News & Comment

Detecting and quantifying the causal relations of ecosystem functioning is a challenging endeavor. This Comment discusses a global study on grasslands and illustrates how reasoning about underlying assumptions is key to modern causal inference approaches in ecology.

Lack of information on authors’ contribution to specific aspects of a study hampers reproducibility and replicability. Here, the authors propose a new, easily implemented reporting system to clarify contributor roles in the Methods section of an article.

We address a controversy over use of the term “gene drive” to include both natural and synthetic genetic elements that promote their own transmission within a population, arguing that this broad definition is both practical and has advantages for risk analysis.

The process of patenting inventions may be complex. Academic researchers whose primary goal is getting their work published in scientific journals often face daunting doubts when it comes to understanding the interplay between publishing and patenting their findings. We asked Prof Frank Tietze questions from the perspective of academic researchers who wish to understand how the patenting process works and—most importantly—the relation between patenting and publishing.

A recent study from Nature Communications reveals that Mycobacterium tuberculosis can hijack epigenetic machinery in host cells and induce host cell ferroptosis, which promotes pathogen pathogenicity and spread. These findings also suggest new therapeutic strategies to treat tuberculosis.

Supramolecular chemistry based on cyclodextrin receptors as second-sphere ligands contribute to developing non-covalent materials with synergistic functionalities. Herein, we comment on a recent investigation of this concept, describing selective gold recovery through a hierarchical host-guest assembly specifically built from β-CD.

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission intentionally impacted the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022, and this kinetic impact changed Dimorphos’ orbit around its binary companion Didymos. This first planetary defense test explored technological readiness for this method of asteroid deflection.

This Comment highlights the importance of Faradaic efficiency reporting and discusses methods for reliable measurements of Faradaic efficiency in the electrocatalysis field.

A large proportion of recent Brazilian Amazon deforestation is occurring on untitled public forestlands through land grabbing. This emerging risk demands long-term conservation strategies. Here we propose prioritizing land tenure security, technological improvement, and law enforcement.

More than a decade after the first demonstration of large-scale graphene synthesis by chemical vapor deposition, the commercialization of graphene products is limited not only by price, but also by consistency, reproducibility, and predictability. Here, the author discusses the reproducibility issues in the field and proposes possible solutions to improve the reliability of published results.

Organizations have been founded to build communities by bringing together scientists from diverse backgrounds but with one shared identity and the common goal of strengthening their roles, increasing their visibility, and promoting their representation. In this conversation, representatives from three such organizations share their experiences and advice with Nature Communications. Priscilla Kolibea Mante (a Co-Chair), Encieh Erfani (a member of the Executive Committee) and Lisa Herzog (an alumna) of the Global Young Academy (GYA) discuss the role of their organization in supporting early career researchers. Kaela Singleton, the president-elect of Black In Neuro, discusses their mission to empower Black neuroscientists. Jennifer Thomson, the president of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), informs us about their efforts in providing career development, networking and leadership opportunities to women from the developing (and developed) world.

Searching for evidence of life on Mars is a major impetus for exploration. A new study published in Nature Communications finds that current Mars mission instruments lack the essential sensitivity to identify life traces in Chilean desert samples that strongly resemble the martian area currently under study by NASA’s Perseverance rover.

Esophageal cancers feature distinct manifestations between and within patients which complicate precision diagnosis, prognosis, and patient care. New genomic and epigenomic research uncovers novel mechanisms underlying both inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity in esophageal cancer, with significant biological and translational implications.

Carbon dioxide removal technologies are gaining prominence in academia, industry and policy, yet the need for substantial funding raises serious challenges. This comment discusses these issues and offers suggestions for future funding efforts in this area.

Climate change is an expensive collective problem that will be felt unequally around the world and within communities. Sustainable and equitable financing is needed to address disparities and reduce the economic costs of loss and damage from climate change.

Every area of science can contribute to the changes that are required for a sustainable future through the application of its fundamental discoveries. While some fields have clear paths to application, Nature Communications believes that there is great potential for utility and application to be found in, and across, all of  the different disciplines that we publish.

Prostate cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease. Progression on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to castration-resistant (CRPC), or neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), is associated with poor patient survival. This comment highlights recent evidence on the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the emergence of lineage plasticity and neuroendocrine differentiation in treatment-resistant prostate tumors.

Two new studies exploring PROTAC-mediated degradation of SMARCA2 for cancer therapy solve an apparently intractable selectivity challenge with SMARCA4 by utilising the requirement for a productive ternary complex between the protein, PROTAC and ligase complex.