Features
Is the blood-brain barrier a barrier to medical progress?
Sophie Beaumont reviews research into how the blood-brain barrier protects the brain, and poses challenges for delivery of medical treatment.
Checkpoints: Progress in cancer immunotherapy
Cecilia Jay describes the challenges facing immunotherapy as cancer treatment, and its potential to revolutionise personalised medicine .
How WEIRD biases reduce diversity in behavioural science
Bessie O’Dell explains how bias towards people from Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic (WEIRD) societies skews research.
Intellectual property in the life sciences: A barrier or a key to a better future?
Jacques William Bouvier debates the pros and cons of intellectual property in the life sciences, and how regulation might foster innovation.
What stops us from saying tongue twisters fluently?
Sakshi Rajesh explains what linguistics and brain sciences have to tell us about tongue twisters, and why we find them so difficult to say.
The ecological legacy of nuclear fallout
Paris Jaggers describes the surprising environmental legacy of nuclear fallout from the bomb testing era of the mid-20th century.
Optimal transport theory from sandcastles to artificial intelligence
Duncan W. Martinson describes the progression of optimal transport theory through various applications from economics to AI.
Super-resolution microscopy: Beyond the optical barrier
Simon Lichtinger describes how the development of super-resolution microscopy enabled scientists to see beyond the optical diffraction limit.
The end of Dunbar’s number: Have our social networks changed for good?
Helen Collins explores evidence for and against Dunbar’s number, the idea that our species’ social groups are limited to around 150 people.
Fungi: The worldwide web beneath our feet
Nell Miles argues that as a crucial and often-forgotten part of soil biodiversity, fungi deserve more research and recognition.