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GM maize, health and the Séralini affair

GM maize, health and the Séralini affair

The journal Food and Chemical Toxicology has just retracted a controversial article published in September 2012 claiming a link between genetically modified maize and cancer.

DFG richtet neun weitere Sonderforschungsbereiche ein

DFG richtet neun weitere Sonderforschungsbereiche ein

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) richtet neun weitere Sonderforschungsbereiche (SFB) ein.

FDA tells google-backed 23andMe to halt DNA test service

FDA tells google-backed 23andMe to halt DNA test service

The FDA is concerned about the public health consequences of inaccurate results from Google's personal genome service device.

Where does this leave the scientists?

Where does this leave the scientists?

Researchers can still operate by the rules and norms of science, but under Horizon 2020 they have - with the exception of the ERC - no autonomy to decide what science they do.

Research funding has become prone to bubble formation

Research funding has become prone to bubble formation

Research from the University of Copenhagen, which has just been published in the journal Philosophy and Technology, shows how the mechanisms that set off the financial crisis might be replicating in the field of science.

Enemy of the good

Enemy of the good

Who are the outstanding mentors of young researchers? Since 2005, Nature has awarded an annual prize for scientific mentoring, rotating through a variety of countries.

The DIY dilemma

The DIY dilemma

The do-it-yourself-biology movement has an image problem. More commonly called DIYbio, it tends to conjure up pictures of T-shirt-clad misfits marshalling limited scientific skill in their basements as they try to make cool-but-fringe things such as glow-in-the-dark plants.

Impact beyond the impact factor

Impact beyond the impact factor

The journal impact factor is an annually calculated number for each scientific journal, based on the average number of times its articles published in the two preceding years have been cited.

Journals, repositories, peer review, non-peer review, and the future of scholarly communication

Journals, repositories, peer review, non-peer review, and the future of scholarly communication

Essay on the problems relating to reliance on subject-specific journals and peer review.

The "pursuit of ignorance" drives all science

The "pursuit of ignorance" drives all science

Neuroscientist Stuart Firestein rejects any metaphor that likens the goal of science to completing a puzzle, peeling an onion, or peeking beneath the surface to view an iceberg in its entirety. Such comparisons suggest a future in which all of our questions will be answered.

Scientific articles must be free for everyone to read in the Netherlands

Scientific articles must be free for everyone to read in the Netherlands

Scientific articles written by Dutch researchers must be accessible for everyone to read free of charge from 2016.

Science funding and the value of science investigation and education

Science funding and the value of science investigation and education

"We must put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the end of the decade." These were the words spoken in 1961 to Congress by the late President John F.Kennedy, who fifty years ago this month was struck down by an assassin's bullet in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.

The missing piece to changing the university culture

The missing piece to changing the university culture

A new type of initiative is empowering graduate students and postdocs to reshape their academic training, providing another avenue to express their passion for research.

A semi-automated peer-review system

A semi-automated peer-review system

Abstract: A semi-supervised model of peer review is introduced that is intended to overcome the bias and incompleteness of traditional peer review. Traditional approaches are reliant on human biases, while consensus decision-making is constrained by sparse information. Here, the architecture for one potential improvement (a semi-supervised, human-assisted classifier) to the traditional approach will be introduced and evaluated.

Success rates for EPSRC Fellowships

Success rates for EPSRC Fellowships

EPSRC Engineering fellowships were under-subscribed and so we should all be preparing our applications. But just because a theme is under-subcribed doesn't mean that you've got a better chance of getting funded.

Profs mit Migrationshintergrund: wir sind "Deutsche plus"

Profs mit Migrationshintergrund: wir sind "Deutsche plus"

Sie bringen internationale Kontakte mit, sprechen mehrere Sprachen und denken global: Doch die Unis nutzen zu selten das Potential von Professoren mit Migrationshintergrund, wie das Hochschulmagazin "duz" analysiert. Erstmals zeigt eine Studie jetzt, wie ihre Karrieren verlaufen.

Research grant success rates rise with demand management

Research grant success rates rise with demand management

The research councils’ controversial demand management measures have been credited with driving the fourth successive annual rise in the overall success rate for grant applications, which now stands at 30 per cent.