Illustration: David Parkins The problem Dear Nature, I am a chemical engineer with a PhD, working in the food industry. I’m at a point in my career where I need to decide whether I want a managerial career path or should stick with technical, problem-solving work in research and development. My biggest worry is that,…

As Chinese research goes from strength to strength, it is natural that the country’s biggest and most economically developed urban areas, such as Beijing and Shanghai, would become superstar science cities; as China gets richer, more educated and more technologically sophisticated, the megacities drive further progress. What might be more surprising is that some of…

Credit: MirageC/Getty When I first arrived in the United States as an international student from India, I was immediately struck by the steep learning curve involved in communicating effectively in English. I’m a former research fellow at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in New Delhi, and a Bengali speaker, as well as being fluent…

Due in part to strong institutional collaborations and industry presence, the United States has maintained its lead in health sciences, with the Boston metropolitan area (MA) taking the top spot with a Share of 676.43. However, the Massachusetts capital — which is home to numerous biotech companies, leading universities, and more than 20 hospitals —…

An analytical chemist works in the lab of biotech company Arcaea, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts.Credit: Boston Globe/Getty When a delegation of scientists from Japan recently visited Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they asked their hosts a familiar question: what are the secret factors that make the Boston area, which includes Cambridge, such a…

With its continued focus on sustainability and ecological protection, China is cementing itself as a leader in Earth and environmental sciences. Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou, the leading three cities in the subject, respectively, have all recorded increases in adjusted Share between 2022 and 2023. Wuhan’s momentum is particularly strong — the city’s adjusted Share in…

In a discovery that blurs the line between biology and technology, scientists have found that heart-shaped clams use fiber optic–like structures to channel sunlight through their shells in much the same way that telecommunications company use fiber optics to deliver high-speed internet connectivity into homes. This innovation, a first known example of bundled fiber optics…

Relying on natural carbon sinks such as forests and oceans to offset continued fossil fuel emissions will not stop global heating, the scientists who developed net zero have warned. Each year, the planet’s oceans, forests, soils and other natural carbon sinks absorb abouthalf of all human emissions, forming part of government plans to limit global…

Abstract Public trust in scientists is critical to our ability to face societal threats. Here, across five pre-registered studies (N = 2,034), we assessed whether perceptions of scientists’ intellectual humility affect perceived trustworthiness of scientists and their research. In study 1, we found that seeing scientists as higher in intellectual humility was associated with greater perceived trustworthiness…

Credit: Getty Nature’s 2024 hiring in science survey This article is the third in a short series discussing the results of Nature’s 2024 global survey of hiring managers in science. The survey, created in partnership with Thinks Insights & Strategy, a research consultancy in London, launched in June and was advertised on nature.com, in Springer…