Magdalena Skipper
Editor in Chief of Nature, geneticist, editor, accidental potter. All views my own
- RIP Gladys Mae West, a US mathematician best known for her foundational work on GPS systems. At @springernature.com we remember her every day as a major communal space in our London offices is named after her 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- This could be a real breakthrough in precision medicine… all down to a change in regulation. Instead of approving a specific treatment, what is being approved is a new “master protocol” for the treatment of groups of genetic conditions within a single framework #MedSky economist.com/science-and-...
- Everyone should read this! 🧪 #AcademicSky When two years of academic work vanished with a single click www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Guinea-Bissau suspends a US-funded vaccine trial as African scientists question its motives. “African scientists say that the Guinea-Bissau study shows how political pressure, funding interests & fragmented oversight can push local health priorities aside.” 🧪 #MedSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reposted by Magdalena SkipperHi @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social with us in May #Crick @matthewcobb.bsky.social General bookings from1st Feb www.campdenmayfestivals.co.uk/literature/e...
- History is a great teacher. In this piece our own @heidiledford.bsky.social looks at what we can learn from what happened in Japan when vaccine support was withdrawn and how the government is now working to reverse the effects 🧪 #MedSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Credit in research goes hand in hand with responsibility. In this week’s editorial we argue that when things go wrong & a retraction is needed, if it is clear who among the authors is responsible they should be named in the retraction note. COPE agrees 🧪 #AcademicSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- I wonder how many could have predicted this finding - AI tools boost individual scientists but could limit research topics www.nature.com/articles/d41... www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪
- These five themes will likely dominate the year in US science. Perhaps no terrible surprise here but there may be some glimmers of hope 🤞🏼 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- It appears that employers are being flooded by chatbot-generated applications… so journals being hit but AI-generated manuscripts are no longer alone 🧐 🧪 economist.com/business/202...
- As Wikipedia turns 25, Jimmy Wales talks to us about his new book, the importance of scientific transparency and the rise of artificial intelligence. Good to know that he still has faith in humans when it comes to sourcing facts! 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Defossilize our chemical world - we argue in this week’s editorial. Demand for ‘embedded’ carbon found in chemicals is expected to double by 2050, but this carbon cannot come from the usual sources, such as coal, natural gas and oil 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- The wonderful world of materials engineering - authors of this @nature.com paper have created the first materials that can change not just their colour, but also their surface texture on demand 🧪 #TechSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Naively, I never considered it - if we are to successfully ‘colonise’ space we need to get much better at understanding & building functional ecosystems that include recycling & environmental regulation. We know how to build rockets; time to better understand biology 🧪 economist.com/leaders/2025...
- This is a fascinating approach - a systems engineering-based life-cycle assessment framework - for identifying ecologically responsible innovation in next-generation wearable electronics 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Science in 2026: what to expect this year 🧪 @naturepodcast.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- There is no question that AI tools are transforming our lives, on a personal & professional level. And the future direction of travel is clear. So before it’s too late, the world needs to come together on AI safety. How about making it a New Year’s resolution? 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- This is incredibly sad news! It was a highlight of this past year to have met Emma Johnston in Melbourne, when we collaborated on an event that Melbourne University and @springernature.com held together in May. Emma was a thoughtful and energetic leader. What a loss! www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
- Taking a proper break with this rather incredible book. The intro talks about the effect of Industrial Revolution on craft in Britain & gives this tantalising stat - in mid 1880s Britain was responsible for 43% of world’s manufactured exports. Apparently China accounts for less than 30% today!
- Seven feel-good science stories to round up 2025. All too often we forget to celebrate the positives 🧪 #AcademicSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Some very good news for science and education in the UK and EU! 🎉 🧪 #AcademicSky www.theguardian.com/education/20...
- Auto-focus glasses would transform my life… I just found about this impressive bit of tech (and design) 🧪 #TechSky (does this tag exist?) www.dezeen.com/2025/11/18/a...
- Many of you responded to our Nature Briefing call asking about their favourite presents that first got you interested in the research. So what are the top gifts that shaped people’s career in science? By Anne Marie Conlon 🧪 #AcademicSky www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
- What will be the first AI-designed drug? These disease-fighting antibodies are top contenders 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- So hard to watch well-established medical advances being discarded willfully 🧪 #MedSky Hepatitis B vaccine guidance set to be rolled back for US babies: what the science says www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer. This stand first says it all… A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro 🧪 #academicSky @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Chinese-born ‘boffins’ have long made up the largest group of foreign researchers in the US; Silicon Valley is still full of them as the US remains the top destination for AI talent worldwide. But China is the top source of that talent Their exodus will be harmful 🧪 www.economist.com/china/2025/1...
- The world has lost a giant of virology, molecular biology and science advocacy David Baltimore’s obituary by Stephen Goff www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- A human-rights researcher on why she pushed back when China bullied her university Kudos @lauratmurphy.bsky.social An important lesson for our times for all economist.com/by-invitatio...
- Craig Venter pays tribute to Ham Smith who passed away on October 25th - molecular biologist who co-discovered precise molecular scissors for cutting DNA 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Jim Watson leaves a complex legacy. He will be remembered for one of THE discoveries of the 20th century but also for a baseless & damaging conviction for which there simply is no evidence RIP 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Comprehensive & multimodal cell-type atlases of the developing human, mouse & non-human primate brains reported by the BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network How stem cells turn into neurons 🧪 #BICAN @nature.com @natureportfolio.nature.com www.nature.com/collections/...
- If you only read one thing today - a Q&A with Patricia Kingori, a remarkable scholar who uncovered a remarkable story about a huge ‘fake essay industry’. 🧪 #academicSky @nature.com @ox.ac.uk www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- In praise of fundamental research Our editorial this week argues that I n these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different 🧪 @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- What next for the plastics treaty? 🧪 “negotiations have stalled partly because a false morality play of ambition versus obstruction took hold. Over the years, I have witnessed how this ‘heroes versus villains’ narrative has obscured the complex realities at stake” www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- We asked physicists which are the sci-fi films they like the most - two were consistently highlighted in interviews for their depictions of science: 2014’s Interstellar and 2006’s The Prestige — both of which were directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- China seeks self-reliance in science in next 5-year plan & the focus is on advanced semiconductor technologies, AI & basic research I’m just back from AI in medicine & biomedical Innovation events in Beijing, and I sense China is also very keen on collaboration 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- “I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist; on his present showing, this is quite ridiculous.” A privilege to have known John. He always listened to what one had to say with great intent. If you knew him, you know what I mean. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Today’s best AI models sail through the Turing test, a famous thought experiment that asks whether a computer can pass as a human by interacting via text. Some see an upgraded test as a necessary benchmark for progress towards AGI By @lizziegibney.bsky.social 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- An estimated 100 million people live with facial differences. As face recognition tech becomes widespread, some say they’re getting blocked from accessing essential systems and services. 🧪 @wired.com via #naturebriefing & @floragraham.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/when-f...
- This month China opened its doors to bright young things via a new visa—bold in vision but scant in detail—in a bid for global tech talent. China’s H-1B-visa alternative excites interest abroad—but fury at home @economist.com economist.com/china/2025/1...
- The spectre of malnutrition is back & must be tackled fast. The rise in child malnutrition is not a statistic that can be ignored & must be reversed. Otherwise, the consequences will blight the lives of these children for decades to come 🧪 #MedSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Carbon credits are failing. Offsets distract from this crucial task. Instead, set progressively rising price caps that require facilities to pay a prescribed amount to government when they are unable to meet mandatory emissions-reduction obligations. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- The incentive for investing in R&D declines as a company’s market share grows. To guarantee the societal benefits of constant innovation, it is in society’s interests for the state to subsidize R&D, so long as the return is not merely incremental improvements. 🧪 #NobelPrize2025
- Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Pewter Howitt share economics prize for work that underlines the importance of investing in research and development. go.nature.com/4hj9NNV
- Brilliant winner choice for the economics Nobel Prize. Congratulations to the winners! A very timely choice to demonstrate the key contributions that innovation, technology and creativity make to the economies! Well-worth continued investment 🧪 #NobelPrize2025 www.nobelprize.org/prizes/econo...
- T regs, which help to dampen inflammation, won Nobel fame on Monday. There is hope that they can be used in clinical trials against ailments such as certain types of cancer or autoimmune diseases @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪 #MedSky #NobelPrize2025 #Nobel2025
- Less than 70% of science Nobel prize winners awarded this century hail from the country in which they were awarded their prize. “Mobility benefits everyone. Each newcomer brings fresh ideas, new techniques & different ways of looking at old problems” 🧪 #academicSky www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Congratulations to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi who win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering the creation of metal-organic frameworks, which can capture and store molecules such as carbon dioxide. 🧪 #Nobel25 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Congratulations to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis! Martinis told our reporter that his wife had gotten the news in the middle of the night — in California time — but decided not to wake him up quite yet. 🧪 #Nobel2025 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
