Biophysical Reviews: 2020—looking back,going forward

After first describing the issue contents (Biophysical Reviews—Volume 12 Issue 6), this Editorial goes on to provide a short round-up of the activities of the journal in 2020. Directly following this Editorial are two obituaries marking the recent deaths of Prof. Fumio Oosawa (Japan) and Dr. Herbert Tabor (USA)—two major figures in Biophysical/Biochemical science from the last 100 years.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a testing year for all. Filled with a myriad combination of personal tragedies and work/life inconveniences, circumstances have required many difficult decisions to be made at the personal, family, organizational and society levels with the results of these difficult choices amplifying the general level of stress within communities. Scientists have certainly not been immune from such pressures. For working scientists, this year has presented a number of challenges. Those scientists heavily involved in teaching have had to engage with remote teaching methodologies and the necessarily rapid preparation of additional online teaching materials. Research-focused scientists have had to cope with the closing or restriction of work facilities and the loss of personnel, which has certainly impacted (and often disrupted) scientific progress. For the many itinerant working scientists living away from home and family, the restrictions on worldwide travel have caused additional dilemmas and necessitated difficult career decisions. Student scientists have had to deal with other problems. Oftentimes educational institutions have maintained the steep fee requirements associated with enrolment despite the year being a virtual write-off in terms of focusing on academic performance. Overseas students have also faced problems related to maintaining interdependent attendance and residence requirements.Irrespective of the stage of their career progression, scientists (like all members of society) have tried their best to make the most of a bad situation. In 2020, the Biophysical Reviews’ Editorial Board and the specifically dedicated professional officers from Springer-Nature have similarly pushed on with our journal related duties. From 2018, Biophysical Reviews moved to a six Issue per year format. The current Issue (Issue 6) is the last for 2020, and as such, the first duty of this Editorial is to describe the contents of the twelve articles appearing within it. After providing a precis of these articles, we then move on to describe some of the highlights of this year and finish by welcoming some new members to the Editorial Board.