Articles in 2015

String theory is at the heart of a debate over the integrity of the scientific method itself.

Microprocessor communications have received a boost from the integration of electronics and photonics in silicon — a first step towards low power consumption and efficient computing systems. See Letter p.534

A collective celebration.

Postdoc dies in Chinese lab fire; private rocket returns to Earth; and lions are listed as endangered.

Global assessments of variation in plant functional traits and the way that these traits influence competitive interactions provide a launching pad for future ecological studies. See Article p.167 & Letter p.204

Tree rings can pinpoint the source of wood as well as how old it is. This method has now been used to identify the sources of timber used by the Native Americans who constructed the pre-Columbian 'great houses' of Chaco Canyon.

Analysis of the 3D structure of DNA in tumour cells reveals how mutations in the IDH1 gene, and associated changes in methyl groups attached to DNA, elevate the expression of cancer-promoting genes. See Letter p.110

Machine learning, applied to complex multidimensional data, is shown to provide personalized dietary recommendations to control blood glucose levels. This is a step towards integrating the gut microbiome into personalized medicine.

If the Paris climate agreement is to succeed in limiting warming to 1.5 °C, countries need to drastically increase their emissions pledges, says Steffen Kallbekken.

Henry Nicholls talks to pioneering field biologist George Schaller — still studying iconic species at 82.

We asked four researchers who made the news in 2015 what they would change about how science gets done.

Physicists can better study the quantum behaviour of objects on the atomic scale.

Nanoscale particles have been uniformly dispersed in a magnesium alloy, yielding composites with record-breaking strengths — and raising the prospect of using magnesium as a lightweight metal for structural applications. See Letter p.539

Extracts from selected News & Views articles published this year.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has reversed its decision to make chemist Patrick Harran a fellow.

Lynn Gamwell traces the millennia of symbiosis between mathematics and art.

The discovery of microorganisms that can oxidize ammonia all the way to nitrate refutes the century-old paradigm that this nitrification process requires the activity of two types of microbe. See Article p.504 & Letter p.555