Editorials in 2009

Initial interest in gene therapy waned after the technology failed to live up to expectation. Progress made since has received little attention, but suggests that the pervading sense of disillusionment is misplaced.

Scientists — and their institutions — should resist the ever-present temptation to hype their results.

A new series of essays traces the astounding variety of reactions to the theory of evolution.

The chances of a strong treaty emerging from the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen seem small, but recent progress offers hope.

The creation of a second pillar of excellence will give the country a chance to regain its scientific stature.

If clinical psychology in the United States wants to remain viable and relevant in today's health systems, it needs to publicly embrace science.

What to do when you are interviewed for an unscientific documentary.

Without forward planning, the billions of dollars in the US stimulus package will go to long-term waste.

A UK government scheme to establish nationality through DNA testing is scientifically flawed, ethically dubious and potentially damaging to science.

Mass-vaccination campaigns for the pandemic H1N1 virus must take public concerns into account.

Genetic-testing companies lack regulation, and a list of guiding principles does not go far enough.

The US Department of Homeland Security should not be put in charge of biodefence research.

Procuring organs for transplant demands a realistic definition of life's end.

Central and eastern European nations still lag behind Western countries in science. But they are slowly catching up.

The new director-general needs to buck all expectations and transform the agency.

Which is why Europe's citizens need reassurance that their donations will be in the public interest.

An attempt to quantify the limits of humanity's load on our planet opens an important debate.

Collaborations between researchers and industry are essential to biomedical progress. But relations have to be completely open.

Despite the long odds against success, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence has come a long way.