Editorials in 2015

Proposed controls on foreign operations in China are a threat to scientific collaboration.

The coming months promise to shed new light on the Solar System’s underworld.

Proposals to improve the international emergency response to disease outbreaks in the wake of the Ebola epidemic should be implemented — but local solutions are the best defence.

The public trusts scientists much more than scientists think. But should it?

A package of articles in Nature assesses the state of artificial-intelligence research.

Sleeping-beauty papers offer hope that authors of uncited works are in good company.

Scientists have a valuable part to play in clarifying the impacts of a proposed trade treaty between the United States and Europe.

Making lawsuits more risky for patent trolls is just one way to stop abuse of the system.

Brain researchers and social scientists are well placed to find out what makes humans murder.

Universities should release reports to show what they are doing to tackle misconduct — and funders should help them to do so effectively.

The UK voter opinion polls show that an anomalous answer can be the correct one.

A European initiative to ban animal research has galvanized resistance.

India is making great strides in improving its science, but it needs to look carefully at its approach and work with the rest of the world if it is to realize its full potential.

Government’s decision to plunder university funds shows lack of respect for science.

Researchers, bioethicists and regulators must contribute to transparent discussions on the risks and ethics of editing human embryos.

The fossil-fuel divestment campaign raises important questions but offers few solutions.

A newly discovered tiny dinosaur sported an intriguing structural accessory.

Scientists must stand up for marine parks if the value of the seas is to be recognized globally.

Initiatives to make genetic and medical data publicly available could improve diagnostics — but they lose value if they do not share with other projects.

Africa has an ambitious and welcome plan for a continent-wide centre for disease control — but if the agency is to live up to its promise, it will need substantially better resources.