Category Archives: Nature

How important science done by important scientists at important universities can go wrong

Posted on March 30, 2011 by

No need to point any more fingers as many have done so already, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and 140ish, give or take a few, authors here. Instead I present to you a summary of how … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, Nature | 2 Comments

One step forward and two steps back – closing the door on Open Gate and opening the door to NRCRP Gate

Posted on March 8, 2011 by

So it appears that there is a resolution is sight for Open Gate (the nickname that the $32 Nature Open Access “glitch” got). To follow-up on my previous post on Nature asking users to pay for articles that supposedly were to … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Open Access | Leave a comment

The price for Nature Open Access: $32

Posted on March 7, 2011 by

Recently Jonathan Eisen of the Tree of Life “discovered” that the Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is asking users to pay for access to papers that it has previously committed to keep freely accessible on its website. He has detailed his … Continue reading →

Posted in Jonathan Eisen, Nature, Open Access | 3 Comments

Nature gets nature wrong

Posted on September 24, 2010 by

Which one of these Nature covers is wrong? If one looks closely, something Michael Eisen did and Nature should have done (but did not), you realize that the DNA molecules on the left and middle covers are right-handed (i.e. the two … Continue reading →

Posted in humour, Nature | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Happy birthday The Origin of Species

Posted on November 24, 2009 by

Can you wish a book a happy birthday – sure you can! Happy birthday The Origin of Species, and many more to come. You were the one that enlightened us and showed us where we come from. You showed us … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Darwin, evolution, Nature, Origin of Species | Leave a comment

Imminent announcement from NSF on the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)

Posted on September 2, 2008 by

There is a news piece in Nature about the launch of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS). NSF is expected to make an announcement this week that the University of Tennessee in Knoxville has beaten 18 other … Continue reading →

Posted in Alan Hastings, Mathematical biology, Nature, NIMBioS | 1 Comment

Open Access – the bedrock of academia and the scientific community

Posted on July 6, 2008 by

There is a letter in yesterday’s The Times by John Sulston and Joseph Stiglitz (both Nobel laureates)  about the ownership of science and how it is held back by outdated laws (think about that NPG). I’ll rest my case and … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Open Access, open science | Leave a comment

Timo Hannay vs. Declan Butler on OA

Posted on July 5, 2008 by

Here’s a clip from a documentary film by Frances Pinter and David Percy about business models in the publishing world that use Creative Commons licenses where Timo Hannay of Nature is talking about open content (not sure how open content … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Open Access, PLoS, Timo Hannay | Leave a comment

Interview with Timo Hannay of Nature Publishing Group

Posted on July 4, 2007 by

John Dupuis of the Confessions of a Science Librarian has posted an interview with the Head of Web Publishing at Nature Publishing Group, Timo Hannay. It’s a long and frank interview where Timo discusses everything from his background in neurophysiology, … Continue reading →

Posted in meeting, Nature, Science Foo, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Timo Hannay | Leave a comment

Nature precedings is open!

Posted on June 18, 2007 by

Nature precedings has opened its doors (see previous post Nature Precedings: first research Bazaar on the block!). I was under the impression that it would open with a fanfare but they seem to have opted for a more low key … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, science | Leave a comment