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How Some of 2021's Major Science Stories Evolved over Time
Tulsa massacre analysis and a genetically modified mosquito release are two important updates to 2021 stories.
Why Do Some People Succeed when Others Fail? Outliers Provide Clues
Adopting behaviors of people who buck trends could boost public health and sustainability. In any large dataset involving the choices people make, a handful of people will succeed when most others like them fail. Zooming in on those outliers and mapping out how they made their choices could give those failing in similar circumstances a leg up.
R&D Policy in Europe: Six Things to Look out for in 2022
What are the main six debates to watch this year in European research policy?
What Scientists Say About Elizabeth Holmes Guilty Verdict
Theranos case highlights the importance of peer review for biotech entrepreneurs, scientists say.
2022 Will Put Research Missions to the Test
Horizon Europe Missions will reach full steam this year. The €1.9 billion two-year plan for the missions saw the light of day last autumn, with the European Commission launching the first calls in the last weeks of 2021.
New Year's Resolution: Research Group Aims to Fix the Way the World Collaborates on Technology
New Year's Resolution: Research Group Aims to Fix the Way the World Collaborates on Technology
With the COVID-19 crisis still underway and a climate crisis looming, an international group of senior researchers is pushing the world's biggest economies to reform the way they manage collaboration on emerging technologies. In coming years, argues a group participant, David Delpy, professor of medical photonics at University College London, the world risks conflict over who controls and benefits from a range of emerging technologies from climate control to 6G wireless networks.
New Patent-Free COVID Vaccine Developed As "Gift to the World"
A new COVID-19 vaccine, developed by researchers from the Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, is being offered patent-free to vaccine manufacturers across the world.
Scientific 'War for Talent' Heats Up As Pandemic Restrictions Ease
Scientific 'War for Talent' Heats Up As Pandemic Restrictions Ease
Countries and universities are once again engaged in a war for talent over researchers, entrepreneurs and students as the world emerges in fits and starts from a pandemic-induced slowdown in international migration.
New Coronavirus Variant Identified in France
B.1.640.2 was discovered in a traveler returning from Cameroon and has a high number of mutations. And a first "flurona" case has been confirmed in Israel.
Two Years of COVID-19 in Africa: Lessons for the World
Africa urgently needs to guarantee its own health security.
Cuba's Vaccine Success Story Sails Past Mark Set by Rich World's Covid Efforts
The island nation struggles to keep the lights on but has inoculated 90% of its population with home-developed vaccines
Two Years of Coronavirus: How Pandemic Unfolded Around the World
In December 2019 the WHO was told of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. These charts show how Covid-19 has spread across the world since then
This 3,700-Year-Old Tablet is the Oldest Example of Applied Geometry
Ancient Greeks have been credited with the invention of trigonometry, but a mathematician reveals Babylonians used it about a thousand years earlier.
Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days
Costa Rica Has Run on 100% Renewable Electricity for 299 Days
For 75 days straight, Costa Rica ran on 100% renewable electricity.
The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%-And That's Made the U.S. Less Secure
Cool, Funny and Bizarre Science Stories of 2021
These are some of the fun science stories from this year.
Sustainability at the Crossroads
A look back at 2021 through the Sustainable Development Goals.
How COVID Vaccines Shaped 2021 in Eight Powerful Charts
The extraordinary vaccination of more than four billion people, and the lack of access for many others, were major forces this year - while Omicron's arrival complicated things further.
A New Type of Powerful Artificial Intelligence Could Make EU's New Law Obsolete
A New Type of Powerful Artificial Intelligence Could Make EU's New Law Obsolete
The EU's proposed artificial intelligence act fails to fully take into account the recent rise of an ultra-powerful new type of AI, meaning the legislation will rapidly become obsolete as the technology is deployed in novel and unexpected ways. Foundation models trained on gargantuan amounts of data by the world's biggest tech companies, and then adapted to a wide range of tasks, are poised to become the infrastructure on which other applications are built.
No Mountain High Enough: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air
Microplastics from Africa and North America found airborne in French Pyrenees, 2,877 metres above sea level
COVID-19: New Hope Rides on Protein-based Vaccines
The European Medicines Agency has approved the Novavax coronavirus vaccine. The protein-based vaccine may be a real alternative, both for bringing forward the global vaccination campaign, and for vaccination skeptics.
Scientists Find Perfectly Preserved Dinosaur Embryo Preparing to Hatch Like a Bird
At least 66m-year-old fossil discovered in southern China reveals posture previously unseen in dinosaurs
'Hard' Skills from Our PhDs Remain Relevant Beyond Academia
Experience in grant-writing, data analysis and presentation will serve researchers well - even when they move away from academia.
Afghanistan's Academics Despair Months After Taliban Takeover
Research has stalled, funds have evaporated and many scientists are still struggling to get out.
What Should Happen to Unspent EU Research Money?
A row between the European Parliament and the Council over whether unspent money in the previous Horizon 2020 EU research and innovation programme should be rolled into the 2022 Horizon Europe budget remains unresolved - and could repeat itself again next year.
Is There Any Good News at All on Omicron? Yes, There Are Small Signs of Hope
Analysis: scientists are only starting to understand new COVID mutation but there is encouraging news from the laboratory, South Africa and on antiviral drugs.