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Many people around the world will remember 2014 as the year Brazil hosted the football World Cup. But for Brazil's science communities, the decisions made by the new government could leave scars much deeper than the semi-final defeat.
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura "for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources."
Increases in governmental funding for research are outmatched by the swelling ranks of scientists competing for grants. Physicists are starting to look for creative alternatives to complement their funding.
University culture stands at a critical crossroads: the era of team science is upon us functionally, but not yet structurally. Solutions to the problems this mismatch creates involve rethinking education — and giving credit where credit is due.
