Erratic funding for basic research, coupled with concerns that science has fallen down the priority list for politicians, has contributed to a shift in researchers’ attitudes to lobbying. Just a few days into her job as Canada’s new science minister, Kirsty Duncan found herself receiving a hero’s welcome when she took to the stage at […]
Nature
Canada budget overlooks basic research
Small spending bumps for genomics and physics stand in stark contrast to the funding windfall across basic research in last year’s budget. What a difference a year makes. Canada’s 2019 budget, released on 19 March, includes modest increases for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government priorities including neuroscience and genomics research ― nothing like the historic five-year, […]
Biomedical research is becoming more open about its funding and data
More journal articles are now including statements about conflicts of interest and data sharing. Biomedical research is shifting to become more open and transparent by providing increasing amounts of information about funding, conflicts of interest and data sharing in its publications, according to a survey of recent papers. Read more in Nature.
Replication failures in psychology not due to differences in study populations
Half of 28 attempted replications failed even under near-ideal conditions. A large-scale effort to replicate results in psychology research has rebuffed claims that failures to reproduce social-science findings might be down to different study populations being used. The drive recruited labs around the world to try to replicate the results of 28 classic and contemporary […]
Europe’s Nobel laureates step up warnings about Brexit’s effect on science
Leading scientists and mathematicians urge UK and European Union leaders to strike a deal on research amid stalling negotiations. Nobel-prizewinning scientists from across Europe have called on UK and European Union leaders to maintain the “closest possible cooperation” on science after Brexit, and warn that any barriers to research collaboration in the EU will be […]
Outlook: STEM Education
A strong background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is crucial not only for students who go on to become scientists. The jobs of the future, in a variety of sectors, will increasingly require skills in STEM subjects. This Outlook looks at the ways in which science education is being modernized and updated to […]
Political expatriate
US ‘national drama’ drives theoretical chemist to move to Canada. Theoretical chemist Alán Aspuru-Guzik was among many US citizens who talked of moving to Canada after the November 2016 election of Donald Trump as US president. Now, Aspuru-Guzik has made good on his declaration, and will begin a new post in July. He explains how […]
Canadian science wins billions in new budget
Researchers pleased with unfettered funding for granting councils. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration released its 2018 budget on 27 February and scientists couldn’t be happier. It includes almost Can$4 billion (US$3.1 billion) in new funding for science over the next five years, a significant portion of which will go to the country’s three granting […]
Most insect studies lack crucial species information
Survey results suggest that a lot of entomology research could be impossible to replicate. More than 98% of entomology papers contain so little species information on the insects being studied that they are essentially impossible to replicate, according to a survey of more than 550 articles published in 2016. Read more in Nature.
The microscope makers
A small community of scientists has taken a do-it-yourself approach to microscopy: when the right tool for the job doesn’t exist, make it. While pursuing a bioengineering PhD at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Wesley Legant ran into a frustrating roadblock: he had ideas, but the equipment to carry them out didn’t yet exist. […]