Vaccine potency drops in the elderly and little is known about why this happens. Now European scientists are on a mission to understand waning immunity and to develop strategies that make vaccines work effectively in all age groups. Vaccines are much less effective in the elderly than they are in the young, making people … Read more
Most of us think about getting older from time to time, noticing how the years slip by and counting the grey hairs. Some of us even try and fight back, rubbing anti-ageing creams into our cheeks and turning to ideas like fasting. Biologist Dr Martin Denzel is no different, though he tends to shy … Read more
Each day, millions of us load fresh fruit and flowers into our shopping baskets. The global trade in cut flowers and citrus fruits together are worth around €30 billion. When it comes to embracing technology, however, these big businesses tend to remain stuck in the past. In 2017, serendipity brought Martina Drobná into contact … Read more
Even with brilliant, original ideas, social innovators are often limited by funding and skills shortages when it comes to scaling up. A new Horizon Europe call is opening on May 12 2022 to set up a European Social Innovation Catalyst Fund that will help social innovators grow their ideas. Social innovators find new ways … Read more
Tweaks to our diets could be one of the most effective ways of preventing disease in Europe’s ageing population. In 2021, more than one fifth of the EU population was aged 65 and over. Current demographic trends suggest there will be 130 million Europeans over the age of 65 by 2050. By 2040, according … Read more
For thousands of years, silk has been treasured for its qualities as a beautiful material for elegant garments. But scientists are harnessing the less obvious qualities of silk to develop versatile replacement parts for human eyes and knees. The first word that comes to mind when you think of silk is probably not “strength”, … Read more