Opinion in 1996

The new US policy on plutonium disposition is the right one, and efforts to encourage similar action in Russia must be redoubled.

Nature is injecting increased effort into the readability of its papers. This is a task in which authors can help by trying out their texts on colleagues before submission.

Germany is to use competitions to boost university–industry collaboration. The idea has merits — but also pitfalls.

The collapse of the British government's attempts to privatize its observatories should not be the end of the story. But any future government must take heed of the lessons of a severe, and costly, embarrassment.

A biotechnology company is developing the non-informative press release into a fine art.

A battle is raging between opponents and supporters of a proposed new treaty on database protection. A period of consultation is essential so that information users can properly assess the impact of the treaty.

The fate of Russian science has recently turned from drama to tragedy. Imaginative help from the West is much needed.

The potential abuses of genetic screening should not be exaggerated, but neither should they be ignored. Governments must ensure that private screening services operate responsibly. Careful oversight, even in a climate of deregulation, is essential.

A newly conceived association for science and society in Europe deserves antenatal support.

As it struggles to overcome the legacy of apartheid, South Africa needs to protect and strengthen the most productive parts of its science base. That requires a tough approach to the redistribution of resources – and determination to tackle big spenders.

Despite an out-of-court settlement last week, science must not rely on litigation to keep its house in order.

Premature release of scientific results to the public is against the interests of scientists, journalists and the public. The use of embargoed press releases is beneficial, and helps the quality of coverage of science in the media.

Climatological lobbyists have given scepticism a bad name, and more credible criticism is at risk of suppression.

Employment policies in Japan's national universities are indefensible and amount to racial discrimination.

The need to prioritize is focusing US astronomers' attention on threats to national facilities. But there are many smaller optical telescopes run by universities that represent an underused resource.

Attempts in Europe to resist imports of genetically modified maize from the United States risk a damaging trade battle. But opposition springs from science and public distrust, both of which need a considered response from industry and politicians alike.

The systematic judgement of research performance is a growing industry in search of international quality assurance.

Science thrives in a culture of accessibility and transparency that government often finds disadvantageous. Controversies in BSE research and environmental protection illustrate the dangers of secrecy.

Science can make a critical contribution to the massive US effort to clean up sites once devoted to manufacturing nuclear armaments — but only if the Department of Energy is effectively reformed.

Keeping track of members of the US Congress is a good idea, but must be done with care. A science voting tally introduced by a group of eminent scientists does not fit the bill.