Comment in 2017

Analysing the DNA, RNA and protein of single cells is transforming our understanding of the immune system, say Amir Giladi and Ido Amit.

Christiana Figueres and colleagues set out a six-point plan for turning the tide of the world’s carbon dioxide by 2020.

Monitor deforming electrodes to speed development of renewable-energy storage, write Liqiang Mai, Mengyu Yan and Yunlong Zhao.

As anti-science sentiment sweeps the world, it is vital to stop the suppression of firearms studies, argues David Hemenway.

Andreas Goldthau calls for the world's 20 largest economies to take the helm in managing the transition from fossil fuels while keeping the global economy stable.

Felix Creutzig calls for international coordination of land use to ensure everyone has access to its fruits.

The classification of complex organisms is in chaos. Stephen T. Garnett and Les Christidis propose a solution.

The blockchain technology that underpins cryptographic currencies can support sustainability by building trust and avoiding corruption, explains Guillaume Chapron.

Mariana Medina-Sánchez and Oliver G. Schmidt set priorities for more realistic tests of tiny machines that could be used to diagnose and treat conditions.

Independent professionals advance science in ways faculty-run labs cannot, and such positions keep talented people in research, argues Steven Hyman.

Earthquake survivors could be rescued more quickly if the media communicated the number of likely fatalities from the outset, argues Max Wyss.

A failure to use words clearly undermines the global response to antimicrobials' waning usefulness. Standardize terminology, urge Marc Mendelson and colleagues.

Science panels still rely on poor proxies to judge quality and impact. That results in risk-averse research, say Paula Stephan, Reinhilde Veugelers and Jian Wang.

Without data on how artificial intelligence is affecting jobs, policymakers will fly blind into the next industrial revolution, warn Tom Mitchell and Erik Brynjolfsson.

Beth Simone Noveck urges researchers to work out how technology can improve public institutions.

Stop these promising photovoltaics from degrading, urge Yang Yang and Jingbi You.

Study and model industrial processes to save money, energy and materials, urges Andrew Kusiak.

Levi Garraway reflects on the three things that keep his compass true when the going gets tough.

An analysis of more than 50 collaborations shows the secrets of success, write Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld and colleagues from the Stakeholder Alignment Collaborative.

A global network of cap-and-trade systems would deliver greater complexity and fewer emissions cuts, warns Jessica F. Green.