News, Seven Days, News Q&A and News Explainer in 2008

Grounding planes after the 11 September attacks may not have caused unusual temperature effects.

Strong roles for biologists as the president-elect chooses his science and technology team.

Tough decisions need to be made about how to cut costs.

Interrogation of scientist prompts demands for Iranian government to guarantee visitors' safety.

As the year draws to a close, Nature looks back on a selection of news stories to find out what happened next.

Britain's Research Assessment Exercise finds excellence more widespread than a focus on elite institutions would suggest.

Cash pool could break power struggles between competing agencies on the continent.

Tunable material promises cheap route to electronic books and advertising displays.

Genetically engineered rats should follow soon, providing new models of human disease.

Staff and science cut as museum's endowments crash.

An arachnid with no talent for weaving may have excreted the first known spider silk 386 million years ago.

Experiment claims to resolve an old debate about how light behaves.

Induced pluripotent stem cells pass key milestone.

Man navigates obstacles he can't consciously see.

Scientists voice concerns as small-scale projects fall from favour.

Long-lost mineral could help explain planet's thin atmosphere.

Journal of Cell Biology launches an image bank for microscopy images.

Hundreds of companies falsely registered to receive higher subsidies.

The limits imposed by walls and trenches are recognized by special brain cells.

Harvard climate scientist John Holdren is the leading candidate.