Category: Science and Nature

  • Trump’s science advisers: how they could influence his second presidency

    Trump’s science advisers: how they could influence his second presidency

    Michael Kratsios (left) was chief technology officer during the first US presidency of Donald Trump (right).Credit: PBH Images/Alamy For almost half of Donald Trump’s first US presidency, which ran from 2017 to 2021, he did not have an official science adviser. His second term is shaping up to be different. As he prepares to take…

  • AI-designed proteins tackle century-old problem

    AI-designed proteins tackle century-old problem

    Snake venom can cause paralysis, tissue damage and death.Credit: Ingo Schulz/imageBROKER via Getty Proteins designed using artificial intelligence (AI) can block the lethal effects of toxins delivered in the venom of cobras, adders and other deadly snakes. The AI-designed proteins could form the basis of a new generation of therapies for snakebites — which kill…

  • Memristors enabling probabilistic AI at the edge

    Memristors enabling probabilistic AI at the edge

    By combining several probabilistic AI algorithms, a recent study demonstrates experimentally that the inherent noise and variation in memristor nanodevices can be exploited as features for energy-efficient on-chip learning. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Change institution Buy or subscribe /* style specs start…

  • Making the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology happen

    The UN has proclaimed 2025 an international year to celebrate quantum science. Yanne Chembo and Joe Niemela, two of the physicists involved in the proposal, share the story of the approval process for this initiative. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Change institution Buy…

  • Making the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology happen

    The UN has proclaimed 2025 an international year to celebrate quantum science. Yanne Chembo and Joe Niemela, two of the physicists involved in the proposal, share the story of the approval process for this initiative. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Change institution Buy…

  • 45 Strange Bits of Science That’ll Make You Wonder If Mother Nature Is Just Screwing With Us

    45 Strange Bits of Science That’ll Make You Wonder If Mother Nature Is Just Screwing With Us

    Calling nature “unnatural” is a massive oxymoron, but we really don’t know what else to call its more peculiar happenings. It’s probably our own beefed-up egos telling us that the way we experience the world around us is “normal.”  Things like the quantum realm, distant space, the deep sea and all those creepy, slimy little…

  • BioSCape combines local knowledge and remote-sensing technology for inclusive biodiversity science

    BioSCape combines local knowledge and remote-sensing technology for inclusive biodiversity science

    The Biodiversity Survey of the Cape (BioSCape) in South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region aims to test the limits and potential of remote sensing for biodiversity applications. Integrating field biodiversity measurements and local knowledge with advanced remote sensing, BioSCape brings us closer to measuring key biodiversity variables globally from space. Download PDF Addressing biodiversity loss,…

  • What Trump 2.0 means for science: the likely winners and losers

    What Trump 2.0 means for science: the likely winners and losers

    As Donald Trump prepares for his second term as president of the United States, two starkly different outlooks are emerging among scientists and engineers. Some technology companies, space enthusiasts, artificial intelligence (AI) developers and others expect favourable policies for their fields in the coming years, and are hugely excited about the possibilities for exploration and…

  • What Trump 2.0 means for science: the likely winners and losers

    What Trump 2.0 means for science: the likely winners and losers

    As Donald Trump prepares for his second term as president of the United States, two starkly different outlooks are emerging among scientists and engineers. Some technology companies, space enthusiasts, artificial intelligence (AI) developers and others expect favourable policies for their fields in the coming years, and are hugely excited about the possibilities for exploration and…

  • Dear Donald Trump: A letter from Nature on how to make science thrive

    Dear Donald Trump: A letter from Nature on how to make science thrive

    Donald Trump was inaugurated as 45th President of the United States on 20 January 2017.Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Dear Mr President-elect, On 20 January, you will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Congratulations on your win. A majority of US voters have placed their trust in you. That is a tremendous…