Specials

Welcome to Nature's specials, where we shine a spotlight on news events from the sequencing of the chimp genome to the relaunch of the space shuttle. Explore each topic in depth through news, features and interactive graphics.

Most recent

• China

  By almost every measure, China's growth is extraordinary. But behind the astonishing statistics is a more complex reality.

  23 July 2008

• Cosmic Impacts

  From a 5-millimetre dent on a satellite to a 3-kilometre pit in the surface of Mars, the scars of impact events can be seen at every scale.

  25 June 2008

• Translational Research

  Basic biomedical research is booming. But its impact, in terms of new therapies and diagnostics, is growing far more modestly. 'Translational research' is seen as a solution to this disparity, ensuring that the bounty of discoveries is effectively 'translated' into benefits in the everyday world of medicine. Nature puts this new discipline in the spotlight, with a special package of features and comment.

  11 June 2008

We recommend

Here's a sampling of our previous specials. See the chronological and alphabetical listings below for the full archive.

• Football World Cup

  It's football's biggest festival. For the next month, the hopes of millions of fans will be focused on Germany, where 32 nations are battling for the most glittering prize in sport. As the soccer showpiece kicks off, Nature looks at the science of balls, boots, goals, gambling, and whether it's really ok to have sex before a big game.

  09 June 2006

• Chimp genome

  Scientists have sequenced the genetic code of our closest living relative - the chimpanzee. Find out what we have already discovered from this genome, what we hope to learn, and how it is holding up a mirror to our own humanity.

  31 August 2005

• Space shuttle: Return to flight

  After more than two years without a space-shuttle mission, in July 2005 NASA finally returns to human space flight. With the launch of the Discovery, astronauts once again aim to make the return trip to the International Space Station under the steam of a US craft. Here Nature celebrates this return to flight.

  08 July 2005