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The article focuses on the impact a Russian amended law concerning state secrets is having on science publishing by Russian scientists. It states President Vladimir Putin used a decree in May 2015 expanding the scope of a law requiring scientists get permission from the Federal Security Service prior to publishing results which could have industrial or military applications. It reports Russian universities are requiring scientists seek approval to the publication of any findings without exception.

This section offers news briefs on science as of May 2015. A new rule proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires drug companies that sell veterinary antibiotics to track where their drugs are going. A record energy of 13 teraelectronvolts of protons was achieved by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on May 20. An independent investigation found that surgeon Paolo Macchiarini committed scientific misconduct in several papers.

The author discusses the need for a global agreement in order to tackle extreme climate change and global warming. Topics include political efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions., combustion of fossil fuels, model of the Kyoto Protocol, and man-made climate change. The author talks about a need for resolution in issues related to emissions trading and encourage energy saving construction by investing in energy storage technology.

The article reports that though the Japanese government is introducing structural reforms to support scientific community science leaders are concerned whether the reforms will address deeper problems. Topics discussed include the Japan Revitalization Strategy of Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe for innovations, decline in economic performance and grants by the government for scientific research and strengthening of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI).

The author argues that the unavailability of public data held by Chinese government agencies is a problem facing researchers in China. Topics include transparency in relation to air-pollution data, problems with access to academic research and internet search engines, and the lack of data in economics, public health, and environmental issues in China.

The article examines how the Ebola virus disease epidemic in West Africa could lead to more initiatives to better prepare for future possible pandemics or epidemics. It looks at efforts to monitor viruses in animal populations and conduct infectious-disease research to identify potential threats. Particular attention is given to the need for outbreak response strategies from the World Health Organization (WHO), other international organizations, and world governments.

We are witnessing the advent of a new era of robots - drones - that can autonomously fly in natural and man-made environments. These robots, often associated with defence applications, could have a major impact on civilian tasks, including transportation, communication, agriculture, disaster mitigation and environment preservation. Autonomous flight in confined spaces presents great scientific and technical challenges owing to the energetic cost of staying airborne and to the perceptual intelligence required to negotiate complex environments. We identify scientific and technological advances that are expected to translate, within appropriate regulatory frameworks, into pervasive use of autonomous drones for civilian applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on conducting social science research utilizing government data records. The article discusses government restrictions to the use of this data, how government data is different from other forms of online "big data," and the benefits of using data such as tax records, welfare applications, government identification cards, or medical records. The article discusses privacy and legislative concerns regarding the use of this data.

The authors argue that waste crab, lobster, and shrimp shells contain useful chemicals such as protein, calcium carbonate, and chitin, and should be refined to create an inexpensive renewable resource. The authors propose that governments in countries with a large amount of shell waste should fund a processing pipeline and stringent government regulations should be implemented regarding waste shell disposal.

The article focuses on a partnership between Cuba and the United States to research and eventually protect shark and ray populations off the coast of Cuba. It states marine protected areas have been established along 20 percent of Cuba's coastline and mentions Cuba has started regulating equipment used in fishing and plans to establish catch limits for sharks and other fish species. It comments on U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cooperative research with Cuban scientists.

The authors argue that scientists should advocate for the creation of marine parks in order to preserve the preservation of ocean life. Topics include the preservation of the sea-horse populations in Studland Bay in England, attempts to create marine conservation zones (MCZs) on the coast of Great Britain, and proposed marine reserves around the British territories Chagos Islands and Pitcairn Islands.

A letter to the editor is presented on the fires in peatlands and forests of Indonesia, including in regard to deforestation in the country, the Indonesian government's policy towards the oil-palm industry and the carbon emissions caused by the fires.

The article presents corrections to several articles published in issue #525 of the journal, including the news article "Encryption faces quantum foe," the news feature "Fishing for the first Americans," and the news story "Health study set to decide data policy."

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an obituary published in a previous issue for British physicist Henry Moseley, who studied X-ray spectra of atoms and was killed in World War I, and how it may have impacted government policy regarding the military enlistment of scientists.

The article discusses whether a regulation proposed by U.S. president Barack Obama in 2015 concerning an extension of overtime pay would apply to postdoctoral researchers.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article in a previously published edition of the journal concerning data produced by the Chinese government on carbon emissions.

The article discusses the Chinese government's emergency emissions reduction strategy which aims to reduce air pollution and mentions topics including a decline in the concentration of particulate matter and a study about the environmental effects of urban and rural development.

This section offers news briefs related to science for the week of January 2-8, 2015. Topics discussed include the lifetime blood donation ban on men who had sex with men to prevent HIV in the U.S., Japanese researchers' creation of stem cells via the exposure of ordinary cells to stress, and the initial public offering of cancer treatment company Juno Therapeutics.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article by T. Tanimoto and other researchers on the topic of new guidelines introduced for research integrity in Japan, by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in order to curb research misconduct.