Research analysis - latest articles

Three experts discuss lessons learnt from a large-scale dissection of the reproducibility, analytical robustness and replicability of published results.

The contrail clouds formed by jet engines contribute to global warming. In-flight measurements of the particles emitted and contrails produced by a passenger jet show that contrails are formed through different mechanisms, depending on the soot-emission level and the fuel composition, potentially reshaping our understanding of the climate impact of aviation.

A large-scale assessment of the reproducibility and robustness of 110 articles published in leading economics and political-science journals finds that more than 85% were computationally reproducible, and 72% of statistically significant results remained significant and in the same direction in robustness checks. About 25% of the evaluated articles contained non‑trivial coding errors.

A catalyst with two cobalt components potentially opens the way to sustainable processes for manufacturing light olefins — key ingredients for making plastics and detergents.