Portable DNA sequencers, the size of a USB, are proving valuable to scientists working in the field during disease outbreaks. These sequencers will become increasingly common in the next few years, and ordinary people could soon be collecting and uploading metagenomic data from their homes and neighbourhoods. The problem, Liam Shaw and Nicola C. Sugden warn, is that this could put people’s privacy at risk.

The year started with two pieces of remarkable news from outer space: the most distant planetary flyby ever, and China’s successful landing of a rover on the far side of the moon. These set the trend for a busy, important year for space research, as Keith Gottschalk explains.

The African National Congress in South Africa has set out its stall for elections due in the first half of this year. Celebrating the party’s 107th anniversary at a packed stadium in the port city of Durban, party president Cyril Ramaphosa promised an inspirational vision of renewal and a turn in the country’s fortunes. The problem, as Cheryl Hendricks argues, is that there’s no sign of a concrete plan to ensure the grand ideals are translated into action. This means that it’s still an open question whether the party can ensure the country doesn’t make a u-turn and head back into despair.

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