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Plagiarism is a serious sin, but universities and journals do not always respond appropriately. A case reported this week suggests that some in the physical sciences have yet to appreciate the threat to confidence in science.
Across continental Europe, historical instruments are falling silent, muted by a new and mysterious form of corrosion. Tom Clarke speaks to the chemical detectives who are striving to protect our musical heritage.
The ocean floor is being covered with remote-controlled observatories, letting oceanographers keep tabs on the sea without getting wet. Jon Copley investigates.
On Earth, no living organism can function without water. It is, in the words of Albert Szent-Györgyi, the matrix of life. But is it reasonable to assume that this maxim holds on other worlds too?
Neurons in the retina turn on and off rapidly in response to light. With the discovery of mutations in human genes that mediate this quick turn-off, we have the first picture of its importance in visual perception.
The manipulation of electronic spins — 'spintronics' — might be the basis of future device technology. A subtle relativistic effect offers a way to flip spins inside a semiconducting material.
A fossil skull from China, dating to 55 million years ago, provides much-needed substantial evidence of early primates in Asia. Interpretation of the creature's eye size and activity pattern will spark debate.
Physical processes in the Southern Ocean largely control nutrient distribution in the global marine environment, a finding that further highlights the influence of this oceanic region on Earth's climate.
Newly made proteins are moved across cellular membranes through a protein channel. The crystal structure of this channel is now revealed and confirms expectations that it must change shape to allow proteins to pass.
