For several years now, our sister title Nature has published each week, among its many pages of science fact, one page devoted to science fiction. The 'Futures' stories — by amateur and professional science-fiction writers, scientists and non-scientists — have become a regular, popular fixture, and also expanded into the pages of this journal for a couple of years. We're pleased to say that now Futures is back in Nature Physics — turn to the last page of this issue for our first piece of the new season, from Steven L. Peck.

Futures in Nature — like the research and comment that journal publishes — have reflected all of science: expect Futures in Nature Physics to take their inspiration from physics and physicists. Our stories will also be collated with the Nature ones in our archives (http://www.nature.com/futures), and on the Futures Facebook page (http://go.nature.com/mtoodm), which now has more than 11,000 followers. There's a growing band of fans on Twitter too (@NatureFutures).

An anthology of Futures, originally published in unfuturistic print in 2008, is about to be released as an e-book. It's titled 'Futures 1', from which readers should rightly infer that a further edition, 'Futures 2', and even 'Futures 3', will follow later in 2014.

All Futures stories are available free of charge, and should you feel inspired you may submit your own futuristic vision to futures@nature.com (although do please read the guidelines first at http://go.nature.com/p8T8eZ).