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Science Superpowers Need Supercharged Investment

Science Superpowers Need Supercharged Investment

Setting out his vision for the economy in January, Jeremy Hunt turned to what, in the past six months, has become the easiest joke in the book for speechwriters: "I asked ChatGPT to craft the opening lines of this speech. Who needs politicians when you have AI?"Artificial intelligence is only one o

How to Convince a Politician: a Science Adviser's Lessons from the Pandemic

How to Convince a Politician: a Science Adviser's Lessons from the Pandemic

Patrick Vallance, who advised the UK government during the height of COVID, says that scientific officials should know four key things when guiding policymakers.

World-leading? Britain’s Science Sector has some Way to go

World-leading? Britain’s Science Sector has some Way to go

The country’s reputation is inflated by historic successes and relies on successful outliers.

Finland Sets Sights on Higher R&D Intensity After Overhauling State Spending Policies

Finland Sets Sights on Higher R&D Intensity After Overhauling State Spending Policies

Two new laws are intended to ensure a commitment to increase public and private investment in research will survive changes in government. The aim is for total spending to reach 4% of GDP by 2030

G-7 Science Academies Call for Actions to Improve Climate Change Decision-Making, Protect Ocean Biodiversity, and Support Well-Being of Older People

G-7 Science Academies Call for Actions to Improve Climate Change Decision-Making, Protect Ocean Biodiversity, and Support Well-Being of Older People

Today the science academies of the G-7 countries issued three joint statements to their respective governments to inform discussions during the G-7 summit to be held in Hiroshima, Japan, in May, as well as ongoing policymaking.

Mexican Researchers Fear for the Future

Mexican Researchers Fear for the Future

After four years of funding cuts and the erosion of academic freedom in Mexico, one scientist shares his community's concerns about a new law that would give the central government more control over scientific research.

If Science is to Thrive, We Must Understand Its Human Foundations

If Science is to Thrive, We Must Understand Its Human Foundations

Robert P Crease explains why science can only thrive if we understand what makes humans tick

Viewpoint: How a Year of War Has Changed German Science and Higher Education Policy

Viewpoint: How a Year of War Has Changed German Science and Higher Education Policy

A year has passed since Russia started to wage a gruesome war against Ukraine. Aside from causing thousands of deaths, displacing millions and causing a pan-European economic crisis, the invasion triggered a fundamental rethinking of German policy.

Rebuilding Ukrainian Science Can't Wait - Here's How to Start

Rebuilding Ukrainian Science Can't Wait - Here's How to Start

International support has rightly focused on researchers who have been forced to flee. Ukraine's devastated research infrastructure needs assistance, too.

How Has the Russia-Ukraine War Disrupted Science? Podcast

How Has the Russia-Ukraine War Disrupted Science? Podcast

As we approach a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ian Sample talks to physicist Professor John Ellis, and Arctic governance expert Svein Vigeland Rottem, about how the world of science has had to adapt

ChatGPT is Changing Education, AI Experts Say - but How?

ChatGPT is Changing Education, AI Experts Say - but How?

Experts say artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT are changing the way students are taught and study. These "language model" AIs can write flawless-looking academic essays. Is it a threat or opportunity, or both?

Is Science Really Getting Less Disruptive - and Does It Matter if It Is?

Is Science Really Getting Less Disruptive - and Does It Matter if It Is?

A study suggesting papers and patents that change the course of science are becoming less dominant is prompting soul-searching - and lively debate about why, and what to do about it.

Science and Politics Are Inseparable

Science and Politics Are Inseparable

Ideally, policy makers are relying on the best available science to inform their decisions. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, because often “politics” gets in the way. And that is why it is crucial that scientists recognize their power.

Doomsday Clock at Record 90 Seconds to Midnight Amid Ukraine Crisis

Doomsday Clock at Record 90 Seconds to Midnight Amid Ukraine Crisis

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set its Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight the clock has been since it was established in 1947 to illustrate global existential threats at the dawn of the nuclear weapons age.

Researchers Engaging with Policy Should Take into Account Policymakers' Varied Perceptions of Evidence

Researchers Engaging with Policy Should Take into Account Policymakers' Varied Perceptions of Evidence

This post highlights four different approaches to evidence in policymaking and suggest how researchers and policy organisations might use these findings to engage differently with policy

Is Development an Art or a Science?

Is Development an Art or a Science?

Reflecting on nearly twenty years of transdisciplinary practice and research and the recent publication of their new book, New Mediums, Better Messages? How Innovations in Translation, Engagement, and Advocacy are Changing International Development, this article considers how the role of popular and vernacular knowledge is essential to international development.

China Now Publishes More High-quality Science Than Any Other Nation - Should the US Be Worried?

China Now Publishes More High-quality Science Than Any Other Nation - Should the US Be Worried?

In 2014, Chinese researchers published more papers than any other country for the first time. In 2019, China overtook the U.S. as the No. 1 publisher of the most influential papers.

Escaping Darwin's Shadow: How Alfred Russel Wallace Inspires Indigenous Researchers

Escaping Darwin's Shadow: How Alfred Russel Wallace Inspires Indigenous Researchers

Wallace, who independently discovered the theory of evolution, relied on local knowledge to craft his seminal work on species ranges in the Amazon. Now, the region's Indigenous scientists have taken charge of their research using this and other cross-cultural tools.

Eleven Science Stories Likely to Make Big News in 2023

Eleven Science Stories Likely to Make Big News in 2023

Making COVID-19 manageable and covering financial losses from climate change could make headlines

The Best Science, Innovation and Health Stories of 2022

The Best Science, Innovation and Health Stories of 2022

2022 was great for science, from historic space missions to archeological discoveries and plenty to learn in medicine.

The 10 Biggest Science Stories of 2022 – Chosen by Scientists

The 10 Biggest Science Stories of 2022 – Chosen by Scientists

From moon missions to fast-charging batteries and AI-sourced antibiotics, in no particular order, the year's significant scientific developments.