A tally of mass destruction A massive study on the planet’s biomass was among the top five most talked-about articles of 2018. Gemma Conroy News 15 Jan 2019
China's Belt and Road Initiative finds new research partners in Europe Smaller member states are the beneficiaries of China's global trade and diplomacy project. Marijk van der Wende & Robert Tijssen Comment 11 Jan 2019
Coral bleaching pushes alarm buttons A study revealing the decline of the Great Barrier Reef was one of the most discussed articles of 2018. Gemma Conroy News 9 Jan 2019
China's place among the stars The FAST telescope dish, stretching half a kilometre, will thrust China’s radio astronomers into a role of global leadership. Mark Zastrow 8 Jan 2019
China: Small science grows in large hands China’s nanotech industry is forging ahead, with high funding levels, a maturing talent pool, and international experience. Sarah O'Meara 4 Jan 2019
An unpalatable message about the climate’s point of no return A dire warning from climate scientists was the second most discussed paper in the past year. Gemma Conroy News 3 Jan 2019
Data brief: Female first-authors attract more readers The work of female researchers has a broader impact than citation analysis suggests, but not in India. Gemma Conroy Dataviz 2 Jan 2019
False news travels fast One of the year’s hottest papers shows online story-tellers are lukewarm when it comes to truth. Gemma Conroy News 28 Dec 2018
Egypt and Pakistan had highest rise in research output in 2018 Global production of scientific papers hit an all-time high this year, estimates show, with emerging economies rising fastest. Anita Makri 27 Dec 2018
China: Quality deficit belies the hype Few Chinese researchers are regarded as global leaders, as the pressure for rapid output prevails. Futao Huang 24 Dec 2018
Stop, Start, Rewind: A front-seat view of mouse development A new microscope allows researchers to track single cells in developing embryos, forward and backward in time. Jeffrey M. Perkel Technology feature 20 Dec 2018
China: Engineering a biomedical revolution A permissive regulatory climate and a pragmatic approach has seen China’s bioscience sector soar. Smriti Mallapaty News feature 17 Dec 2018
China: Yielding results to feed a people Studies to improve the productivity, resistance and taste of rice crops are central to China’s commanding position in plant biology. Hepeng Jia News feature 14 Dec 2018
China: All eyes on the prize To become a world-leading scientific nation in every sense, China needs to close the quality gap. Catherine Armitage 13 Dec 2018
Science cities: Discovery central A hive of innovation, Wuhan has stormed up the Nature Index, but competition for talent is heating up. Hepeng Jia 5 Dec 2018
Racial and ethnic disparities in NIH funding Research is elucidating a complicated phenomenon. Raynard Kington & Donna Ginther 29 Nov 2018
Science cities: A European heavyweight A rich research network has secured Munich’s position as a centre of science in Europe. Hristio Boytchev News feature 27 Nov 2018
Data brief: Citizen science papers have more impact Public involvement in science has citation benefits, but these are often fleeting. News feature 23 Nov 2018
Q&A Kelly Robinson: Sample archive serves as a plankton ecologist’s rainy-day fund A massive collection of sea creatures turns out to be a gold mine of research opportunities. Jeffrey M. Perkel Q+A 22 Nov 2018
Science Cities: A venture under pressure Scientific innovation has long powered the San Francisco Bay Area’s economy, but community and political challenges could undermine progress. Katherine Bourzac News feature 20 Nov 2018