Abstract Within ice core science, woman-led studies contain 20% more women co-authors than man-led studies, and exceed the estimated proportion of women within the community by nearly 10%. We conclude that collaboration with other women is a key factor in closing gender gaps in science. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your…

There is something strange about the chemical bond. It is very difficult to define in a more sophisticated way than as being the ‘glue’ that ‘binds’ atoms. And yet the bond is one of the most essential concepts in chemistry; without it one cannot describe how molecules are structured, nor explain how a chemical reaction…

Cancer-cell nuclei (green boxes) picked out by software using deep learning.Credit: A. Diosdi – imaging; T. Toth & F. Kovacs – analysis; A. Kriston – visualization/BIOMAG/HUN-REN/SZBK Any biology student can pick a neuron out of a photograph. Training a computer to do the same thing is much harder. Jan Funke, a computational biologist at the…

In this issue, Harrold et al. [1] report outcomes at 52-weeks of their randomised controlled trial (RCT), called SWITCH, which compared consumption of beverages sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), with consumption of water. The authors deserve to be congratulated on performing a well-powered, long-term RCT with significant relevance to public health – in part they…

Abstract During the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the USA experienced a crisis of increasing psychological distress that was associated with rising morbidity and mortality, especially among young people. The increasing distress probably arose from changing economic, social, technological and political conditions that, unabated, may continue to progress in coming years. The increasing…

Abstract During the continuous charge and discharge process in lithium-sulfur batteries, one of the next-generation batteries, polysulfides are generated in the battery’s electrolyte, and impact its performance in terms of power and capacity by involving the process. The amount of polysulfides in the electrolyte could be estimated by the change of the Gibbs free energy…

Credit: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty China is grappling with a surge in respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, in children. The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that common winter infections — rather than any new pathogens — are behind the spike in hospitalizations. A surge of infections was expected in the country this winter, China’s first…

Abstract In alkaline soil conditions, the availability of essential nutrients for plant growth becomes limited, posing a significant challenge for achieving optimal maize growth and yield. Exploring the impact of biochar and waste irrigation on soil alkalinity and maize production in arid regions has received limited attention. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of…

Abstract There is paucity of data examining disparities in salary and representation for disabled scientists, which is needed to advance inclusion and equity for people with disabilities in STEM. Using data from the 2019 Survey of Doctorate Recipients (United States, N = 1,148,817), we show that doctorate recipients working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with…