Science in society

Food during the first months of life can have a lasting impact on health.

14 October 2013

Good food for babies the earlier, the better

What pregnant women eat and the diet of their new-born babies could be the key to defeating the looming obesity epidemic – and may even make children smarter.

Complex computer models have helped the IPCC make climate forecasts. © UPSCALE | Credits: Natural Energy Research Council (NERC) and UK Met Office Joint Weather and Climate Research Programme (JWCRP).

environment | science in society

30 September 2013

Evidence mounts for human role in climate change

Scientists are more certain than ever that humans are the cause of global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its most authoritative report to date, drawing on millions of scientific observations - many of which were gathered by scientists in Europe.

Fred Turner, 18, won first prize for making a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine in his bedroom.

health | science in society

25 September 2013

Home DNA lab wins EU young scientist prize

An 18-year-old who made a machine to multiply DNA in his bedroom won a top prize at Europe’s 25th young scientist award, and he plans to use the prize money to invest in his own laboratory.

Participants at the 3-2-1-Ignition pop-up science shop in Nottingham, UK. Image courtesy of Ignite! Futures.

science in society

23 September 2013

Bringing science to life for young people

Science graduates, museum staff and enthusiasts across Europe are sharing their passion for research by organising temporary exhibitions in shopping centres and parks to help inspire the next generation.

science in society

16 September 2013

Empowering a generation of scientists

Lithuanian Laurynas Pliuškys hopes that the research he is doing could help find a cure for arthritis, and it’s thanks to Europe’s young scientist award that has been giving researchers the confidence to take up careers in science for a quarter of a century.

Marc Abrahams pictured with the Public Health prize-winning wonder bra at TEDx at CERN. © CERN

science in society

14 June 2013

Ig Nobel prizes make you laugh... then think

Each Autumn, just before the announcement in Stockholm of the genuine Nobel Prize laureates, a band of merry men at Harvard University distribute the ‘Ig Nobel Prizes’. These awards recognise real research work that make people laugh… and then think.

Archaeologist investigating a submerged prehistoric settlement site in Denmark. © The Viking Ship Museum

science in society

08 May 2013

Shipwreck ahoy!

Denmark’s best-preserved 17th century wreck may have gone completely unnoticed if it hadn’t been lying close to the path of a construction project.

During the PERPETUATE project, researchers used a huge shaking table from the Italian National Agencies for New Technologies and the Environment in Rome to test the vulnerability of model buildings confronted by a simulated earthquake. Here, a model of a vault from the Dey Mosque of Algiers is being tested. © Serena Cattari

science in society | environment

24 April 2013

Earthquake projects try to preserve history

The Ottoman mansion of Hassan Bey in the seismically active medieval centre of Rhodes, Greece, does not worry civil engineers – even though the building is faulty because its floor isn’t very well connected to the wall.

New scientific journals aim to be more and more open. © iStock

science in society

18 March 2013

A new 100 % ‘open’ scientific journal

Across the Atlantic, scientists are also making use of open access journals. In Canada, the national medical association started publishing a totally new, fully ‘open’ journal in January.

Gaining professional experience abroad can be a career boost for women scientists © Shutterstock

science in society | women in science | policy

18 March 2013

Women in science: Mobility is good for your career

For scientists, packing up their lab coats and microscopes and heading to foreign laboratories can really pay dividends. Thanks to initiatives like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships, women are benefiting more and more from making a move abroad.