by Fintan Burke Five ‘mission reports’ outlining ambitious 10-year plans to tackle some of the major challenges faced by Europe were officially handed over to EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel on 22 September at the opening session of this year’s European Research and Innovation Days. The five so-called missions, which have been a year in the drafting … Read more
by Ian Le Guillou Over one hundred years since psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer described the hallmarks of the disease that bears his name, significant gaps in our understanding of how and why the disease develops mean that we still do not have effective treatments. Alzheimer identified deposits of protein that had accumulated in the brain of a … Read more
by Jonathan O’Callaghan Self-driving cars, or connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), are closer than ever to becoming a mainstay on our roads. Already, many modern cars have self-driving capabilities – now the next step is full automation. Before that is allowed, however, considerable testing still needs to be done. On 18 September, the European Commission published an … Read more
by Annette Ekin Dr Lidia Oostvogels is feeling the pressure. After nearly two decades of working in vaccine development, seeing the subject of her work – coronavirus – in the news every single day is a first for her. ‘It’s very exciting and very motivational, but there is a lot of pressure,’ she said. Dr Oostvogels … Read more
by Sarah Wild The coronavirus pandemic disrupted the global food system and emphasised its structural inequity – from unequal food distribution to workers in the system going hungry. Experts are calling for a reimagining of the way we produce and distribute food so that everyone can access quality food. Despite producing more food by volume than … Read more
The pandemic left a visible imprint on car, bus and bicycle use – and at its height brought about cleaner city air – but it also disrupted another, less obvious but highly polluting sector: freight transport. Coronavirus plunged millions of planes, trucks, trains and ships into a massive experiment, disrupting supply chains as national borders … Read more