A numerical perspective on Nature authors.

In 2005, the Year of Physics, Nature published more than 900 papers describing original research, of which 39% were in the physical sciences. The 2005 physics paper most accessed online described a new kind of ‘bench-top’ nuclear fusion (B. Naranjo et al. Nature 434, 1115–1117; 2005).

The second most accessed paper shows that the potential destructiveness of hurricanes has increased since the mid-1970s, and suggests that future global warming may increase hurricanes' destructiveness still further (K. Emanuel Nature 436, 686–688; 2005). And the third reveals that the climate of the past 2,000 years was more variable than we thought, although the 1990s remain the warmest decade on record (A. Moberg et al. Nature 433, 613–617; 2005).

34,108 downloads have been made of the paper by B. Naranjo et al. since its publication in April 2005.

42 countries hosted authors contributing to Nature's physics papers in 2005.

2,469 authors contributed to research in the physical sciences published in Nature in 2005.

5 is the median number of authors per Nature paper published in the physical sciences in 2005.