The concept of temperature pervades the laws of physics. This Focus highlights various aspects of thermometry, from the (re)definition of the kelvin to ways of measuring temperature — from pK to MK — documenting some compelling physics along the way.

In October 2015 we celebrate ten years of Nature Physics. With this occasion we revisit some results we published in this special News & Views series. We try to cover a broad spectrum of topics, but the selection is neither meant to be exhaustive, nor based on any measurable criterion – we simply chose what we believe to be twelve interesting stories that you would enjoy reading.

The success of a number of space missions and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope make 2015 an exciting year for space science. This Focus celebrates these achievements. Image credit: NASA/ESA.

Although mostly based on electron charges, information processing technologies also make use of the electron spin. This Focus surveys the field of magnon spintronics, which harnesses quantized spin waves – magnons – as the carriers of spin currents.

Physicists have always been quick to adopt computing technologies, and computers have likewise played a key role in physics research. This Focus examines physicists' response to the challenges—and opportunities—posed by recent advances in computing.

Efforts to probe the physics of systems removed from equilibrium date back to Maxwell himself. But recent progress has renewed interest in the endeavour — a trend highlighted by this Insight, collecting key advances from across the research spectrum.

Over the past two decades, the fields of quantum information theory and quantum technology have emerged and matured. The theoretical and experimental tools developed in this context are now making it possible to revisit the very foundations of quantum theory, and to explore the terra incognitathat may lie beyond. In this Insight, we survey recent trends in the study of the foundations of quantum mechanics: from the expansion or even rethinking of quantum theory, to ambitious new experiments that will seek the elusive effects of quantum gravity.

The 2008 financial crisis has highlighted major limitations in the modelling of financial and economic systems. However, an emerging field of research at the frontiers of both physics and economics aims to provide a more fundamental understanding of economic networks, as well as practical insights for policymakers. In this Nature PhysicsFocus, physicists and economists consider the state-of-the-art in the application of network science to finance.

Before the advent of digital computers, sophisticated orreries were used to predict the positions and motions of astronomical bodies. Today, we are witnessing the renaissance of devices that simulate, rather than calculate, the evolution of complex many-body systems. Quantum simulators — which use one controllable quantum system to investigate the behaviour and properties of another, less accessible one — hold the promise of tackling problems that are too demanding for classical computers. Over the past few years, significant progress has been made in a number of experimental fields, as reviewed in this Insight, which also considers where quantum simulation might take us.

In many large ensembles, the property of the system as a whole cannot be understood from studying the individual entities alone — these ensembles can be made up by neurons in the brain, transport users in traffic networks or data packages in the Internet. The past decade has seen important progress in our fundamental understanding of what such seemingly disparate 'complex systems' have in common; some of these advances are surveyed here.

Looking at cells from a mechanistic perspective can provide insight into their behaviour and function that is not available through more empirical approaches. Numerical techniques and material-characterization experiments common in many physics laboratories are now proving to be useful tools in biology too.

Time flies: in October 2010, Nature Physicscelebrated the fifth anniversary of its launch. We've put together a selection of the articles – comment, review and research papers – that we've published over the past five years, reflecting in particular some 'hot topics' that have seen significant development over that time. We've also included some editorial favourites. We hope you enjoy them too.