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Nature Index 2024 Research Leaders: India follows in China’s footsteps as top ten changes again
Students take part in a chemistry class at Ramjas College, part of the University of Delhi. Credit: Frederic Soltan/Getty Historical science strongholds grapple with challenging conditions, while emerging contenders make their mark. 18 June 2024 Benjamin Plackett Frederic Soltan/Getty Students take part in a chemistry class at Ramjas College, part of the University of Delhi.…
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We can make the UK a science superpower — with a radical political manifesto
A revolution is needed at the UK general election next month to put science at the heart of government and policymaking. The current political discourse in the United Kingdom is dominated by debates about the quality of public services, strategies to boost economic growth and concerns related to the environment. Politicians care about these issues,…
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Springer Nature staff to take unprecedented strike action
Synonymous journal at the major academic publisher to be affected by industrial action for the first time in its 155-year history. On June 20, UK-based staff at Springer Nature are set to walk out after an overwhelming vote to take strike action over pay and conditions. Staff organized in the National Union of Journalists (NUJ),…
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ICIs: Key to Surviving Cancer – Medical Frontiers
While immune checkpoint inhibitors can improve cancer survival rates, they only work in about 20 to 30% of patients. We interview Japanese researchers who are trying to overcome this challenge. ICIs had a dramatic effect in this lung cancer case ICIs maintain the immune system’s ability to fight cancer This researcher discovered markers that determine…
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An algorithmic framework for synthetic cost-aware decision making in molecular design
Abstract Small molecules exhibiting desirable property profiles are often discovered through an iterative process of designing, synthesizing and testing sets of molecules. The selection of molecules to synthesize from all possible candidates is a complex decision-making process that typically relies on expert chemist intuition. Here we propose a quantitative decision-making framework, SPARROW, that prioritizes molecules…
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Codes of conduct should help scientists navigate societal expectations
Scientists are increasingly expected to incorporate socio-political considerations in their work, for instance by anticipating potential socio-political ramifications. While this is aimed at promoting pro-social values, critics argue that the desire to serve society has led to self-censorship and even to the politicization of science. Philosophers of science have developed various strategies to distinguish between…
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Nature Sounds Can Help With Anxiety—Here’s How
Sounds of nature—like waterfall and rainforest noises—can make you feel less anxious by helping your body relax. There’s plenty of evidence suggesting that interacting with nature has positive effects on relaxation and overall well-being. Natural noise has also been beneficial in other situations by alleviating stress related to medical conditions and pain after certain surgical…
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Science City Celebrates Nature Photography Day
KAPURTHALA: Pushpa Gujral Science City marked the celebration of Nature Photography Day with an engaging exhibition titled “Nature Photography” aimed at raising awareness and inspiring the public about the wonders of nature. The exhibition featured captivating photographs by the renowned nature photographer, Sh. Gurpartap Singh from Mohali. Further, Director Science City, Speaking on the occasion…
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Large-scale photonic computing with nonlinear disordered media
Abstract Neural networks find widespread use in scientific and technological applications, yet their implementations in conventional computers have encountered bottlenecks due to ever-expanding computational needs. Photonic computing is a promising neuromorphic platform with potential advantages of massive parallelism, ultralow latency and reduced energy consumption but mostly for computing linear operations. Here we demonstrate a large-scale,…
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How the ‘mind’s eye’ calls up visual memories from the brain
The primary visual cortex (yellow, artificially coloured) is involved in creating vivid visual memories, experiments show.Credit: Sovereign/ISM/SPL Picture a strawberry. Most people can easily distinguish between that image in their mind’s eye and an actual strawberry. Now researchers say that they’ve worked out how the brain draws this distinction and where in the brain the…
