I am deeply disappointed to see the loss of the Futures section from the print version of Nature. I read only the hard copy of the magazine, and I looked forward every week to the science fiction on its last page. To be able to think deeply about contemporary problems and then abruptly shift to a more creative turn of mind was, to my knowledge, unique among scientific publications.

The Futures section offered me an opportunity to make connections. For example, the mind- and time-bending short story ‘You will remember this’ by Justen Russell brought to life an illustration of two universes governed by different laws (Nature 574, 144; 2019). For me, this imaginative story found a route to reality as I read Philip Ball’s Comment article ‘Science must move with the times’, which speculated on the future scientific advances of humanity (Nature 575, 29–31; 2019).

My more playful side will miss such indulgences when I am reading Nature to further my personal and professional development.