Monthly focus

Science on the starting blocks

01 August 2016

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will run from 5 to 21 August. Image credit: Shutterstock/ lazyllama

In August, we look at the social impact of mega events such as the Olympic Games, the links between sports and society, the benefits of high-intensity interval training, and how, one day, part of your football boots could have scored a winning goal at the World Cup, if shoemaker adidas gets its way.

Marathon runners have increased levels of cardiac troponin, which is linked to heart damage. Image credit: Pixabay/ Unsplash

health

22 August 2016

Marathon runners produce proteins linked to heart attacks

Just after a race, most amateur marathon runners have increased levels of proteins linked to heart damage, Dutch researchers have found.

Sports is one area where dedication and talent can take you to the top, researchers say. Image credit: Pixabay/ damonnofar

social sciences

16 August 2016

Multi-nation sports teams are examples of equal-opportunity societies

Top-drawer sports teams that bring together players from all over the world serve as a beacon for an equal-opportunities society, researchers say.

New trainers could be made from discarded ones. Image courtesy of adidas

environment | interview | open innovation

08 August 2016

Never-ending trainers could be designed by their wearers – Glenn Bennett, adidas

At this year’s Olympics, athletes will compete in tailor-made trainers designed to help them perform better. With a research programme named Sports Infinity, consumers can now design their own sport shoe, one that never has to be thrown away, that is, according to Glenn Bennett, Executive Board Member of adidas AG.

Rent in the East End of London has increased since it hosted the Olympics in 2012. Image credit: ‘LondonOlympicPark-ArcelorMittalOrbitAndAquaticsCentre’ by Bert Seghers is licensed under CC0 1.0

social sciences

01 August 2016

Gentrification, high rents can overtake Olympic legacy

The ever-increasing cost of holding large sporting events like the Olympic Games or the World Cup means host cities are looking for a lasting legacy in their towns as well. But experience shows that this doesn’t always work out as planned.

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Image credit - Yasunori Takeda et al/Wikimedia, licenced under CC BY 4.0

Organic electronics

In November, Horizon discovers a futuristic world of transparent e-books, plastic solar cells and electronic skin with a look at some of the applications of organic electronics. We speak to organic chemist Prof. Andreas Hirsch about how using carbon rather than silicon in electronics can make them flexible, lightweight and biocompatible and could lead to a new generation of human-looking robots and ‘chemical’ computing. We take a look at work to create electronic skin – self-healing, stretchable material that can mimic some of the functions of human skin – and its potential uses. We discover how thin, flexible, plastic solar cells could turn surfaces such as cars and fabric into sources of renewable energy, and we uncover some novel approaches to charging wearable electronics.

Taking stock: Where next for research?

The world looks very different from this time last year. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the centrality of science, research and innovation, accelerated some changes already in the works, but also exposed our weaknesses. In September, Horizon looks at how the pandemic is reshaping Europe in areas including health research, work, tech, transport and food – and how research can contribute to Europe’s recovery over the coming years. We will also be covering the European Research & Innovation Days at the end of the month, which will bring together scientists, policymakers, entrepreneurs and citizens to debate how research and innovation can ensure that the transition to a post-coronavirus society is sustainable, inclusive and resilient.

Mesophotic coral ecosystems, found 30-150m below the sea in tropical and subtropical regions, could make up half of all reefs worldwide but there is little known about them. Image credit - Gal Eyal

Understudied deeper water reefs could teach us how to better conserve corals

In three decades of diving at locations including the Red Sea and Great Barrier Reef, Gal Eyal has seen coral reefs transform in front of his eyes.

Lightning strikes are not continuous but proceed in steps - but we don't yet know why this is. Image credit - Bernardo de Menezes Petrucci/Wikimedia, licenced under CC BY-SA 4.0

We are starting to crack the mystery of how lightning and thunderstorms work

Imagine lying on a green hill watching the clouds go by on a beautiful day. The clouds you’re probably thinking of are cumulous clouds, the ones that resemble fluffy balls of cotton wool. They seem innocent enough. But they can grow into the more formidable cumulonimbus, the storm cloud. These are the monsters that produce thunder and lightning. They are powerful, destructive and intensely mysterious. They may also be getting a lot more common, which makes understanding their workings – and their effects on the human world, including how we construct buildings or power lines – more important than ever.

Science on the starting blocks

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Marathon runners produce proteins linked to heart attacks

Multi-nation sports teams are examples of equal-opportunity societies

Never-ending trainers could be designed by their wearers – Glenn Bennett, adidas