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As European integration gathers pace, the notion that scientists must be rewarded with tax-free salaries and other perks for working at a 'foreign' international laboratory has become an anachronism.
It should have been a year of celebration, as science passed a major milestone with the publication of the human genome sequence. Instead, a global economic slowdown and the world-changing events of 11 September have cast a long shadow. Nature's reporters look back on a tumultuous year.
If gamma-ray bursts released their energy uniformly in all directions they would be the most powerful events in the Universe. Astronomers are trying to see past the glare to determine the true energy.
Working out the draft sequence of the human genome was a landmark achievement. But there's lots more to be done before the finished product is available. The complete sequence of chromosome 20 sets us on the way.
Some muscle fibres in the legs of horses seem to be evolutionary leftovers with no function. But in fact they may act to damp damaging vibrations generated in the leg as the horse runs.
Sugars are common components of organisms on Earth. So their discovery in a meteorite from a lifeless part of the asteroid belt has implications for theories of the origin of life.
To switch on the right genes at the right times, our cells rely on many different proteins. Some help to remodel the architecture of the genome, and are remarkably choosy about which other proteins they work with.
The best-preserved large impact crater on Earth is overlain by a kilometre of sediment. It is possible to look not only through that wrapping but also beyond, at the effects of the impact at the crust–mantle boundary.
Air-filled tyres keep the economy rolling but their lifespan is reduced by oxygen, which oxidizes the rubber making it more vulnerable to surface wear. A solution could be to fill them with carbon dioxide.
