Editorial

At The Scientist, we are strengthening our roots while reaching for the sky.

As humanity peers ever further into the cosmos, the similarities and differences between our universe and our inner workings emerge.

Notes from my first in-person mega-conference in two years

The first part of 2022 is giving us a glimpse of humanity’s future relationship with COVID-19.

Scientific advances almost always have the potential to benefit human lives. In times like these, they have the power to save them.

Preprints are likely here to stay. The press, the public, and the research community must adapt to this relatively recent model of scientific publishing if we are to extract its benefits while avoiding its pitfalls.

COVID-19 has killed more than 4 million people around the globe and has sickened many millions more. The neurological toll on those of us continuing to live through the pandemic may stretch years or decades into the uncertain future.

Humanity was hoping to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic this year. But viruses have plenty of tools at their disposal, and we should plan for a long-term future in which SARS-CoV-2 is a persistent threat.

Hearing others’ perspectives on infertility and pregnancy has me reconsidering my own reproductive journey.

The resurfaced conversation surrounding the idea that SARS-CoV-2 might have leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, represents an opportunity to reexamine the confluence of science, politics, and public discourse.

The recent news of consumers hoarding gasoline in the face of a brief closure of one of the world’s biggest petroleum pipelines is just the latest episode of panic buying since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Politicians should of course consider and respect the latest research findings in crafting policy, but elected officials should honor the scientific method by letting its practitioners hash out the details of the science.

As with the evolution of astronomy, new insights in biology beckon just beyond our conceptual and observational reach.

In a triumph for science, COVID-19 statistics are finally trending favorably in the US. We must make sure the rest of the world is not left behind.

This year has started out in a fashion that is sadly similar to the way 2020 unspooled. But the steady pace of scientific discovery helps maintain our sense of hope.

Last year humanity confronted our biggest challenge in a century. Science helped us see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we need to keep moving forward to emerge.

As the world around us seems increasingly volatile, protecting and respecting the integrity of research and evidence becomes more important than ever.

While the world is still coming to grips with the new reality wrought by COVID-19, the risk of catastrophe from a warming planet persists.

The primordial emotion is apt to run amok. But harnessing it can lead to responsible behavior and sound thinking.