her free?
Kathleen Folbigg has spent 19 years in prison and was dubbed ‘Australia’s worst female serial killer’. Now, an inquiry into her case will look at clinical genetics in a whole new way.
- Nicky Phillips
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News Explainer |
US Supreme Court poised to ban affirmative action in university admissions
Two hotly debated lawsuits argue that race-conscious admissions discriminate against white and Asian American applicants.
- Helen Santoro
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Correspondence |
China: protect home-grown solutions to food security
- Faith Ka Shun Chan
- , Yong-Guan Zhu
- & Jiannan Chen
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News |
Charge dropped against New Zealand science agency after deadly volcano eruption
The charge related to how GNS Science communicated volcanic risk to the public in the lead-up to the 2019 eruption on Whakaari White Island.
- Dyani Lewis
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News |
Convictions reversed for US chemical engineer accused of hiding China ties
Judge acquits Feng ‘Franklin’ Tao on three of four charges — another blow for the US government’s former China Initiative programme.
- Natasha Gilbert
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News Feature |
Inside the US Supreme Court’s war on science
A new ultraconservative supermajority on the United States’ top court is undermining science’s role in informing public policy. Scholars fear the results could be disastrous for public health, justice and democracy itself.
- Jeff Tollefson
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News Feature |
The effects of overturning Roe v. Wade in seven simple charts
Abortions will continue, but might be harder to access safely.
- Saima May Sidik
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News |
‘We are bearing witness’: Health researchers navigate a post-Roe world
Scientists launch studies on the effects of US abortion bans while trying to form closer bonds with the communities most affected.
- Amy Maxmen
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News |
‘I feel disposable’: Thousands of scientists’ jobs at risk in Japan
Universities are terminating workers on fixed-term contracts — but unions say the actions do not reflect the purpose of employment laws introduced ten years ago.
- Tim Hornyak
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News |
Hawaii law could break years-long astronomy impasse
A group including Native Hawaiians will now manage the mountain Maunakea, where Indigenous rights and astronomy have collided.
- Alexandra Witze
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World View |
I wouldn’t be a scientist without my abortion
To decide my future, I had to overcome unnecessary barriers to health care.
- Jacquelyn Gill
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Career News |
Scientific conferences mull relocating over abortion access
Some meeting organizers will boycott US states that have passed laws against abortions following last month’s US Supreme Court ruling.
- Chris Woolston
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News |
US Supreme Court hobbles the EPA’s authority over climate emissions
Legal ruling limits the environmental agency’s regulatory powers, hamstringing Biden’s climate plan.
- Jeff Tollefson
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News |
After Roe v. Wade: US researchers warn of what’s to come
Years of studies point to the negative economic and health effects of restricting access to abortions.
- Mariana Lenharo
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News |
Max Planck’s cherished autonomy questioned following criticism of misconduct investigations
Demoted archaeologist Nicole Boivin calls on the German government to oversee the prestigious research society — several other directors say that investigations into them lacked transparency.
- Alison Abbott
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Correspondence |
Amazon Indigenous peoples: lawsuit threatens lands
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- Hernani Fernandes Magalhaes de Oliveira
- , Fabio Marcio Alkmin
- & Divino Vicente Silvério
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Comment |
Artificial intelligence is breaking patent law
The patent system assumes that inventors are human. Inventions devised by machines require their own intellectual property law and an international treaty.
- Alexandra George
- & Toby Walsh
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Editorial |
Global science must stand up for Iran’s imprisoned scholars
Iranian researchers are at risk as never before. Governments are urging quiet diplomacy. But a new book shows why public campaigns matter.
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News |
Jury finds University of Kansas chemical engineer guilty of hiding ties to China
After a two-week trial, Feng ‘Franklin’ Tao was convicted on four of eight charges — but a judge is reviewing the case.
- Sara Reardon
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News Explainer |
Will Russia use chemical weapons in Ukraine? Researchers evaluate the risks
Analysts explain why some fear that the Russian military will use chemical weapons — and how the world would know if it did.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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News |
High-profile trial begins for chemical engineer accused of hiding China ties
Franklin Tao’s trial is the first since the controversial China Initiative ended, and could set a course for the prosecution of future research-integrity cases.
- Natasha Gilbert
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News |
‘I lost two years of my life’: US scientist falsely accused of hiding ties to China speaks out
Acquitted nanotechnology researcher Anming Hu returns to his lab after two years — and is still grappling with the aftershocks of his ordeal.
- Natasha Gilbert
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News Explainer |
This US Supreme Court decision could derail Biden’s climate plan
Controversial lawsuit has put the US government’s ability to slash carbon emissions on the line.
- Jeff Tollefson
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Correspondence |
Theranos’s lesson for investors: speak to lab workers
- Richard D. Unwin
- , Daniela S. Couto
- & Simon J. Clark
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Career News |
Smithsonian island outpost reeling from sexual-misconduct claims
Complaints from more than a dozen women bring new scrutiny to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
- Chris Woolston
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Correspondence |
EU Nature Restoration Law needs ambitious and binding targets
- Kris Decleer
- , Jordi Cortina-Segarra
- & Aveliina Helm
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News |
Elizabeth Holmes verdict: researchers share lessons for science
Theranos case highlights the importance of peer review for biotech entrepreneurs, scientists say.
- Emily Waltz
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News |
What Sci-Hub’s latest court battle means for research
Delhi court will scrutinize whether the pirate paper website falls foul of India’s copyright law. The verdict could have implications for academic publishers further afield.
- Holly Else
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Book Review |
Inside the lawsuit that ended US gene patenting
How a win in the Supreme Court challenged a linchpin of the genetic-testing industry.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Science agency on trial following deadly White Island volcano eruption
The rare example of a government research agency facing criminal charges after a natural disaster underlines the perils of communicating and managing risk.
- Dyani Lewis
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News Feature |
Climate science is supporting lawsuits that could help save the world
Governments have failed to slow climate change quickly enough, so activists are using courts to compel countries and companies to act — increasingly with help from forefront science.
- Quirin Schiermeier
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Correspondence |
Italy: scientists petition against biodynamic farming law
- Giorgio Parisi
- , Maria Pia Abbracchio
- & Alan Schulman
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