Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment. By Jack McGovan In the Italian town of Nepi last year, a school covered floorspace in sheets and asked children to draw how they would change the urban layout. Elsewhere in the town, a care centre … Read more
Offering nutritious meals to students can improve diets and counter obesity across Europe. By Ali Jones When the lunch bell rings at the Sancta Maria primary school in the Belgian city of Leuven, standard packed meals aren’t on the menu for dozens of hungry children. Instead, the pupils receive freshly prepared, hot organic vegetarian fare … Read more
With the race to build a new generation of computers heating up, European companies are eyeing the game-changing opportunities. By Tom Cassauwers At some point in the future, the medicines that people take for everything from a simple cold to a complex disease like Parkinson’s might result from a discovery made using quantum computers. These … Read more
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements. By Jessica Berthereau In France’s southwestern Gironde department, where half the area is covered by forests, authorities in 2022 built a secondary school with wood from local pine trees. The Pian-Médoc school, located between the city … Read more
Researchers in Europe have identified an underground signal that may be a precursor to strong quakes. By Vedrana Simičević Dr Quentin Bletery has some good news regarding an all-too-often gloomy subject: earthquakes. A researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, or IRD, Bletery thinks it might one day be possible to predict … Read more
Researchers are seeking to ensure that people retain their ability to detect scents. By Bárbara Pinho A decade ago, in a field of orange trees in southern Greece, Stéphane Tawil realised that he had lost his sense of smell – completely. Tawil was with friends who were remarking on the perfumed scent of oranges. But … Read more