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Since its inception 10 years ago Nature Communications has strived to publish papers of high quality and relevance to communities of researchers across the whole of the natural sciences. In more recent years, we have happily seen an increase in the submission and publication of clinical research studies. To serve the clinical community to the best of our ability we have clarified our guide to authors on what we expect to see on submission of clinical research papers and we are launching a Clinical Collection that presents under one umbrella a selection of the interesting papers we have published in this area
The Trojan asteroids in Jupiter’s orbit have been preserved unaltered since the early ages of our Solar System. In October 2021, NASA launched its mission, Lucy, to visit and study these asteroids in order to learn more about the original building blocks that formed our planets.
Though the lunar samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions have been studied for more than 50 years, scientists are discovering new clues into the early evolution of the Moon by looking through the lens of modern analytical techniques.
RNA therapeutics have benefited significantly from decades of research on lipid nanoparticles, specifically its key component—the ionizable lipid. This comment discusses the major ionizable lipid types, and provides perspectives for future development.
While existing microbots display effective propulsion, their functionalities decrease dramatically upon decreasing the robot size. Accordingly, it is desired to customize microscale robots for their specific mission and body location. Selecting the microbot constituents with task-specific tailored functionalities will enhance their practicality in performing their primary mission.
Discoveries of persistent coastal species in the open ocean shift our understanding of biogeographic barriers. Floating plastic debris from pollution now supports a novel sea surface community composed of coastal and oceanic species at sea that might portend significant ecological shifts in the marine environment.
In this opinion piece, we discuss why computational tools to limit the identifiability of genomic data are a promising avenue for privacy-preservation and legal compliance. Even where these technologies do not eliminate all residual risk of individual identification, the law may still consider such data anonymised.
Developing more productive and sustainable crops will be essential to achieving food security in coming decades. A core process in plant evolution has been the transfer of chloroplast-encoded genes to the nuclear genome. We propose reverting this process as a new approach to improve plant disease resistance and photosynthesis in future crops.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a key technique for understanding Li-based battery processes. Here, the authors discuss the current state of the art, advantages and challenges of this technique, also giving an outlook for future developments.
An outcome of phage infection, lateral transduction, has been shown to mobilize chromosomal genes between bacterial cells at rates that exceed those of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Does this mean that the bacterial chromosome should be considered a mobile genetic element?
While the technological revolution is accelerating, digital poverty is undermining the Sustainable Development Goals. This article introduces a justice-oriented digital framework which considers how fair access to digital capabilities, commodities, infrastructure, and governance can reduce global inequality and advance the SDGs.
Metal electrode interfaces and interphases are critical for the development of future high-energy metal batteries. Here, Dr Jelena Popovic-Neuber discusses the state of the art, issues and strategies to improve the stability of metal electrodes toward practical battery systems.
Climate change negatively impacts the livelihoods of indigenous communities across the world, including those located on the African continent. This Comment reports on how five African indigenous communities have been impacted by climate change and the adopted adaptation mechanisms.
The pandemic has caused disruption to many aspects of scientific research. In this Comment the authors describe the findings from surveys of scientists between April 2020 and January 2021, which suggests there was a decline in new projects started in that time.
The logistical and practical challenges of supplying food for long-term space missions are substantial. In this comment, the authors discuss potential biotechnological approaches that could be used to aid the production of food crops in space.
Single atom catalysts hold the potential to significantly impact the chemical and energy industrial sectors. This editorial introduces the state of the field along with a collection of Articles and Comments that encapsulate the ongoing efforts of the research community in this field.
Air pollution is a cause of disease for millions around the world and now more than ever urgent action is required to tackle the burden of its impacts. Doing so will not only improve both life expectancy and quality of life, but will also lead to a more just and sustainable world.
Air pollution is an environmental and health concern affecting millions globally every day. Dr Audrey de Nazelle, an expert in air pollution risk assessment and exposure science at Imperial College London, shares with Nature Communications their thoughts on the impacts of air pollution and the policies needed to tackle emissions.
Air pollution and the associated health impacts affect millions of people around the world. In this Q&A, Professor Haikun Wang, an expert on the health risks of air pollution and climate change at Nanjing University, shares with Nature Communications their thoughts on the impacts of air pollution and the policies needed to tackle emissions.
Air pollution is an environmental and health concern affecting millions globally every day. Professor Denise Mauzerall, an expert in air pollution and climate change at Princeton University, shares with Nature Communications their thoughts on the impacts of air pollution and the policies needed to tackle emissions.
