Science

A clear-eyed study of shiny and new inventions calls for better oversight, says Richard Joyner

Marcus Chown on a deeply political study that explains why inequality exists and that while ending it will not be easy, it is not impossible

Anonymous interviews explore how scholars use gossip to warn others of wrongdoers – but it may not always work

Blow your mind by travelling to the bizarre yet beautiful frontier of physics, says Tara Shears

Budget scrutiny is emphasising the importance of effective translational research, says Graham Lord, who believes international cooperation is key to ensuring research reaps practical rewards

‘Unexpected’ twist occurred after a seven-year-old’s manuscript on bats was accepted by a pay-to-publish journal

If lab misconduct is linked to personality traits, there is a case for assessing these when hiring scientists, say researchers

A former laboratory manager claims he was fired from California State University, Northridge due to his religious beliefs

We all need good advice – the problem is making sure you know where to find it, and how to accept it, says John Tregoning

Cait MacPhee delves in to the stories we use to explain the simple and complex world around us

Three scientists, born in the UK but now based in the US, are honoured for their work in the 'flatlands' of physics

Japanese biologist awarded for his research on autophagy 

Academic journal editor-turned-lecturer Hilary Hamnett explains the most common reasons why papers are rejected

Academic science still operates on assumptions that have failed to catch up with the realities of today’s family lives, argue scholars

Eight subject rankings reveal elite group of 14 US and European universities thriving across disciplines

Citation analysis reveals potential winners of science’s highest accolade

Two men who spent time living as animals receive accolade

BioMed Central psychology journal will attempt to tackle publication bias by withholding research results from peer reviewers

The eminent physicist plays a valuable role as provocateur, challenging those in his field to defend and hone their theories, says Marcus Chown

More funding is needed to keep scientific research in the Netherlands strong, warn universities

Neonatal consultant was an ‘inspirational and gifted teacher’ at the University of Leeds

Why are postgraduates and postdocs so expendable and professors so untouchable, asks a geneticist subjected to a paranoid boss’ abuse

The separation of science and medicine from universities is halting the country’s progress, says international higher education scholar

Book of the week: If all-seeing ‘miracle’ tech is making the decisions we must demystify the tricks, says Danny Dorling

A crow named Betty is one of the highlights in a fascinating study of an exciting area of research, says Tim Birkhead

Brian Cantor says the network aims to be more inclusive and more global than existing university groups

As £650m institute opens, Jack Grove hears from those leading Europe’s largest single biomedical research institute

As the £650 million Crick Institute officially opens, here are some key facts about Europe’s largest biomedical research laboratory

Fragmented images and light and shadow haunt a study of grief and memory, says Janet Sayers

An ‘infectiously brilliant’ intellectual historian has died

From climate change to artificial intelligence, constructal law has a theory, says Richard Joyner

Helen Bynum on a study of current immunisation practices in North America and the rise of the home-grown expert

The founder of the University of Leicester’s astronomy department, who had a minor planet named in his honour, has died

Supervisors explain how to help students keep their research on track

Book of the week: Fred Inglis delights in a grafting of art, lore and literature that logs our lives with natural wonders

Results of NUS survey appear to reflect university leavers’ experience in job market

Guild of European Research Intensive Universities also calls for minister to guarantee Erasmus funding for UK students 

European researchers call for a ‘radical reorganisation’ to help undergraduates and PhD students access grants

A new book by Bruno Lemaitre considers whether science is suffering from being led by the self-obsessed

Further 50 per cent of EU-backed schemes result in ‘major scientific advance’

Book of the week: Meet the human computers in heels who juggled science and family, says Margaret A. Weitekamp

Janet Sayers on what inner speech can tell us about our brain processes

The grouping of subjects such as neuroscience and psychiatry with cheaper disciplines will lead to what critics say is a failure to fairly fund mental health research

Idea is mooted at EuroScience Open Forum but event is also warned that privileging researchers could be seen as ‘elitist’

Debate about research on animals fails to tackle all the issues, says Gail Davies

Felipe Fernández-Armesto on a revealing study focusing on the evolution of unleashed canines

The ‘relatively modest’ research reputations of some senior US university leaders make their pay ‘grotesquely unmerited’, claims author of report

Research league calls for funding decision makers to see UK partners as desirable

Lack of progression may help to explain BME under-representation in academic workforce

Tyneside-educated scientist to lead institution from next year

Marcus Chown on the individuals and theories that expanded our view of the universe

Book of the week: There’s a strong political current running through a bold study skewering myths, says Louise Whiteley

Hundreds of students at Europe’s largest postgraduate dental school may have been awarded the wrong marks thanks to form-filling blunders

Knowledge of our genetic code has been used for good as well as ill, Charalambos Kyriacou says

Scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust will be able to publish their findings ahead of peer review on a new digital platform from this autumn

What are the downsides to being able to monitor so many physical activities? asks Marcus Chown

Jisc/RLUK study charts sector’s shift towards making research freely available online

The government needs to act fast to maintain British excellence in the sciences and humanities in an era of Brexit, they say

Book of the week: In between what we know is good or bad for us is the rest of medical science, says Jennifer Rohn

The ability to exercise some authority over others can be a force for good, but there is more to it than that, says Manuela Barreto