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University of Cape Town's Battle to Tackle a Racist Legacy
Six years after a statue of Cecil Rhodes was toppled, students and staff at the South African university are still working to improve equity and representation.

A Network Analysis of COVID-19 MRNA Vaccine Patents
A preliminary network analysis highlights the complex intellectual property landscape behind mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.

Open-access Publisher PLOS Pushes to Extend Clout Beyond Biomedicine
The publisher will launch five new journals, and has introduced a new business model that aims to spread the cost of publishing more fairly.

Six Lessons from a Pandemic PhD Student
If you're starting a doctoral programme later this year, particularly if your institution is still facing COVID-19 restrictions, Ciara O'Brien has some advice.

Swiss Funder Draws Lots to Make Grant Decisions
The Swiss National Science Foundation hopes to eliminate bias when choosing between applications of similar quality.

Why Some Researchers Oppose Unrestricted Sharing of Coronavirus Genome Data
Why Some Researchers Oppose Unrestricted Sharing of Coronavirus Genome Data
Global South scientists say that an open-access movement led by wealthy nations deprives them of credit and undermines their efforts.

India, Brazil and the Human Cost of Sidelining Science
Governments that ignore or delay acting on scientific advice are missing out on a crucial opportunity to control the pandemic.

How We Embarked on a Long-distance Relationship on Behalf of Our Research Career
How We Embarked on a Long-distance Relationship on Behalf of Our Research Career
Many scientist couples move abroad together, but Gidiane Scaratti and Rafael Kenji Nishihora chose to live and work in different countries. This is what they learnt.

You Can Help to Create a New Researcher-reward System
Universities, funders and others want to expand the contributions that the scientific community values and recognizes, says Karen Stroobants.

Scientific Success by Numbers
Big data bibliometrics must take into account qualitative analyses of research as a social institution, rooted in history, economics and politics.

Sell Yourself and Your Science in a Compelling Personal Statement
Don't get bogged down in technical details, and balance the professional and the personal.

How Philosophy is Making Me a Better Scientist
Rasha Shraim's education helped her to think more deeply about ethics, logic and other big questions.

Equity Concerns Persist over Open-Access Publishing
Senior male researchers at prestigious institutions are the most likely to pay to publish open access, study suggests.
How Two Neuroscientists Built a Mindfulness Class to Improve Students' Well-being
How Two Neuroscientists Built a Mindfulness Class to Improve Students' Well-being
Kevin Boehnke and Richard E. Harris introduced a course in meditation, yoga and mindfulness to the neuroscience programme at their institution.
How Junior Scientists Can Land a Seat at the Leadership Table
Early-career researchers bring energy, talent and diverse voices to leadership and advisory roles.

A Guide to Plan S: the Open-access Initiative Shaking Up Science Publishing
A Guide to Plan S: the Open-access Initiative Shaking Up Science Publishing
The push to remove journal paywalls officially started this year. Here's how it works.

National COVID Debts: Climate Change Imperils Countries' Ability to Repay
National COVID Debts: Climate Change Imperils Countries' Ability to Repay
Analysis reveals three ways to boost green investment and achieve a resilient recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

US Universities Call for Clearer Rules on Science Espionage Amid Crackdown
As the National Institutes of Health begins implementing Trump-era guidelines, researchers voice concerns over transparency and racial profiling.

The World Must Learn from COVID Before Diving into a Pandemic Treaty
The World Must Learn from COVID Before Diving into a Pandemic Treaty
A treaty might help countries to prepare for the next pandemic - but first they must study what went wrong during this one.

Time to Regulate AI That Interprets Human Emotions
The pandemic is being used as a pretext to push unproven artificial-intelligence tools into workplaces and schools.

Do You Obey Public-Access Mandates? Google Scholar is Watching
Search-engine co-founder Anurag Acharya explains why it now tells authors when their papers should be made free to read.

It's Time to Consider a Patent Reprieve for COVID Vaccines
The pandemic is not a competition between companies and will not end without more-equal distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

WHO Report into COVID Pandemic Origins Zeroes in on Animal Markets
Scientists say the conclusions make sense but note that supporters of the lab-leak theory are unlikely to be satisfied.

Why Indoor Spaces Are Still Prime COVID Hotspots
Risks shoot up when virus particles accumulate in buildings, but it's not clear how best to improve ventilation.

What It Will Take to Vaccinate the World Against COVID-19
A special report outlines the challenges - from unleashing the power of mRNA vaccines, to the battle for temporary intellectual-property relief.

We Need to Talk About the Lack of Investment in Digital Research Infrastructure
We Need to Talk About the Lack of Investment in Digital Research Infrastructure
Research software infrastructure is critical for accelerating science, and yet, these digital public goods are often unsustainably funded. Solving this problem requires an appreciation of the intrinsic value of research software outputs, and greater investment of time and effort into effectively funding maintenance of software at scale.
Row Erupts over University's Use of Research Metrics in Job-cut Decisions
Critics say redundancies are being decided using unreliable measures related to funding and citations, highlighting broader unease about the use of metrics in science.
