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  • Nature Outlook |

    The application of science to real-world problems drives economies and improves lives. Nature is shining a spotlight on some of the brightest entrepreneurial ventures by profiling the 12 finalists of The Spinoff Prize – a new competition showcasing start-ups originating in academic labs.

    Image: Totto Renna

  • Nature Outlook |

    RNA — the molecule best known for its part in translating genetic code into protein-making instructions — is finding a new role in medicine.

    Image: David Parkins

  • Nature Outlook |

    For a disease that is thought to affect more than 250 million people, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has long been overlooked. As prevalence climbs, researchers are working to shed new light on COPD and to meet the growing public-health problem head on.

    Image: Sam Chivers

  • Nature Outlook |

    Despite marked improvements in treatment, cancer is still the cause of roughly 17% of deaths globally.

    Image: Sam Falconer

  • Nature Outlook |

    Researchers are homing in on the myriad ways in which the bacteria and other microorganisms that inhabit the human digestive system affect our health – and how they could point the way towards new therapies.

    Image: Antoine Doré

  • Nature Outlook |

    Vaccines have been a tremendous force for good in the world. Numerous infections that once claimed millions of lives are now preventable.

    Image: David Parkins

  • Nature Outlook |

    The ocean is an integral element of our planet’s climate system. Understanding the physical processes at work within the ocean is therefore crucial to making accurate predictions about where climate change is likely to lead.

    Image: Sam Falconer

  • Nature Outlook |

    Two key drug approvals have re-energised the field after a period of uncertainty.

    Image: Neil Webb

  • Nature Outlook |

    There are now few areas of our lives that artificial intelligence (AI) does not touch. Not only is medicine no exception, but the potential for digital transformation of health care is especially striking.

    Image: Totto Renna

  • Nature Outlook |

    Influenza kills up to 500,000 people annually. The influenza virus mutates to evade our immune system and occasionally changes drastically to become a new subtype that can start a pandemic.

    Image: Antoine Doré

  • Nature Outlook |

    Addiction to opioid drugs is an urgent health-care crisis. Researchers and policymakers are pursuing strategies that range from developing non-opioid pain relief to establishing new norms for prescribing these problematic medications.

    Image: Daniel Stolle

  • Nature Outlook |

    Cannabis, the drug that defined counterculture 50 years ago, is in the spotlight again as evidence mounts of potential medical benefits, and as legal barriers fall — especially in the United States.

    Image: Susan Burghart