Nature's careers coverage describes how Iranian postgraduate students and early-career researchers, including those studying in the United States, have been disrupted by a year of upheaval in Iran. This includes a 12-day war in June 2025 involving Israeli, Iranian and US strikes on nuclear and military sites, followed by an economic crisis and government crackdown on protests. Nearly 12,000 Iranian postgraduate students were enrolled in US institutions in 2024-25, many of whom now also contend with US travel, visa and work restrictions.
nature.com
· 2026-11-02
A collaboration among the UK universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, the White Rose Established Researchers project, interviewed academics who have achieved research independence about their career experiences. The researchers found that progression after this point is rarely linear, with established academics describing ongoing pressure to balance leadership duties, competing demands and uncertainty rather than feeling they had reached a stable stage.
nature.com
· 2026-10-28
China's National Natural Science Foundation has selected 44 researchers under 35 (38 for women), including 9 from outside the country, for its new National Distinguished Young Scientists Fund. NSFC president Dou Xiankang announced the picks at a Shenzhen forum, describing a 'five-plus-five-plus-five' structure where initial five-year grants can be renewed twice to reach 15 years, with funding doubling to 8 million yuan in the second phase. Dou said recipients would face no short-term performance assessments, only a requirement to remain active in the lab.
nature.com
· 2026-10-20
Climate scientists report that current El Niño conditions have already pushed sea levels in parts of the Pacific up by as much as 1.3 feet due to thermal expansion of warming ocean water. Researchers warn this effect is expected to intensify further as a result of lunar gravitational cycles influencing tides.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-19
A new scientific assessment finds that global progress toward protecting 30% of the planet's land and ocean by 2030 is further along than earlier figures indicated, according to researchers cited by Nature. The revised estimate reflects updated data on areas already under conservation or indigenous management that were previously undercounted.
nature.com
· 2026-10-14
A Nature editorial cites data showing the share of doctors who also conduct research has fallen sharply in the US, UK and Japan over recent decades, with the steepest drops among early-career physician-scientists. A medRxiv survey found more than half of early-career US physician-scientists are considering abandoning academic work for purely clinical careers, compared with 31% of physicians generally considering leaving their post within two years.
nature.com
· 2026-10-12
Researchers analyzed the DNA of Jonathan, a giant tortoise believed to be nearly two centuries old, to identify factors contributing to his remarkable lifespan. The study aims to uncover genetic markers that could inform human aging research.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-10-07
An international team of scientists conducting a periodic assessment of Earth's systems found that seven of nine defined 'planetary boundaries' have been crossed, according to the report. These boundaries cover areas such as climate, biodiversity and freshwater that researchers consider critical to maintaining a stable environment for human life.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-22
Researchers warn that this year's El Niño event, combined with ongoing global warming, resembles a rare pattern last observed in the late 1990s. They caution that the interaction between these two forces could produce extreme weather events that fall outside the range of existing climate models and historical data.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-14
Scientists reportedly produced a previously unknown crystalline form of water ice while subjecting samples to temperatures near 2,357 degrees Celsius, conditions far beyond those where ice normally exists. The extreme heat was paired with high pressure to force water molecules into a novel structural arrangement not seen in standard ice phases.
science.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-12
Geologists have identified a long-dormant supervolcano beneath England as the origin of the Kinnekulle tephra, a volcanic ash layer found across parts of Europe. The discovery resolves a decades-old mystery about the source of this widespread ash deposit, which had puzzled scientists studying the region's geological history.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-08-31
South Africa's government has proposed a law requiring 'practising natural scientists' to register with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions, covering anyone providing scientific services or advice, whether paid or unpaid. Exceptions apply to educators at recognized institutions and those crafting government science policy, but failure to comply could result in up to a year in prison.
nature.com
· 2026-08-26
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