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These newcomers are making their mark in science across the disciplines.

These four researchers are highlighting environmental inequities and improving the health of their communities.

As neuroscientists explore the therapeutic prospects of brain stimulation, the amateur community are hoping the technology will enhance their mental faculties or well-being.

Architects and microbiologists are exploring whether making buildings hospitable to friendly microorganisms can improve human health.

The energy density of batteries will need to be substantially increased and their cost decreased if renewable energy is to replace fossil fuels. Here are four important questions.

Undeterred by US funding cuts, behavioural-health researcher Jason Flatt studies how dementia affects people from sexual and gender minorities.

Treatment combines existing drug with antibodies from hyper-immune reptile collector, raising both hopes and ethical concerns.

Sex and gender research could lead to better, more equitable treatments — if it is allowed to continue without political interference.

The fundamental discovery deepens scientists’ understanding of chemical bonding.

New York trial could set a legal precedent by admitting findings from whole-genome sequencing as evidence.

Therapies currently in clinical trials could last longer and help to save more vision in people with age-related macular degeneration.

Hardware that consumes less power will reduce artificial intelligence's appetite for energy. But transparency about its carbon footprint is still needed.

Christopher Reddy helped to quantify the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a stressful experience that changed his view of what it means to be a well-rounded scientist and person.

Plans to build ‘exascale’ machines are moving forward, but still face major technological challenges.

Success with a new route to producing superheavy elements paves the way to making the elusive element 120.

Sensors inspired by beetle hairs could bring a more nuanced sense of touch to robots and wearable electronics.

Working amid New York City’s pandemic response inspired Nili Ostrov’s approach to expanding the list of organisms that can be used in synthetic biology and engineering.

MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity — opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more.

Emerging evidence suggests that pathogens can pair up to work together against immune system defences.

Succulents become rechargeable night lights after injection with tiny phosphor particles.

Clinical trials may soon test whether gene editing can cure a group of debilitating haemoglobin disorders.

Collaboration and competition are spurring on major '-omic' projects.

Even as cancer therapies improve, basic questions about drug resistance, tumour spread and the role of normal tissue remain unanswered.

Innovators are finding better ways to produce, store and use energy, on Earth and beyond.

Single-pixel microwave sensor could lower cost of airport scanners and radar systems.

Non-motor symptoms such as sleep disorders and a poor sense of smell may hold the key to diagnosing Parkinson's disease before the characteristic tremor starts.

Because infants born into families with autism are more likely to develop the condition, studying them might lead to ways to diagnose people in the general population earlier.

When data-gathering precision-medicine projects build trust with their users, patients and researchers both benefit.

Imbalances in gut bacteria have been implicated in the progression from liver disease to cancer. This insight opens the way to preventive treatments.

Researchers are learning about the molecular basis of ageing — and finding clues about how to treat diseases in the process.

Stem-cell therapy promises to restore motor function after a stroke or spinal-cord injury, but neurologists are proceeding with caution.

Trying to shoehorn graphene into a digital circuit isn't working. But there may be another potential path to glory.

Plant scientists are redesigning photosynthesis to improve crop yields and feed a growing population.

Powerful super-resolution microscopes that allow researchers to explore the world at the nanoscale are set to transform our understanding of the cell.

Using a variety of creative imaging techniques, researchers are tracking the dynamic interactions of immune and cancer cells. Their results will guide drug development.

Tiny anvil squeezes metal atoms into super-thin sheets with strange properties.

Study in mice and human cadavers hints that a brain-protective gene in the chromosome becomes more active with age.

Skin-like electronics that stretch and sense will create a way to monitor vital signals and build prosthetics with a sense of touch.

A more tolerant immune system could alleviate, or even prevent, autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, as well as the rejection of transplanted organs.

Traditional chemotherapies can be toxic but nano-sized carriers can keep them out of healthy tissue and take old drugs to new places.

The sturdy, stretchy, sticky silks spun by spiders have inspired engineers to design pioneering medical devices such as artificial tendons and corneas.

Farmers must develop new approaches if they are to keep producing crops as water supplies dwindle.

From image-analysis software to lens-free microscopes that fit on a mobile phone, new tools are providing pathologists with clearer and more informative images.

Combination therapies that activate the immune system in complementary ways could help more men with prostate cancer to contain their disease long term.

The costs of lung-cancer screening overshadow the benefits of swift diagnosis — but ingenious technologies could help.

Malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are humanity's deadliest foes, and have stymied vaccinologists for centuries. New technology and ideas could finally make a difference.

Neuroscientists are learning how to repair neural circuits damaged by addiction.

Engineered petunia emits a continuous green glow thanks to genes from a light-up mushroom.

Latest design uses less power and retains data longer.

Upgraded laser in California will produce one million X-ray pulses per second to study ultrafast processes at the atomic level.