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The first scientific observations with telescopes displaced Earth from the centre of the Universe. Modern technology continues to humble us but should not distance us from the cosmos itself.
If the US government chooses to bail out the nation's vehicle manufacturers, it must ensure that the industry commits to the innovations required for future transportation.
This issue of Nature anticipates next year's bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On The Origin of Species. We begin here with a look 50 years into the future.