News & Comment

Against a backdrop of some of the most savage spending cuts in the developed world, the UK science budget has emerged relatively unscathed, but funding priorities may yet prove problematic.

Does peer review help or hinder science?

The European Union has passed new laws for the protection of laboratory animals according to the 'three Rs' concept.

The classic impact factor is outmoded. Is there an alternative for assessing both a researcher's productivity and a journal's quality?

The archaic nature of English libel law and its pernicious effect on scientific and medical reporting is widely criticized. Despite some recent positive developments, the situation remains perilous.

Signal integration, network complexities and genetic programming render the immune system ready to react to challenges from without and within.

Nature Immunology turns 10 years old in July. What new immunologic insights will the next decade bring?

Strong hypotheses stand the test of time because of rigorous experimentation by authors and the scientific community.

The openly religious stance of the NIH director could have undesirable effects on science education in the United States.

As the fallout from 'Climategate' rumbles on, the scientific community needs to stick to what it is best at: the gathering, interpretation and dissemination of accurate data.

California has one of the most prestigious public university systems. However, budget woes and lack of clear strategic planning may undermine its continued success.

Gender stereotypes prevent women from attaining full recognition of their research careers.

Although recent progress has aided our understanding of the processes that prevent immune tolerance breakdown, this Focus issue illustrates how much remains unknown about susceptibility to and pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.