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Nature is one of the oldest scientific journals, first published on 4 November 1869. Although most scientific journals are now highly specialized, Nature is idiosyncratic along with other weekly journals such as Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in still publishing original research articles across a wide range of scientific fields.In most fields of scientific research, many of the most important new advances each year are published as articles or letters in Nature. Among the numerous scientific breakthroughs published in Nature are the discoveries of X-rays, the double-helix structure of DNA and the ozone hole. In astronomy and physical cosmology, most of the serious advances are published in specialist journals, but a short letter is often published in Nature for publicity purposes, in particular to get attention from the mainstream media.

Research scientists are the primary audience for the journal, but article summaries and accompanying articles make many of the most important articles understandable for the general public and to scientists in other fields. Toward the front of each issue are editorials and news and feature articles on issues of general interest to scientists, including current affairs, science funding, business, scientific ethics and research breakthroughs. There are also sections on books and arts. The remainder of the journal consists mostly of research articles which are often dense and highly technical. Due to strict limits on the length of articles, in many cases the printed text is actually a summary of the work in question with many details relegated to accompanying supplemental material on the journal's website.