News, Seven Days, News Q&A and News Explainer in 2021

Hundreds of engineering steps must now take place as the observatory unfurls and travels to its new home.

Nature talks to Zhang Rongqiao, architect of the China National Space Administration’s Tianwen-1 mission, which landed the Zhurong rover on Mars.

Scientists worry that pools of unvaccinated people could be a source of new variants, such as Omicron.

Deaths caused by university lab blasts have some scientists in China concerned about a lack of oversight and standardized safety protocols, especially in teaching labs.

A few publishers are using automated software to catch flaws in submitted papers.

Nearly all of the monoclonal antibodies used to prevent severe disease fail to stand up to the new variant, laboratory assays show.

Research has stalled, funds have evaporated and many scientists are still struggling to get out.

Omicron, Moon missions and particle physics are among the themes set to shape research in the coming year.

Research models shed light on how the Build Back Better bill might reshape the US energy landscape.

As cases spread and countries plan their response, researchers await crucial data on the severity of the disease caused by the coronavirus variant.

The extraordinary vaccination of more than four billion people, and the lack of access for many others, were major forces this year — while Omicron’s arrival complicated things further.

Researchers are rapidly sequencing the genomes of virus samples worldwide, but shortcomings in the global surveillance system make the task a challenge.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has pledged to revise equity and diversity policies after a review highlighted racial inequality among students and staff.

As the trial begins, legal experts say it could have a big impact on the US government’s controversial China Initiative.

From Omicron to a Mars helicopter to an Alzheimer’s firestorm, our news editors choose the defining moments in science and research this year.

The demise of part of the huge Thwaites Glacier would hasten sea-level rise.

The Parker Solar Probe has passed through a boundary and into the Sun’s atmosphere, gathering data that will help scientists better understand stars.

Delhi court will scrutinize whether the pirate paper website falls foul of India’s copyright law. The verdict could have implications for academic publishers further afield.

Molnupiravir was initially heralded by public-health officials as a game-changer for COVID-19, but full clinical-trial data showed lower-than-expected efficacy.

The pairing of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination against it confers powerful protection, but data from Israel show that that protection gradually declines.