Wind-powered ships, food scents and forest guardians vie to lead research advances

Five experts who appeared in Horizon Magazine in 2023 outline how their areas of activity will evolve in the coming year and beyond. By  Anthony King From sail-powered tankers and new food habits to forest-protecting hedges and data-driven healthcare, 2024 promises to be a big year in EU science. Rogier Eggers wants today’s ships to … Read more

Here, there, everywhere: environmental DNA clues to biodiversity

Traces of life in the environment reveal ecosystem health, prompting a scientific hunt for them. By Jack McGovan During her doctoral studies in 2009, Professor Kristy Deiner trudged around mountain lakes in the US state of California to help a scientist and park manager study frogs there. A fungus-like pathogen was tearing through the amphibian … Read more

Beyond the sleigh: reindeer and their bonds with Arctic peoples

The relationship between indigenous peoples in the Arctic region and their herds reveals a rich history and provides clues about how to protect it. By  Ali Jones Reindeer prance into the festive spotlight each December, but when Santa’s magical sleigh goes empty for another year what does life hold for Rudolph’s relatives? Dr Roza Laptander … Read more

Brain gain: Europe’s big advances in neuroscience

EU researchers are coming up with new ways to tackle the range of illnesses tied to the human body’s most complex organ. By  Horizon Staff In the southern French city of Marseille, health researchers have developed a way to operate more effectively on epilepsy patients. In Milan in northern Italy, scientists have come up with … Read more

In mighty Atlantic Ocean, ecosystem wonders and threats lie below the surface

Scientists from numerous countries are joining forces to tackle risks to life in the world’s second-largest ocean. By  Jack McGovan During his first offshore expedition in 1997, marine-biology expert Murray Roberts was shocked to see the state of cold-water corals located west of Scotland’s Shetland Islands. A century earlier, Victorian-era naturalists described seeing stony thickets … Read more