Hello Nature readers,
Today we explore an open-access initiative in Europe that could overturn science publishing as we know it, and discover Venki Ramakrishnan’s road to the Nobel Prize.
Bold open-access plan could upend publishing
Major research-funding agencies from across Europe have unveiled a radical open-access initiative that could change the face of science publishing in two years. The ‘Plan S’ pledge requires that scientists make papers free to read immediately upon publication, under an open licence. Publishers were immediately up in arms about the plan: Springer Nature said it “potentially undermines the whole research publishing system”. The initiative is spearheaded by Robert-Jan Smits, the European Commission’s special envoy on open access, who says the ‘S’ in Plan S can stand for “science, speed, solution, shock”. (Nature's news team is editorially independent of its publisher)
Nature | 8 min read
‘Epigenetic clock’ to check age of refugees
Forensic scientists across Europe are joining forces to improve ‘epigenetic-clock’ tests, which look at chemical modifications to DNA that accrue over a lifetime to determine a person’s age. They hope that, with time, such tests could replace the controversial anatomical methods that are currently used, which assess the maturity of bones or teeth. The tests might help immigration authorities to assess refugees’ age claims — an application that comes with charged political implications.
Nature | 7 min read
Read the Nature editorial: Molecular test of age highlights difficult questions
Mining and dams exacerbated Kerala floods
Devastating floods in the state of Kerala have so far killed at least 483 people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. Although the monsoon rains have been heavier than usual, scientists say, the damage has been exacerbated by outdated dam-management systems and increasing mining and development in the Western Ghats mountain range — a biodiversity hotspot that ecologists are trying to conserve.
Nature | 4 min read
World bank pours millions into African science
A World Bank scheme to boost grassroots research capacity in Africa will nearly double its budget with a third, and probably final, investment worth at least US$280 million. The funding comes in the form of loans to African governments. The initiative has so far set up 46 education and research centres in 17 African countries, created jobs for hundreds of scientists and trained thousands of students. Both critics and supporters of the programme worry what will happen once the bank’s money runs out.
Nature | 5 min read
FEATURES & OPINION
A biologist’s road to the Nobel
In his new book Gene Machine, structural biologist and Royal Society president Venki Ramakrishnan tells the story of his path to the Nobel Prize. He thoughtfully embeds his trajectory in a wider meditation on how scientists make the decisions that lead to success or failure — and on how they struggle to solve complex problems.
Nature | 6 min read
Climate change takes down a prime minister
Now-former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is merely the latest leader to discover that action on emissions remains a difficult step to take, notes a Nature editorial. Even in countries such as Canada and France, where top politicians are fully behind the need for action on emissions, they are finding it difficult to follow through on pledges. Scientists must continue to contribute to the public debate — and politicians must be given the chance to hang around long enough to make changes, argues the editorial.
Nature | 5 min read
Which species was the victim?
The US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory is the world’s leading scientific centre for investigating wildlife crimes. The Washington Post steps inside the lab to explore how its scientists analyse everything from illegally obtained rhino horns to wood products from endangered trees, alongside stunning photos of its macabre collections.
The Washington Post | 8 min read