Demand decisions based on evidence, not ideology Psychology can moderate our response to unsavoury actions such as the US ban on immigrants, but we should not let our appetite for dissent diminish.

US Republican idea for tax on carbon makes climate sense A conservative solution to global warming.

Pluto could be staging a comeback — and it’s not alone A proposal to massively expand the number of bodies called planets raises interesting questions.

Pluto could return as a planet — and bring lots of new friends.Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

Germany considers wider use of DNA evidence in criminal cases The country may lift its ban on the analysis of gene-coding regions in DNA samples.

Intelligence research should not be held back by its past The nuances achieved by modern genetics can be used to dispel a history of racism and elitism.

Empty rhetoric over data sharing slows science Governments, funders and scientific communities must move beyond lip-service and commit to data-sharing practices and platforms.

Open-data platforms are proving tricky to fund and host.Credit: Heinz Pampel/CC BY-SA 2.0

Image doctoring must be halted Researchers and journals need to do more to counter inappropriately manipulated figures in science.

More universities must confront sexual harassment Too many institutions give low priority to tackling sexual misconduct in science.

Discoveries have awkward first dates Fuzzy timings over a plate-tectonics anniversary highlight the rolling nature of scientific discovery.

Alfred Wegener first suggested the idea of continental drift which led to the theory of plate tectonics.Credit: Archive of Alfred Wegener Institute

Too many academics study the same people Researchers should recognize communities that feel over-researched and under-rewarded.