What is the purpose of dust in our Universe? Experts in astronomy discuss how dust is a key ingredient to the formation of our Solar System, the development of life and even in understanding a galaxy.

Plasma physics collection highlighting the recent papers in fundamental properties of plasma, laser-plasma based particle accelerators, plasma fusion devices and laboratory and astrophysical plasma.

With the recent passing of Stephen Hawking, the community has been revisiting some of his most important contributions to the field of theoretical physics and astrophysics. Nature celebrates Hawking's career with an online collection.

In 1974, publishing in Nature, Stephen Hawking showed that a black hole can lose mass through the radiation of particles. A quantum effect in essence, the now known as Hawking-Bekenstein radiation shifted the paradigm of black holes as sinks from which nothing can escape.