This is the second issue of Scientia in its newest life. Our new Editor-in-Chief is Maria Machado, a physiologist turned consultant. You may not have noticed, but you met Maria when reading about gender in our previous issue. Previously, Maria has worked with Bio-Protocol, Editage, and Enago to suggest revisions before ‘Reviewer 2’ demands them. Because of this background, and due to her role as co-Chair of Peer Review Week, she has made some changes to how we present ourselves and work with researchers — we will present the research as a value to society at large, and talk about researchers’ motivations.

We hear from Nick Bagnall. Nick founded Science Diffusion, the company that owns Scientia, SciPod and SciTube, with the aim to make publicly funded research accessible to the taxpayers who support it. In an editorial, he introduces the concept of Open Impact, that has been guiding our work.

We also explore how the needs of human life on Earth impact the environment, we learn how groundwater spreads, and discover sustainable energy solutions. Using the example of introduced pests, the resulting erosion and desertification are analysed, with the goal to improve our understanding of factors influencing current climate change.

In this issue, helping us to bridge the gap between researchers, the academic publishing industry, and society at large is Rebecca Lawrence. She tells us that getting the trust of funding bodies is key to effecting change in academia and the scholarly publishing industry. We explore her experience as the driving force behind F1000 Research and her current role as Vice-Chair of DORA.

Uncovering the past enables us to predict the future, so we present research from fossils to police body worn cameras. We learn about evolutions in learning and religious beliefs. We also continue to introduce you to our wonderful writers, and in this issue we get to know more about the passions of Janine Galliano, and Laura Hemmingham.

We call on you to submit to us the research you want the world to know about on sustainable air travel and outer space. We would love to have more contributions for a great issue in the making, regarding the great research on all that happens above our heads. We will learn about aircrafts, space telescopes, and satellites. But that’s in a future still to be written, so you can help us tell that story.

Join us, as we start a new journey!