150 years ago this week, the first issue of Nature, Springer Nature’s flagship journal, was published. Since then, the journal has seen extraordinary advances in research and has itself undergone fundamental changes whilst staying true to its original ambition of maintaining the rigour, innovation and integrity around science communication and helping readers make sense of the world of science.
Nature's anniversary issue, timeline and 3d mapping of 150 years of science research
Nature’s anniversary timeline provides some insights into its history and notable milestones, and in a Nature first, take a look through 150 years of Nature through its interactive 3d mapping of its research, impact and the correlation of each paper to each other.
An interactive network of science: 150 years of papers
Young scientist essay competition
As part of the celebrations and ahead of its special anniversary issue, Nature is looking to the future, with its Young Scientist Essay competition. The competition was won by PhD researcher Yasmin Ali, who told a personal story of her hope to see research to restore hearing for those with sensorineural hearing loss, the most common form type. The competition, which asked readers aged 18 -25 to tell us about the scientific advance that they would most like to see in their lifetimes, also chose two runners up. Of the many entries that focused on the world’s climate crisis, an essay by Robert Schittko (Harvard University) on a future fuelled by fusion caught the judges’ attention. The other runner up essay, by Matthew Zajac (University of Chicago), spoke of his personal desire for science to develop same-sex reproduction technology.
Nature's anniversary issue
Nature will celebrate its anniversary in print and online on the 7th November 2019, with a special issue and associated website that both explore its rich history and look forward to the future of science communication, news and engagement.
Nature’s diverse approach to content curation and production
Nature has evolved over its 150 years; this evolution is set to continue. The 150th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect back on Nature’s heritage and research milestones, but it is also a chance to refocus for the future and support the next generation of researchers in effectively and sustainably communicating their work - not just through publishing platforms but through the Nature Conferences programme, the Nature Careers portal, Nature Masterclasses and through Nature’s diverse approach to content curation and production.
