Energy Breakthrough: Can Nuclear Fusion Help Fuel the World?
On Tuesday, the US Department of Energy announced a breakthrough in the generation of energy using nuclear fusion. Here's what you need to know about how it works.
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Keep Talking to Make Fieldwork a True Team Effort
Communication is important across science, but special steps are needed when taking part in research away from the lab, says Anna Osiecka.
The Downside of Science Grants
Concerns about systemic racism at academic and research institutions have increased. A study investigates data from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and find evidence for pervasive racial disparities.
NIH Plans Grant-review Overhaul to Reduce Bias
Reviewers would no longer score researchers' expertise and institutions during grant evaluations for the US biomedical agency.
Science Policy Trust Deficit
Many people in the bureaucratic machinery have little interest in research
'Do No Significant Harm' Principle in Horizon Europe is a Chance to Rethink Policy
'Do No Significant Harm' Principle in Horizon Europe is a Chance to Rethink Policy
The European Commission's acknowledgement that research and innovation have the potential to generate environmental harms can be viewed as a landmark in the history of research policy.
American Trust in Science & Institutions in the Time of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many discussions about how people's trust in science shaped our ability to address the crisis. Early in the pandemic, our research team set out to understand how trust in science relates to support for public health guidelines, and to identify some trusted sources of science. In this essay, we share our findings and offer ideas about what might be done to strengthen the public's trust in science. Notably, our research shows a stark partisan divide: Republicans had lower support for public health guidelines, and their trust in science and institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health eroded over time. Meanwhile, Democrats' trust in science has remained high throughout the pandemic. In the context of this divide, we explore how trust in various information sources, from governmental institutions to the media, relates to trust in science, and suggest that the best avenue for rebuilding trust might be through empowering local institutions and leaders to help manage future crises.
Fears for Academic Freedom As Indonesia Doubles Down on Scientists' Ban
Fears for Academic Freedom As Indonesia Doubles Down on Scientists' Ban
JAKARTA - Indonesian academics have called out the government for banning five foreign scientists after they questioned official claims of an increase in the country's orangutan population, warning that the move sets a disturbing precedent for academic freedom. In a statement to the government, scientists grouped under the Academic Freedom Advocacy Team called the ban […]
EU Health Policy Taking Shape Post-COVID-19
In recent weeks, the European Commission outlined its health strategy and the steps needed to be in a better position to tackle future health emergencies.
Is China Open to Adopting a Culture of Innovation?
Beset by regulatory issues and barriers to international collaboration, the country still faces challenges in commercializing basic research.
My Battle with Impostor Syndrome After Moving from Academia to Consultancy
Matteo Tardelli needed mentoring in his new role after leaving academia, but soon learnt how to prioritize tasks and manage client expectations.
Academics Engaging in Knowledge Transfer and Co-Creation: Push Causation and Pull Effectuation?
Academics Engaging in Knowledge Transfer and Co-Creation: Push Causation and Pull Effectuation?
Although academics are increasingly engaging with businesses, some fundamental aspects of this phenomenon (i.e., their motivations, decision-making approaches, and the interplay between the two) remain understudied.
Unnecessary Research Bureaucracy is Killing Academic Productivity, But It IS Fixable
Unnecessary Research Bureaucracy is Killing Academic Productivity, But It IS Fixable
Research bureaucracy and administrative burden has become so overpowering that many researchers are reporting that they don't have time to do any research anymore. Phill Jones argues that technology in the form of PIDs will go a long way to fixing this.
Uninterrupted writing time is rare. That’s why I ‘microwrite’
As I learned to savor my limited slivers of writing time, my childhood love for it returned.
Funders Support Use of Reviewed Preprints in Research Assessment
Funders and other research organisations are embracing reviewed preprints as an alternative way to assess researchers, and call on others to do the same.
How Can We Achieve Europe's Ambitions in terms of Research?
The ERA was launched in January 2000, in the year that the EU set itself the ambitious goal to become by 2010, "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world", as part of its Lisbon strategy. One of the key planks of the strategy was to raise overall R&D investment within the European Union to 3% of GDP.
When Science Makes Politics and Vice Versa
Evidence-based policymaking: fantasy, marketing slogan or reality? Its strict embodiment may not be found anywhere, but its variations are absolutely everywhere.
Long-lost Ancient Mural Rediscovered in Northern Peru After More Than a Century
Long-lost Ancient Mural Rediscovered in Northern Peru After More Than a Century
Student archaeologists unearth Huaca Pintada, described as 'the most exciting and important find of recent years'
EU and US Set out Plan to Create Rules of the Road for Artificial Intelligence
The EU and US have set out a joint roadmap to find common ways to define and evaluate artificial intelligence (AI), though critics say they are still not going far enough to make sure AI protects democracy and human rights.
When Publishing Becomes the Sole Focus of PhD Programmes Academia Suffers
When Publishing Becomes the Sole Focus of PhD Programmes Academia Suffers
Reporting on their findings from qualitative research project focused PhD students across China, Hugo Horta and Huan Li explore how a culture of publication has become central to doctoral study and…
How to Manage Your Time As a Researcher
Tracking goals on various timescales can help scientists to make the most of their days, says Maya Gosztyla.
We Are Putting Science, Innovation and Evidence at the Heart of the Home Office
We Are Putting Science, Innovation and Evidence at the Heart of the Home Office
Dr Jason Dewhurst talks 'embedding a scientifically inquisitive and analytically curious culture across the Home Office'
NASA's Plan to Make JWST Data Immediately Available Will Hurt Astronomy
By releasing astronomers’ data before they’ve had a chance to analyze the information, NASA will make research less fair and equitable
Alternatives to Animal Testing: Science, Ethics and the Law
Laura Rego Alvarez, Head of Science Policy & Regulation, Cruelty Free International, discusses the science and ethics behind alternatives to animal testing
How to Edit the Genes of Nature's Master Manipulators
CRISPR, the Nobel Prize-winning gene editing technology, is poised to have a profound impact on the fields of microbiology and medicine, again.
A Landscape of Open Science Policies Research
This literature review aims to examine the approach given to open science policy in the different studies.
COP15 Biodiversity Plan Risks Being Alarmingly Diluted
Scientists raced to gather the strongest ever biodiversity evidence base. Time is running out to use it.
Canada and EU Enter Final Stage of Negotiations over Horizon Europe Association
Canada and EU Enter Final Stage of Negotiations over Horizon Europe Association
Along with New Zealand, Canada will soon be the first country to join Horizon Europe under new rules that allow "like minded" democracies with strong science systems to associate, regardless of where they are in the world.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: The Hidden Toll of Community Outreach
Caught in a system eager for success stories, a PhD student from an underrepresented background learns how to balance his challenges in the lab with his desire to serve his community.
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