Conflict of interest

摘要

This year marks the anniversary of two significant events from the last century, perhaps the most significant of any century: 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War and 75 years since the start of the Second World War. It is natural for specialist publications to search out a 'local' angle on major news events, and Nature is no different. When it comes to modern warfare, however, the task is easier than with most events, for science is not a tangential topic in armed conflict. It lies, for both good and evil, at its heart. We live, said Martin Luther King, in an age of guided missiles and misguided men. Scientists can do little about the latter (although we must still try), whereas the former shows the contradictions of military research in all its shades of grey. If we are to kill people, then is it a good thing that we are able to target them more precisely? The death of one becomes more likely; the deaths of others less so.