Search

The article focuses on international cooperative research between China and other countries and the role that China's diaspora is playing in making it a growing center of international collaboration. It states China's largest collaborator is the U.S., with Germany as its next strongest collaborative partner. It mentions the increase in collaboration for research chemistry and the physical sciences. It presents charts of China's global research network and links between China and other nations.

A novel Ebola virus (EBOV) first identified in March 2014 has infected more than 25,000 people in West Africa, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths. Preliminary analyses of genome sequences of 81 EBOV collected from March to June 2014 from Guinea and Sierra Leone suggest that the 2014 EBOV originated from an independent transmission event from its natural reservoir followed by sustained human-to-human infections. It has been reported that the EBOV genome variation might have an effect on the efficacy of sequence-based virus detection and candidate therapeutics. However, only limited viral information has been available since July 2014, when the outbreak entered a rapid growth phase. Here we describe 175 full-length EBOV genome sequences from five severely stricken districts in Sierra Leone from 28 September to 11 November 2014. We found that the 2014 EBOV has become more phylogenetically and genetically diverse from July to November 2014, characterized by the emergence of multiple novel lineages. The substitution rate for the 2014 EBOV was estimated to be 1.23 × 10−3 substitutions per site per year (95% highest posterior density interval, 1.04 × 10−3 to 1.41 × 10−3 substitutions per site per year), approximating to that observed between previous EBOV outbreaks. The sharp increase in genetic diversity of the 2014 EBOV warrants extensive EBOV surveillance in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to better understand the viral evolution and transmission dynamics of the ongoing outbreak. These data will facilitate the international efforts to develop vaccines and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Africa is currently witnessing the most extensive Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak so far recorded. Until now, there have been 27,013 reported cases and 11,134 deaths. The origin of the virus is thought to have been a zoonotic transmission from a bat to a two-year-old boy in December 2013 (ref. 2). From this index case the virus was spread by human-to-human contact throughout Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. However, the origin of the particular virus in each country and time of transmission is not known and currently relies on epidemiological analysis, which may be unreliable owing to the difficulties of obtaining patient information. Here we trace the genetic evolution of EBOV in the current outbreak that has resulted in multiple lineages. Deep sequencing of 179 patient samples processed by the European Mobile Laboratory, the first diagnostics unit to be deployed to the epicentre of the outbreak in Guinea, reveals an epidemiological and evolutionary history of the epidemic from March 2014 to January 2015. Analysis of EBOV genome evolution has also benefited from a similar sequencing effort of patient samples from Sierra Leone. Our results confirm that the EBOV from Guinea moved into Sierra Leone, most likely in April or early May. The viruses of the Guinea/Sierra Leone lineage mixed around June/July 2014. Viral sequences covering August, September and October 2014 indicate that this lineage evolved independently within Guinea. These data can be used in conjunction with epidemiological information to test retrospectively the effectiveness of control measures, and provides an unprecedented window into the evolution of an ongoing viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about technological advancement in Central and Eastern Europe after the end of communism. Topics include membership of European Union helped countries like Poland, Bulgaria and Romania in getting financial aid, shortage of workforce in the scientific fields in Poland and Estonian government focusing on scientific investment.

Access to clean, affordable and reliable energy has been a cornerstone of the world's increasing prosperity and economic growth since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Our use of energy in the twenty-first century must also be sustainable. Solar and water-based energy generation, and engineering of microbes to produce biofuels are a few examples of the alternatives. This Perspective puts these opportunities into a larger context by relating them to a number of aspects in the transportation and electricity generation sectors. It also provides a snapshot of the current energy landscape and discusses several research and development opportunities and pathways that could lead to a prosperous, sustainable and secure energy future for the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart failure, or congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart cannot supply the body's tissues with enough blood. The result is a cascade of changes that lead to severe fatigue, breathlessness and, ultimately, death. In the past quarter century, much progress has been made in understanding the molecular and cellular processes that contribute to heart failure, leading to the development of effective therapies. Despite this, chronic heart failure remains a major cause of illness and death. And because the condition becomes more common with increasing age, the number of affected individuals is rising with the rapidly ageing global population. New treatments that target disease mechanisms at the cellular and whole-organ level are needed to halt and reverse the devastating consequences of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the need to reduce China's carbon dioxide emissions. Topics mentioned include percentage of the global total carbon dioxide emissions released by China in 2013, possible increase of more than 50 percent of the country's emissions within the next 15 years, and the use of regional targets and improved market mechanisms to reduce China's carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.

The author discusses the impact of low oil supplies to the economy in the U.S. He argues that the oil market was incapable to respond for the increasing oil demand, resources of fossil fuels were not competent to compensate the difference, and production was inelastic. Furthermore, he asserts that the development and drilling of reserves will take up six to 10 years before it could be part of its supply and when older fields will be depleted.

The article offers information on the research collaborations between Africa and China involving science and technology projects. It mentions the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) initiative launch by China in November 2009 funding 100 joint demonstration projects concerning technological and scientific research in 49 African countries. It adds that the trade between the Africa and China had increased by ten-fold since 2000.

The article discusses the November 6, 2015 rejection of the Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal by U.S. President Barack Obama. Topics include the views of Republican Party politicians in favor of the pipeline, continuing extraction of oil from tar sands in Alberta, and the role of climate change prevention in Canadian politics.

The article provides information on a study which suggests that a policy change could limit Australia's environmental pollution. It notes how the country could still focus on economic growth based on a materials-intensive approach. Particular attention is given to how the study addresses the climatic influence of greenhouse gases, noting that lifestyle changes such as reduced working time are not enough.

The article discusses the planning of the Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (iBG) at Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir, Turkey in relation to Turkish political conflicts. Topics include the role of iBG director Mehmet Öztürk in the project, the funding of the institute in relation to Turkish scientific culture, and government funding of research in relation to the iBG.

The article discusses higher education for young refugees from the Middle East and other war-torn regions. The author discusses calls by human rights organizations for countries hosting refugees to find ways to ensure university training for young refugees. Topics discussed include the fact that there are 60 million refugees worldwide, the possible use of MOOCS (massive open online courses), and the work of governments and non-governmental organizations to promote refugee higher education.

The article discusses the Japanese government's energy policy following the August 11, 2015, activation of a reactor at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant. According to the article, it was the first restart since the Japanese nuclear-power industry halted following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident. The article cites analysts who argue that the energy policies of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe will only slightly reduce carbon emissions. The article presents comments from the Japanese organization the National Institute for Environmental Studies climate-risk assessment team head Seita Emori.

The article offers science news briefs. Physicist Cherry Murray will be nominated by U.S. president Barack Obama as the agency the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science director. The organization the American Psychological Association (APA) decided to ban psychologists from military interrogations. The Scottish government intends to opt out of genetically modified (GM) crops approved by the European Union (EU).

The article discusses the success of a polio eradication campaign in Nigeria during the early 21st century due in part to the Nigerian government's aggressive campaign to convince Nigerians to accept polio vaccinations. The article discusses the government's work with the group the World Health Organization (WHO) and other groups, the work of vaccination teams, and the significance of vaccine research to fight three strains of polio. The article presents comments from Nigerian field epidemiologist Daniel Santong.

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 article reports on the February 2015 launch of the Life Study, which will follow 80,000 British children from birth to death. The project is aimed at tracking a generation of 21st-century babies to determine the factors in their early lives that are important in shaping their health and wealth as they grew into adults. There are reasons to hope that the study will succeed than the U.S. National Children's Study, including proper recruitment process and research collaborations.

The article focuses on the study by P. M. Cox and colleagues regarding the interactions between carbon and climate in tropical ecosystems. It states that the authors used emergent model constraint for refining the probable range of tropical-land carbon fluxes' sensitivities to climate change in the twenty-first century. It says that they show that the approach can be used to the carbon cycle.

In this article, the authors discuss the challenges and solutions for the growing population in Rwanda. They says that Rwanda has the biggest population in sub-Saharan Africa and is ranked 15th in fertility rate in the world. They mention that Rwanda can control its population through economic growth, education of women, and provision of free contraceptive to the community. They add that international organization and agencies are not acting on the issue due to religious or political reasons.

The author calls for the Chinese government to intensify its efforts against wildlife trafficking, citing a September 2015 confiscation of bear paws which are considered a delicacy in China.

A letter to the editor is presented concerning an appeal by the Dutch government against The Hague District Court's June 24, 2015 ruling requiring drastic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions from the Netherlands which demonstrates the weakness of lawsuits used as policy tools for climate change.

The authors argue that Turkey can successfully promote scientific research through national research centres, including the Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (iBG), but needs to prevent political interference in research.

The article presents a letter to the editor about volunteer movements in the Middle East, as reported in "Nature Middle East," that seek to spread scientific knowledge to people in the Middle East and in Islamic countries through social media and the Internet.

The article offers a clarification to the news story "Stanene makes its debut," which was published in issue 524 of the periodical "Nature," printed in 2015, which focused upon the insulator stanene, which was made by experimentalists and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The article examines carbon emissions from the country of China. Particular focus is given to how China's carbon emissions may be significantly lower than previously thought. Additional topics discussed include data from Chinese mines, how climate scientists might be revisiting estimates of the global carbon cycle and how China's fossil-fuel use is calculated.

The article reports Iranian scientists have spoken out in favor of the agreement between six world powers and Iran concerning the Iranian nuclear program, stating if the deal holds up it will ease sanctions hurting the Iranian economy, and mentions the underground facility at Fordow will be turned into a physics laboratory.

The article states that the California legislature failed to pass legislation advanced by California state senator Mark Leno that would have extended the state's smoking ban to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in July 2015. According to the article, some pointed to the growing influence of the e-cigarette industry, which lobbied against the bill, to the bill's defeat. The article also discusses a regulatory rule concerning e-cigarettes proposed by the U.S. agency the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The article also discusses taxation of e-cigarettes.

The article focuses on the efforts of climate scientists in setting a common standard for assessing the carbon-emission pledges submitted by several countries. Topics discussed include the purpose of the research consortium NewClimate Institute and the rating received by the U.S., European Union (EU), and China from the Climate Action Tracker. Criteria for assessing such pledges are also discussed.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article related to the impact of possible separation of Scotland as an independent country on the scientific research.

The article reports on a referendum passed on February 9, 2014, which will force the Swiss government to set quotas to limit the influx of foreigners in Switzerland and discusses its implications on European Union (EU)-Switzerland relations and research projects in the nation. Topics include European Research Council (ERC)-funded research in Switzerland, its associate member status in the EU's Horizon 2020 program and bilateral agreement between EU and Switzerland.

The article reports on the hunger strike by Govinda KC, physician and professor at the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Tribhuvan University (TU) in Nepal, initiated on February 8, 2014 against political patronage and corruption in academia and research in Nepal. Topics discussed include KC's demands of reinstating IOM's former dean and disciplinary action against corrupt staff, measures taken by Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and funding expenditures of Nepal's research agencies.

The article reports on the move of China to create two economic programs that aims to boost investment on high technology companies in China. It mentions that the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has announced that it was creating a 20 venture-capital funds worth 9 billion renminbis or 1.3 billion dollars. It affirms that the trading shares of the first 28 firms on the ChiNext stock exchange began its operation on October 30, 2009.

In this article the author focuses on Chinese perspective on the importance of a decisive mitigation action from developed nations to achieve a negotiation at the United Nations (UN) climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. He notes the concern of developed countries with immediate negative economic effects while developing countries with future well-being. He mentions the need of developing countries to prepare nationally appropriate mitigation plans for low-carbon development.

Offers a millennium essay on the role of the scientist. Reference to Leonardo da Vinci and his work,'Vetturale della Natura (Conveyor of Nature),' during the Renaissance; Specialization of the scientist; Need for scientists who can work in an interdisciplinary team and communicate effectively; Challenge of the 21st century to develop interdisciplinary teaching programs.

Discusses the possible impact of science in the twenty-first century. Role of the relationship between science and politics in a global knowledge economy; Tendency of politicians to state scientific insights as fact despite scientists still claiming that they are only approximate; Need for governments to use scientific authority responsibly.