Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
A proposal by Germany's science minister to concentrate power over much of the country's best research is less monstrous than some are suggesting, but still leaves plenty to worry about.
Could wiring up soldiers' brains to the fighting machines they control be the future face of warfare? Hannah Hoag investigates the US military's futuristic neuroengineering research programme.
Do you need to solve the structure of a complex biological molecule quickly, or require some expert help doing it? No problem. Tracy Smith Schmidt samples the delights of 'mail-in' crystallography.
They are the most energetic events in the Universe, but the origin of γ-ray bursts has been hard to establish. Observations of a burst close to our Galaxy now show that supernovae are, as suspected, likely culprits.
Determining the sequence of the human Y chromosome presented a daunting challenge to genome researchers. But the task is now done, and the secrets revealed justify the effort.
Changes in past conditions in the Red Sea have been exploited to provide a detailed record of sea-level variation over much of the last glacial period. That record might tie in with events in the far south and north.
The protein machines that assemble and remodel chromosomal proteins often contain a common component. The role of this component in maintaining stability during development is now revealed.
Observational data now offer strong support for inflation — a period of exponentially fast expansion in the early history of the Universe. But is the theory complete?
Protein degradation terminates a range of biochemical activities in living cells. New work shows that a component of the 'licensing' system for DNA replication must be degraded to prevent re-replication during cell division.
Economic conditions are making it harder for young German postdocs to stay in their home country. But a few programmes offer some hope, says Quirin Schiermeier.
