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Nature Materials
Issue cover: Image: Zihe Liang and Qingkun Liu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Itai Cohen, Cornell University. Cover design: Alex Whitworth Nature Materials (Nat. Mater.) ISSN 1476-4660 (online) ISSN 1476-1122 (print)
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Parachute science and collaboration in protected areas
Organizations that manage protected areas often lack scientists to conduct research and inform management. The resulting involvement of external scientists from international universities, nongovernmental organizations or other research organizations has raised concerns that some protected area research might not reflect local priorities or engage with local researchers — a phenomenon termed parachute science. Writing in the Journal…
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Shoreline tides walk combines science and nature
Many coastal Bay Area residents have seen it: water levels gently rising, encroaching water on beaches or splashing waves of water flowing across sidewalks and onto streets. This is caused by small tides created by gravitational pull between the orbiting moon and the Earth. But sometimes, the water rise is noticeably higher and more widespread.…
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How to sustain scientific collaboration amid worsening US–China relations
Scientific partnership between the United States and China is at risk — and it cannot be allowed to deteriorate.Credit: Dilok Klaisataporn/Getty As the political relationship between the United States and China has frayed, the scientific ties between them have become thinner and more fragile. This is a dangerous trend. Working together, scientific communities in the…
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The scientific reason to cook with simmering rather than vigorously boiling water
Research Staff Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, MGH, Harvard Medical School Charlestown, MA United States Instructor, Assistant Professor, A… Charlestown, Massachusetts (US) Massachusetts General Hospital/Martinos Center
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Harsh criticism and unreasonable expectations worsen PhD students’ mental health
The teaching aspects of graduate-student roles can be particularly stressful for many people.Credit: Maya/Getty Graduate students with anxiety and depression say that their symptoms are exacerbated by the pressures of research and teaching, fuelled by overly harsh criticism and being held to unreasonable expectations, a survey finds. Those who self-identified as having severe anxiety or…
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How science recruiters and job applicants can get on the same page
Careers fairs are formal recruitment channels, but some recruiters prefer to hire from their professional networks.Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty Every year, tens of thousands of people around the world apply for research jobs armed with postgraduate qualifications and specialized knowledge, only for their carefully crafted applications to seemingly vanish into a digital void. At the…
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Nonlinear memristive computational spectrometer
Abstract In the domain of spectroscopy, miniaturization efforts often face significant challenges, particularly in achieving high spectral resolution and precise construction. Here, we introduce a computational spectrometer powered by a nonlinear photonic memristor with a WSe2 homojunction. This approach overcomes traditional limitations, such as constrained Fermi level tunability, persistent dark current, and limited photoresponse dimensionality…
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How should we test AI for human-level intelligence? OpenAI’s o3 electrifies quest
Some researchers think AI systems will reach human-level intelligence soon; others think it’s far away.Credit: Getty The technology firm OpenAI made headlines last month when its latest experimental chatbot model, o3, achieved a high score on a test that marks progress towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI’s o3 scored 87.5%, trouncing the previous best score…
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How to sustain scientific collaboration amid worsening US–China relations
Scientific partnership between the United States and China is at risk — and it cannot be allowed to deteriorate.Credit: Dilok Klaisataporn/Getty As the political relationship between the United States and China has frayed, the scientific ties between them have become thinner and more fragile. This is a dangerous trend. Working together, scientific communities in the…