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News & Views |
From the archive: a history of climate, and the scent of sitting pheasants
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News & Views |
From the archive: sunshine statistics, and the hues and habits of aquarium fish
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Nature Podcast |
How Rosalind Franklin’s story was rewritten
Newly discovered documents reveal more about Rosalind Franklin’s role in solving DNA’s structure, and how multisensory experiences can create stronger memories in fruit flies.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Shamini Bundell
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News & Views |
From the archive: how several artists’ works mimic impressions made on the eye’s retina, and the curious effects of blue glass on colour
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Editorial |
How Rosalind Franklin was let down by DNA’s dysfunctional team
The story of how the structure of DNA was found is one of team science from which one member was unforgivably excluded.
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Comment |
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
- Matthew Cobb
- & Nathaniel Comfort
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Book Review |
Diving deep: the centuries-long quest to explore the deepest ocean
Schemes to dive to the bottom of the sea have a surprisingly long history — but a book shows how science has rarely been the motivation.
- Alexandra Witze
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News & Views |
From the archive: essays reviewing the stages of the atomic model, and a heap of glowing wood
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Book Review |
Did the Black Death break feudalism and make capitalism? Maybe, maybe not
Pathogens and pandemics have played a huge part in shaping human history right up to COVID-19 — but their exact effects remain highly debatable.
- Hugh Pennington
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Book Review |
How sketches of the womb have empowered and oppressed women over the ages
Depictions of fetuses have helped to teach safer birthing practices and saved lives — but they can also be used to erase the person giving birth.
- Josie Glausiusz
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News & Views |
From the archive: new words to describe human–machine relationships, and a demonstration of the perceptual abilities of butterflies
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News & Views Forum |
The medieval Moon unveils volcanic secrets
Innovative use of medieval musings about the Moon has revealed that volcanic eruptions coincided with abrupt, global-scale cooling events. The approach is exciting from the perspective of climate scientists and historians alike.
- Andrea Seim
- , Eduardo Zorita
- & Anne Lawrence-Mathers
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Career Column |
Dear scientists: stop calling America the ‘New World’
It’s new to you — but not to me or anyone else who grew up here, writes Fernanda Adame.
- Fernanda Adame
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News & Views |
From the archive: the wonders of life contained in the soil, and the sociability of cats
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Research Briefing |
Medieval Swahili people had both African and Asian ancestry
Analyses of ancient DNA from 80 individuals buried in medieval Swahili stone towns along the East African coast revealed that these individuals had both African and Asian ancestry. The findings suggest that in most cases, African women began having children with Asian men at least 1,000 years ago, at several locations along the coast.
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News & Views |
From the archive: the Channel tunnel, and a phantom island
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News |
Beethoven’s cause of death revealed from locks of hair
Genetic sleuthing points to liver disease, viral hepatitis and alcohol consumption as causes of the composer’s demise.
- Dyani Lewis
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News & Views |
From the archive: the cell cycle and Antarctic exploration
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Obituary |
Paul Berg (1926–2023)
Biochemist who invented recombinant DNA technology.
- Errol Friedberg
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News & Views |
From the archive: Saturn, and Charles Darwin shares animal stories
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News & Views |
From the archive: ancient mazes, and ants under observation
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Book Review |
Seven everyday objects that made the modern world
Nails, wheels, springs, magnets, lenses, string and pumps: a structural engineer reveals the small things that our biggest tech advances are built on.
- Anna Novitzky
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News |
Ancient genomes show how humans escaped Europe’s deep freeze
A pair of studies offer the most detailed look yet at groups of hunter-gatherers living before, during and after the last ice age.
- Ewen Callaway
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News & Views |
From the archive: Leo Szilard’s science scene, and rules for maths
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News |
Europe’s first humans hunted with bows and arrows
A cave site in France holds hundreds of tiny stone points, alongside remains thought to belong to Homo sapiens.
- Ewen Callaway
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News |
Was famed poet Pablo Neruda poisoned? Scientists warn case not closed
Forensic investigation uncovers evidence that a lethal bacterium could have been in his body when he died.
- Michele Catanzaro
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News & Views |
From the archive: machine intelligence, and the father of X-rays
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Where I Work |
Tweezers, water, mulberry paper: my toolkit for repairing ancient Japanese art
Art conservator Jiro Ueda uses traditional techniques and natural solutions to repair priceless paintings and artefacts.
- Rachael Pells
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News & Views |
From the archive: Earth in motion, and inherited antipathy
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Book Review |
How NASA’s breakthrough ‘class of ’78’ changed the face of space travel
The inclusion of women and people of colour in NASA’s astronaut cadet programme was unprecedented — and met sometimes fierce resistance.
- Alexandra Witze
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News & Views |
From the archive: celebrating Faraday, and an appreciation of parasites
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News & Views |
From the archive: support for Darwin, and a metallic standard
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Editorial |
Why we have nothing to fear from the decolonization of mathematics
Maths made the modern world — and everyone stands to gain from the acknowledgment that the world made maths.
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News & Views |
From the archive: calculating the duration of a dream, and tracking twinkling
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News & Views |
From the archive: an economic model named after a goddess, and an ill-fated octopus
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Editorial |
How the periodic table survived a war to secure chemistry’s future
A century ago, the discovery of hafnium confirmed the validity of the periodic table — but only thanks to scientists who stood up for evidence at a time of global turmoil.
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Book Review |
How mathematics stopped being defined by reality — and started to invent new ones
Abstraction is a powerful mathematical technique that has influenced everything from quantum theories of gravity to nuclear deterrence theory. But has it gone too far?
- Davide Castelvecchi
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News |
Dads older than mums since dawn of humanity, study suggests
Scientists used modern human DNA to estimate when new generations were born over 250,000 years — and the age of parents at conception.
- Freda Kreier
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Nature Podcast |
The science stories you missed over the past four weeks
We highlight some stories from the Nature Briefing, including climate promises from Brazil’s President Lula, how glass frogs hide their blood, and a new statue of Henrietta Lacks.
- Benjamin Thompson
- , Noah Baker
- & Flora Graham
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News & Views |
From the archive: growing seeds by moonlight, and a shower of stars at sea
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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Where I Work |
Tracking ocean history through plankton ‘roadkill’
Marine biogeochemist Clare Ostle tracks the stories that plankton tell from all corners of the globe.
- Kendall Powell
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Comment |
Escaping Darwin’s shadow: how Alfred Russel Wallace inspires Indigenous researchers
Wallace, who independently discovered the theory of evolution, relied on local knowledge to craft his seminal work on species ranges in the Amazon. Now, the region’s Indigenous scientists have taken charge of their research using this and other cross-cultural tools.
- Camila C. Ribas
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Comment |
Alfred Russel Wallace’s first expedition ended in flames
Born 200 years ago, the evolutionary biologist experienced many setbacks during his career — none more severe than when he headed home with his precious collections from Brazil.
- Andrew Berry
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News & Views |
From the archive: how kangaroo rats limit their salt intake, and searching for trout
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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News & Views |
From the archive: biological clocks, and a pollen puzzle about flies
Snippets from Nature’s past.
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From the archive: aggressive anemones, and Louis Pasteur’s birthday
From the archive: a history of climate, and the scent of sitting pheasants
From the archive: sunshine statistics, and the hues and habits of aquarium fish
How Rosalind Franklin’s story was rewritten
From the archive: how several artists’ works mimic impressions made on the eye’s retina, and the curious effects of blue glass on colour
How Rosalind Franklin was let down by DNA’s dysfunctional team
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Diving deep: the centuries-long quest to explore the deepest ocean
From the archive: essays reviewing the stages of the atomic model, and a heap of glowing wood
Did the Black Death break feudalism and make capitalism? Maybe, maybe not
How sketches of the womb have empowered and oppressed women over the ages
From the archive: new words to describe human–machine relationships, and a demonstration of the perceptual abilities of butterflies
The medieval Moon unveils volcanic secrets
Dear scientists: stop calling America the ‘New World’
From the archive: the wonders of life contained in the soil, and the sociability of cats
Medieval Swahili people had both African and Asian ancestry
From the archive: the Channel tunnel, and a phantom island
Beethoven’s cause of death revealed from locks of hair
From the archive: the cell cycle and Antarctic exploration
Paul Berg (1926–2023)
From the archive: Saturn, and Charles Darwin shares animal stories
From the archive: ancient mazes, and ants under observation
Seven everyday objects that made the modern world
Ancient genomes show how humans escaped Europe’s deep freeze
From the archive: Leo Szilard’s science scene, and rules for maths
Europe’s first humans hunted with bows and arrows
Was famed poet Pablo Neruda poisoned? Scientists warn case not closed
From the archive: machine intelligence, and the father of X-rays
Tweezers, water, mulberry paper: my toolkit for repairing ancient Japanese art
From the archive: Earth in motion, and inherited antipathy
How NASA’s breakthrough ‘class of ’78’ changed the face of space travel
From the archive: celebrating Faraday, and an appreciation of parasites
From the archive: support for Darwin, and a metallic standard
Why we have nothing to fear from the decolonization of mathematics
From the archive: calculating the duration of a dream, and tracking twinkling
From the archive: an economic model named after a goddess, and an ill-fated octopus
How the periodic table survived a war to secure chemistry’s future
How mathematics stopped being defined by reality — and started to invent new ones
Dads older than mums since dawn of humanity, study suggests
The science stories you missed over the past four weeks
From the archive: growing seeds by moonlight, and a shower of stars at sea
Tracking ocean history through plankton ‘roadkill’
Escaping Darwin’s shadow: how Alfred Russel Wallace inspires Indigenous researchers
Alfred Russel Wallace’s first expedition ended in flames
From the archive: how kangaroo rats limit their salt intake, and searching for trout
From the archive: biological clocks, and a pollen puzzle about flies