Science in society

Adam Noble, CEO of Noblegen, says that keeping grounded can help young scientists absorb advice and new experiences. Credit — Noblegen

17 January 2018

Classroom to boardroom – how to turn a school science project into a business

When, as a 16-year-old, Adam Noble began measuring nanosilver pollution in his local river, he could hardly have foreseen that it would make him CEO of a 40-strong company before his 24th birthday.

Dr Juan Bicarregui says it’s a long road to a full European open science cloud but some parts will be available for use very soon. Credit — Kevin Casey

interview | open science | science in society | ict

28 November 2017

Establishing a sense of direction is first step for open science cloud – Dr Juan Bicarregui

Changing the way science is done in Europe is the first job in setting up the European open science cloud, a huge shared data repository that will enable data from all publicly-funded research to be freely accessible, according to Dr Juan Bicarregui from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK.

Hackathons that aim to come up with high-tech solutions to the challenges facing refugees are an example of social innovation in action. Credit — Techfugees

science in society | ict

27 November 2017

Coding and tech skills help refugees and low-income communities to succeed

What do the UK-based editor of a leading technology magazine and a self-taught coder from a low-income neighbourhood in Brussels, Belgium, have in common? They’re both teaching tech skills to people from marginalised communities in order to broaden their opportunities and help them make a better life for themselves.

EU Commissioner Tibor Navracsics spoke on the importance of educating young people on the value of science. Image credit – Flickr/ EIT European Institute of Innovation and Technology

science in society | open innovation

19 October 2017

Innovation should be a school subject - Commissioner Navracsics

Innovation should be taught as a subject in European schools, according to Tibor Navracsics, the EU’s Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, who says that education can be a defining factor in the life of young scientists.

Adam Jan Alexander Ohnesorge discovered his ancestor had been a prisoner of war, which ignited his research. Image credit – European Union, EUCYS 2017

social sciences | science in society

27 September 2017

Chance discovery from war book inspired 2017 EU young scientist award winner

An unlikely connection to a book about First World War prisoners provided the inspiration for a study that won its 20-year-old author top prize in the 2017 European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

A touring art exhibition shows work that blurs the line between citizen and scientist. © Science Museum

science in society | open innovation

06 June 2017

‘Hacker culture’ and citizen scientists taking research beyond the lab

What makes a scientist? You might think of lab research, years of specialised training and technical jargon. But an exhibition now touring across Europe could change your mind.

As 2016 comes to an end, we take a look back on what we learned in Horizon magazine this year.

science in society

22 December 2016

Top 10 science facts we liked in 2016

From meditation visibly changing your brainwaves to gold coming from colliding stars, Horizon learned a few things in 2016. Here are our top 10 favourite science facts from this year.

Valerio Pagliarino won first prize in the European Union Contest for Young Scientists for his laser-based broadband internet connection prototype. Image courtesy of the European Union

science in society | ict

20 September 2016

Laser-based broadband wins 2016 EU young scientist award

A laser-based broadband internet connection that could help to bridge the so-called digital divide, between people who have internet access and those who do not, has won its inventor first prize in the 2016 edition of the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

Horizon covered a wide variety of EU-funded research projects over the year.

science in society

21 December 2015

Top 10 science facts we learned in 2015

From slime mould to space junk, and Botox to cow burps, Horizon journalists covered a wide range of stories in 2015 - and learned some curious facts along the way. Here are our favourites.

Robotics company Open Bionics makes customisable, 3D-printed prostheses. Image courtesy of Open Bionics

ict | science in society

03 December 2015

A helping hand for high-tech firms

Europe’s roboticists are coming together to find new ways of getting their prosthetic arms, grocery-picking machines and automated vacuum cleaners out of the laboratory and into Europe’s homes and businesses.