One hundred years ago today, the publisher Springer launched a German multidisciplinary journal named Naturwissenschaften ('natural sciences') at the behest of physicist and future editor Arnold Berliner. The journal was closely modelled on Nature.

Nature maintained its support for the journal throughout the political upheavals in twentieth-century Europe. As a Jew, Berliner was forced to resign in 1935. Nature wrote: “We much regret to learn that on August 13 Dr. Arnold Berliner was removed from the editorship of Die Naturwissenschaften, obviously in consequence of non-Aryan policy” (Nature 136, 506; 1935). It also published a moving obituary when Berliner took his own life in 1942 (Nature 150, 284; 1942).

Naturwissenschaften — The Science of Nature is now published exclusively in English. During this anniversary year, the journal will provide open access online to its most highly rated 100 articles, and will present the first Arnold Berliner Award for the best research article published in 2012, judged using Berliner's original motivations of excellence, originality and interdisciplinarity.