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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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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,…
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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…
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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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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…
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The astonishing scientists who starved to protect plants during the Second World War
The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and Their Impossible Choice Simon Parkin Scribner (2024) After Simon Parkin’s account of the siege of Leningrad and the fate of the world’s first proper seed bank, after his postscript, afterword and acknowledgements, there are nine pages that — for people who know the story — are…
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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…