News | ScienceGeist

Innovation

Europe

European Commission Sets Up New European Innovation Council Unit in the Research Directorate

Innovation

Europe

European Commission Sets Up New European Innovation Council Unit in the Research Directorate

The European Commission has reorganised its directorate general for research and innovation (RTD) in order to give it better oversight of the European Innovation Council (EIC), with a new organisation chart published last week showing management of the innovation funding programme has been moved to a new unit. The unit will sit in the directorate for the European Research Area and Innovation, which is led by Anna Panagopoulou.

Read this article

Improving Mentoring in Academia Requires a ‘Collective Effort’

science

Mentoring

Academia

Improving Mentoring in Academia Requires a ‘Collective Effort’

Sarvenaz Sarabipour is tired of academics understanding mentorship through anecdotes. The scientific community “needs a minimum set of standards for good mentorship,” says the Johns Hopkins University systems biologist, which can only be achieved by studying it systematically.

science

Read this article

Fun

The Science of Passion: Why Do We Kiss?

Fun

The Science of Passion: Why Do We Kiss?

Humans exchange millions of disease-spreading bacteria when we kiss. Scientists believe that kissing tests the compatibility of mates ― that it all comes down to swapping spit. But where does the behavior come from?

Read this article

Food

What Will We Eat in a Post-1.5C World? Podcast

theguardian

Food

What Will We Eat in a Post-1.5C World? Podcast

We now know that global temperatures are likely to temporarily exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in the next five years. Breaching this crucial threshold will have serious consequences, including on our food. In the second of a special series of episodes looking at what a future world might look like, science editor Ian Sample explores how our diets could change as the world heats up, exploring climate-resilient vegetables, trying out mealworms, and discovering how to make flour out of microbes

Read this article

Thousands Protest Mexico's New Science Law

Latin America

Science Politics

Thousands Protest Mexico's New Science Law

Researchers are preparing to march against legislation that some say could harm basic science.

Read this article

China Overtakes United States on Contribution to Research in Nature Index

Publishing

China

China Overtakes United States on Contribution to Research in Nature Index

Data on affiliations suggest that authors from China made the largest contribution to high-quality natural-science research in 2022.

Read this article

Mixed Reception for Vestager As Temporary Stand-In at Research

Mixed Reception for Vestager As Temporary Stand-In at Research

The news that Commission vice president Margrethe Vestager will temporarily take over the innovation and research portfolio following the departure of commissioner Mariya Gabriel has been met with mixed feelings.

Read this article

China

Despite Risks, EU Continues to Fund Research with Chinese Military-linked Universities

China

Despite Risks, EU Continues to Fund Research with Chinese Military-linked Universities

Despite efforts to prevent EU technology leaking to China's military, the European Commission is continuing to fund at least five research projects involving some of China's top military-linked universities.

Read this article

Plastic-eating Fungi Discovered in Swiss Alps

swissinfo

Environment

Sustainability

Plastic-eating Fungi Discovered in Swiss Alps

Bacteria and fungi recently discovered in the Swiss Alps can digest biodegradable plastics at low temperatures. This ability, if upscaled to an industrial scale, will save money and energy during recycling, say scientists.

swissinfo

Read this article

Horizon Europe

London and Brussels Still Haggling over Horizon Europe Association

Horizon Europe

London and Brussels Still Haggling over Horizon Europe Association

With negotiations on the UK's association to Horizon Europe still ongoing, the UK government is looking for ways to ensure the smallest possible gap between how much money it will be putting into the programme and how much UK-based researchers get back.

Read this article

Human Embryo Science: Can the World's Regulators Keep Pace?

Human Embryo Science: Can the World's Regulators Keep Pace?

Concerned by the speed of research, policymakers are looking for alternative ways to establish rules on genome editing and other technologies.

Read this article

Research Lobbies Cheer European Research Council Rollout of 'Inclusive' Evaluation Rules

ERC

Evaluation

Research Lobbies Cheer European Research Council Rollout of 'Inclusive' Evaluation Rules

The European Research Council is revamping its project evaluation process from 2024 in line with the EU-wide push for a less prescriptive approach to evaluating scientific impact.

Read this article

What Russia's Continued Participation in the ISS Means for Science

Russia

Space

What Russia's Continued Participation in the ISS Means for Science

The nation's support for the International Space Station until 2028 is a relief for international scientists who depend on it for their research.

Read this article

Switzerland

Meeting of Joint Swiss-British Committee for Science and Innovation

sbfi

Switzerland

Meeting of Joint Swiss-British Committee for Science and Innovation

On 2 May 2023, State Secretary Martina Hirayama and British Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, George Freeman, opened the first meeting of the Joint Swiss-British Committee for Science and Innovation. This meeting between the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and the British Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was mainly centred on bilateral cooperation in research and innovation.

sbfi

Read this article

Publishing

'Too Greedy': Mass Walkout at Global Science Journal over 'Unethical' Fees

theguardian

Publishing

'Too Greedy': Mass Walkout at Global Science Journal over 'Unethical' Fees

Entire board resigns over actions of academic publisher whose profit margins outstrip even Google and Amazon

Read this article

University Strikes: How the Marking Boycott Affects Cambridge

University Strikes: How the Marking Boycott Affects Cambridge

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) are continuing a marking and assessment boycott over pay and working conditions. The BBC spoke to students and staff at the University of Cambridge about how the situation is being handled there.

Read this article

Spain Adopts National Open Access Strategy

Spain Adopts National Open Access Strategy

Spain has approved a four-year national strategy for open science, under which all outputs of publicly financed research will made available free upon publication. Under the strategy open access will become the default mode for all research funded directly or indirectly, with public funds.

Read this article

Integrating STEM Majors Won't End Gender Segregation at Work

Integrating STEM Majors Won't End Gender Segregation at Work

Increasing women's representation in science, technology, engineering, and math majors will reduce-but not nearly eliminate-gender disparities in STEM occupations, Cornell University sociologists report in new research.

Read this article

Advancing Climate Policy: Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge at the Science-Policy Interface

web

Climate

Science Policy

Advancing Climate Policy: Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge at the Science-Policy Interface

This working paper shows the need for the active engagement of Indigenous knowledge holders in climate policy processes.

web

Read this article

Academic Freedom

Pressure Mounts for European Law to Protect Academic Freedom

Academic Freedom

Pressure Mounts for European Law to Protect Academic Freedom

The European Parliament's industry, research and energy committee (ITRE) wants to kickstart the process of creating a European regulation to protect academic freedom.

Read this article

Patents

R&D Organisations Hit out at Proposed New EU Patent Rules

Patents

R&D Organisations Hit out at Proposed New EU Patent Rules

Industrial R&D organisation in Europe have hit out at new patent rules rolled out by the European Commission last week, calling for further consultations on proposals aimed at harmonising parts of European patent legislation that currently vary across member states.

Read this article

CERN Celebrates 30 Years of Free and Open World Wide Web

CERN Celebrates 30 Years of Free and Open World Wide Web

Exactly 30 years ago, CERN publicly released the tool that allowed scientists and institutes working on CERN data all over the globe to share information accurately and quickly.

Read this article

Canadian PhD Students and Postgrads Plan Mass Walkout over Low Pay

Canadian PhD Students and Postgrads Plan Mass Walkout over Low Pay

Academics are demanding a significant boost to government-sponsored fellowships and scholarships, which haven't changed for decades.

Read this article

Female Students Avoid Science-related Fields

Female Students Avoid Science-related Fields

Women are less likely than men to pursue maths-related subjects due to preconceived notions about these fields, despite having comparable mathematical aptitude to men, according to a sociological study by the University of Zurich (UZH).

Read this article

New Pharma Rules Risk 'Sabotaging' Life Sciences in Europe, Says the Industry

Life Science

Europe

New Pharma Rules Risk 'Sabotaging' Life Sciences in Europe, Says the Industry

The European Commission has unveiled long-awaited proposals to reform EU's pharmaceutical legislation to enable better access to drugs and promote innovation, but industry doesn't like the look of it. The first revision of the legislation in over 20 years aims to make medicines more available, accessible and affordable, while boosting innovation and industrial competitiveness, by simplifying regulations and speeding up the scientific evaluation and authorisation of new drugs.

Read this article

China - Not The US - Is Now The Global Leader In Science & Tech

China - Not The US - Is Now The Global Leader In Science & Tech

The United States and its Western neighbors are gradually losing ground to China in the race to develop advanced technologies and attract top talent.

Read this article

Participatory Action Research

Activism

Research

Participatory Action Research

Participatory action research (PAR) involves the participation and leadership of people experiencing issues, who take action to produce emancipatory social change, through conducting systematic research to generate new knowledge. In this Primer, Cornish et al. set out key considerations for the design of a PAR project and discuss ways to overcome the challenges faced by PAR projects.

Read this article

How to Keep Emerging Research Institutions From Slipping Through the Cracks

web

Funding

Research

How to Keep Emerging Research Institutions From Slipping Through the Cracks

The CHIPS and Science Act advances equity by codifying an underserved group, but more must be done to correct the effects of skewed research funding.

Read this article

EU Governments to Rein in Unfair Academic Publishers and Unsustainable Fees

EU Governments to Rein in Unfair Academic Publishers and Unsustainable Fees

Research ministers are nearing the finish line in drafting their position on changes needed in academic publishing, with the latest leak draft revealing the near-final text.

Read this article

Strengthening Public Trust in Science

Trust

Horizon Europe

Strengthening Public Trust in Science

Funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe, the VERITY project seeks to increase trust in science and innovation by developing a set of guidelines to increase trust in science to engage stakeholders and citizens, which could have far-reaching implications in areas such as public health and the environment. Are citizens becoming more sceptical about science?