Vol. 1 (2027): Null Results Are Not Null

In science, the absence of an effect is often mistakenly equated with an absence of progress. The inaugural issue of Nullius in Verba (Issue 2027 01) challenges this publication bias by emphasizing that well-executed experiments yielding null or negative findings are essential components of scientific truth. Inspired by the landmark 2016 Nature Physics editorial "Nullius in verba", this issue reinforces a foundational principle: a null result is only "null" if we fail to recognize its informative value. Finding that a hypothesized effect is absent, smaller than anticipated, or statistically indistinguishable from background noise provides crucial empirical evidence. Taking the Royal Society’s motto literally—"Take nobody's word for it"—requires us to publish and evaluate evidence based on methodological rigor rather than the novel direction of the outcome.

Cover: The cover features M.C. Escher’s iconic woodcut "Sky and Water I". Through its mastery of negative space (tessellation), the artwork demonstrates how the black birds and white fish mutually define one another. Without the negative space, the primary figures lose their form. In the same way, null and negative results form the indispensable backdrop that gives shape, validity, and context to all scientific discovery.