Editorials in 2021

Since its inception 10 years ago Nature Communications has strived to publish papers of high quality and relevance to communities of researchers across the whole of the natural sciences. In more recent years, we have happily seen an increase in the submission and publication of clinical research studies. To serve the clinical community to the best of our ability we have clarified our guide to authors on what we expect to see on submission of clinical research papers and we are launching a Clinical Collection that presents under one umbrella a selection of the interesting papers we have published in this area

The Trojan asteroids in Jupiter’s orbit have been preserved unaltered since the early ages of our Solar System. In October 2021, NASA launched its mission, Lucy, to visit and study these asteroids in order to learn more about the original building blocks that formed our planets.

Single atom catalysts hold the potential to significantly impact the chemical and energy industrial sectors. This editorial introduces the state of the field along with a collection of Articles and Comments that encapsulate the ongoing efforts of the research community in this field.

Air pollution is a cause of disease for millions around the world and now more than ever urgent action is required to tackle the burden of its impacts. Doing so will not only improve both life expectancy and quality of life, but will also lead to a more just and sustainable world.

In the face of an on-going global pandemic and the growing urgency of climate change, the challenge of building an equitable and sustainable world has never been greater. Thus, now more than ever, we want to support and highlight research efforts made at attaining the UN sustainable development goals.

From smartphones to electric vehicles, Li-ion batteries have revolutionized our daily lives. Here, we discuss the most important aspects that have enabled lithium-ion batteries to thrive, and introduce some of our articles that contribute to the evolution of these devices.

Opportunities for early career researchers (ECRs) to engage with the peer review and publication process can be few and far between. Last year, we launched a pilot support programme to introduce ECRs to peer review.

The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges, and opportunities to reassess and reaffirm our values. As our anniversary year draws to a close, we reflect on achievements and areas for improvement.

Equitable partnerships among the international volcano science community are important now more than ever, to cope with financial disparities and ultimately allow for worldwide volcano monitoring oriented to hazard mitigation.